Decarbonylation of phenylacetic acids by high valent transition metal halides

The unusual decarbonylation of α-phenyl carboxylic acids with suitable substituents is a general reaction promoted at room temperature by homoleptic halides of high valent transition metals.

Modifying bis(triflimide) ionic liquids by dissolving early transition metal carbamates

The authors report the first modification of ionic liquids with metal carbamates. A selection of homoleptic N,N-dialkylcarbamates of group 4 and 5 metals, M(O₂CNR₂)_n, were dissolved in bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquids, i.e. [bmim][Tf₂N] and [P(oct)₄][Tf₂N], at 293 K. The resulting solutions were characterized by means of IR, UV and NMR spectroscopy, and the data were compared to those of the respective metal compounds. Notably, the dissolution process did not proceed with the release of any of the original carbamato ligands, thus preserving the intact coordination frame around the metal centre. The solvation process of Ti(O₂CNⁱPr₂)₄, as a model species, in [bmim][Tf₂N] was rationalized by DFT calculations. As a comparative study, solutions of NbF₅ and MCl₅ (M = Nb, Ta) in [bmim][Tf₂N] were also investigated, revealing the possible occurrence of solvent anion coordination to the metal centres.

Synthesis, Bonding, and Reactivity of Vanadium(IV) Oxido-Fluorido Compounds with Neutral Chelate Ligands of the General Formula cis-[V(IV)(═O)(F)(L(N-N))2](+)

Reaction of the oxidovanadium(IV)-L(N-N) species (L(N-N) is bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine or bipy-like molecules) with either BF4(-) or HF and/or KF results in the formation of compounds of the general formula cis-[V(IV)(═O)(F)(L(N-N))2](+). Structural and spectroscopic (electron paramagnetic resonance) characterization shows that these compounds are in the tetravalent oxidation state containing a terminal fluorido ligand. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the V(IV)-F bond is mainly electrostatic, which is reinforced by reactivity studies that demonstrate the nucleophilicity of the fluoride ligand in a halogen exchange reaction and in fluorination of various organic substrates.

Coordination complexes of niobium and tantalum pentahalides with a bulky NHC ligand

The reactivity of niobium and tantalum pentahalides with a bulky NHC ligand is described, including the first crystallographic characterization of a Ta complex with a monodentate NHC ligand.

Soft diphosphine and diarsine complexes of niobium(V) and tantalum(V) fluorides: synthesis, properties, structures and comparisons with the corresponding chlorides

The reactions of the soft diphosphines o-C6H4(PMe2)2, Me2P(CH2)2PMe2, Et2P(CH2)2PEt2 or o-C6H4(PPh2)2 with NbF5 or TaF5 in anhydrous MeCN solution produce [MF4(diphosphine)2][MF6] (M = Nb or Ta), which have been characterised by microanalysis, IR, (1)H, (19)F{(1)H}, (31)P{(1)H} and (93)Nb NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystal structures are reported for the isomorphous [MF4{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2][MF6], which confirm the presence of eight-coordinate (distorted dodecahedral) cations. The corresponding reactions using o-C6H4(AsMe2)2 produced [MF4{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}2][MF6] which were similarly characterised, including by the X-ray structure of [NbF4{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}2][NbF6]. These are very rare examples of arsine complexes of high valent metal fluorides. The chloro complexes [NbCl4{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2]Cl, [TaCl4{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2][TaCl6], [NbCl4{Me2P(CH2)2PMe2}2][NbCl6] and [MCl4{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}2][MCl6] were prepared and their structural and spectroscopic properties compared with the fluoride analogues. Attempts to prepare diphosphine complexes of NbOF3 were unsuccessful, but the NbOCl3 complexes, [{{Me2P(CH2)2PMe2}NbOCl3}2{μ-Me2P(CH2)2PMe2}] and [{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}NbOCl3(μ-O)NbCl3(CH3CN){o-C6H4(PMe2)2}] were obtained. X-Ray structures are also reported for [NbCl4{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2]Cl, [NbCl4{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}2][NbCl5(OEt)], [NbCl4{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2][NbOCl4(CH3CN)], [{{Me2P(CH2)2PMe2}NbOCl3}2{μ-Me2P(CH2)2PMe2}] and [{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}NbOCl3(μ-O)NbCl3(CH3CN){o-C6H4(PMe2)2}].

Synthesis of α-amino acidato derivatives of niobium and tantalum pentahalides and their conversion into iminium salts

Dinuclear complexes of formula Nb2Cl9[O2CCH(R)NR'R″2-κO,κO] (R = CH2CHMe2, R' = R″ = H, 1a; R = CH2Ph, R' = R″ = H, 1b; R = CH2CH2SCH3, R' = R″ = H, 1c; R = R' = H, R″ = Me, 1d; R = CH2Ph, R' = R″ = Me, 1e; Nb2Cl9[O2C⌈CH(CH2)3NH⌉], 1f) were prepared by allowing NbCl5 to react in dichloromethane with the appropriate α-amino acid in 1:2 amino acid/Nb molar ratio. The 1:1 reactions between MX5 (M = Nb, Ta; X = Cl, Br) and a series of α-amino acids resulted in the formation of the iminium salts [(R)CH═NR'R″2][MX6] (R = CH2Ph, R' = R″ = Me: M = Nb, X = Cl, 2a; M = Nb, X = Br, 2b; M = Ta, X = Cl, 2c; M = Ta, X = Br, 2d; R = CH2Ph, R' = R″ = H, M = Nb: X = Cl, 3a; X = Br, 3b; R = CH2CHMe2, R' = R″ = H, M = Nb, X = Cl, 4; R = R' = H, R″ = Me, M = Nb, X = Cl, 5). The formate/amino acidate derivative NbCl3(O2CH)[O2CCH(CH2Ph)NMe2], 6, was isolated and identified as coproduct of the 1:1 reaction between NbCl5 and N,N-dimethyl-l-phenylalanine, leading to 2a. All of the compounds were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods and by X-ray diffractometry in the cases of 2a, 2b, and 2d. Moreover, density functional theory studies were carried out to shed light on mechanistic and structural aspects.