Unprecedented Addition of Tetrahydroborate to an Osmium–Carbon Triple Bond

Dissimilarity in the Chemical Behavior of Osmaoxazolium Salts and Osmaoxazoles: Two Different Aromatic Metalladiheterocycles

The preparation of aromatic hydride-osmaoxazolium and hydride-oxazole compounds is reported and their reactivity toward phenylacetylene investigated. Complex [OsH(OH)(≡CPh)(IPr)(PⁱPr₃)]OTf (1; IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolylidene, OTf = CF₃SO₃) reacts with acetonitrile and benzonitrile to give [OsH{κ²-C,O-[C(Ph)NHC(R)O]}(NCR)(IPr)(PⁱPr₃)]OTf (R = Me (2), Ph (3)) via amidate intermediates, which are generated by addition of the hydroxide ligand to the nitrile. In agreement with this, the addition of 2-phenylacetamide to acetonitrile solutions of 1 gives [OsH{κ²-C,O-[C(Ph)NHC(CH₂Ph)O]}(NCCH₃)(IPr)(PⁱPr₃)]OTf (4). The deprotonation of the osmaoxazolium ring of 2 and 4 leads to the oxazole derivatives OsH{κ²-C,O-[C(Ph)NC(R)O]}(IPr)(PⁱPr₃) (R = Me (5), CH₂Ph (6)). Complexes 2 and 4 add their Os–H and Os–C bonds to the C–C triple bond of phenylacetylene to afford [Os{η³-C₃,κ¹-O-[CH₂C(Ph)C(Ph)NHC(R)O]}(NCCH₃)₂(IPr)]OTf (R = Me (7), CH₂Ph (8)), bearing a tridentate amide-N-functionalized allyl ligand, while complexes 5 and 6 undergo a vicarious nucleophilic substitution of the hydride at the metal center with the alkyne, via the compressed dihydride adduct intermediates OsH₂(C≡CPh){κ²-C,O-[C(Ph)NC(R)O]}(IPr)(PⁱPr₃) (R = Me (9), CH₂Ph (10)), which reductively eliminate H₂ to yield the acetylide-osmaoxazoles Os(C≡CPh){κ²-C,O-[C(Ph)NC(R)O]}(IPr)(PⁱPr₃) (R = Me (11), CH₂Ph (12)).

Iridium-Promoted B-B Bond Activation: Preparation and X-ray Diffraction Analysis of a mer-Tris(boryl) Complex

The tris(boryl) complex Ir(Bcat)₃{κ³-P,O,P-[xant(PⁱPr₂)₂]} [Bcat = catecholboryl; xant(PⁱPr₂)₂ = 9,9-dimethyl-4,5-bis(diisopropylphosphino)xanthene] has been prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The boryl ligands are disposed in a mer arrangement. The Ir-B bonds situated mutually trans are ∼0.1 Å longer than that disposed cis to the other two. An energy decomposition analysis method coupled to natural orbitals for chemical valence has revealed that the level of π-back-donation from the metal to the p _z atomic orbital of the boron atom decreases ∼43% in the longer bonds with respect to the shorter one, while the level of σ-bonding interaction diminishes by only ∼8%.

Dihydrobis(methimazolyl)borato complexes of ruthenium and osmium

The reaction of Na[H₂B(mt)₂] (mt = 2-mercapto, 3-methylimidazol-1-yl, methimazolyl) with [Ru(X)Cl(CO)(PPh₃)_n] (n= 3 X = H;n= 2 BO₂C₆H₄, SiCl₃, SiMe₃) affords the complexes [Ru(X)(CO)(PPh₃){κ²-H,S,S′-H₂B(mt)₂}].

An Entry to Stable Mixed Phosphine-Osmium-NHC Polyhydrides

An entry to mixed phosphine-osmium-NHC polyhydride complexes is described, starting from the five-coordinate hydrido-alkylidyne compounds [OsHCl(≡CPh)(IPr)(PR3)]OTf (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-disopropylphenyl)imidazolylidene; OTf = CF3SO3; PR3 = P(i)Pr3 (1), PPh3 (2)). The experimental procedure involves the borylation of the Os-C triple bond of 1 and 2 with NaBH4 and the subsequent alcoholysis of the borylation products OsH2Cl(η(2)-H-BCH2Ph)(IPr)(PR3) (PR3 = P(i)Pr3 (3), PPh3 (4)) or OsH2(η(2):η(2):H2BCH2Ph)(IPr)(P(i)Pr3) (5). Stirring of 3 in 2-propanol affords the five coordinate chloride-trihydride OsH3Cl(IPr)(P(i)Pr3)2 (6), which reacts with NaBH4 to give OsH3(κ(2)-H2BH2)(IPr)(P(i)Pr3) (7). This trihydride-tetrahydrideborate derivative and its PPh3 counterpart OsH3(κ(2)-H2BH2)(IPr)(PPh3) (8) can be also obtained in a one-pot procedure, starting from 1 and 2 and using methanol at -60 °C instead of 2-propanol as alcoholysis agent. The bonding situation in 7 and 8, analyzed by DFT calculations using AIM and NBO methods, resembles that found in B2H6 and contrasts with the bonding situation in the bis-σ-borane derivative 5. Stirring of 7 and 8 in 2-propanol leads to the corresponding d(2)-hexahydride derivatives OsH6(IPr)(PR3) (PR3 = P(i)Pr3 (9), PPh3 (10)), which reduce the C≡N triple bond of benzonitrile and promote the subsequent chelate-assisted ortho-CH bond activation of the resulting phenylmethanimine, to form the trihydride compounds OsH3{κ(2)-N,C-(NH═CH-C6H4)}(IPr)(PR3)2 (PR3 = P(i)Pr3 (11), PPh3 (12)), containing a stabilized orthometalated aldimine.