Germanium hydrides as an efficient hydrogen-storage material operated by an iron catalyst

The use of metal hydrides such as NaBH₄ as hydrogen-storage materials has recently received substantial research attention on account of the worldwide demand for the development of efficient hydrogen-production, -storage, and -transportation systems. Here, we report the quantitative production of H₂ gas from a germanium hydride, Ph₂GeH₂, mediated by an iron catalyst at room temperature via dehydrogenative coupling, concomitant with the formation of (GePh₂)₅. Of particular importance is that Ph₂GeH₂ can be facilely recovered from (GePh₂)₅ by contact with 1 atm of H₂ or PhICl₂/LiAlH₄ at 0 °C or 40 °C, respectively. A detailed reaction mechanism for the iron-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of Ph₂GeH₂ is proposed based on the isolation of four intermediate iron species.

Inorganometallics (Transition Metal-Metalloid Complexes) and Catalysis

While the formation and breaking of transition metal (TM)-carbon bonds plays a pivotal role in the catalysis of organic compounds, the reactivity of inorganometallic species, that is, those involving the transition metal (TM)-metalloid (E) bond, is of key importance in most conversions of metalloid derivatives catalyzed by TM complexes. This Review presents the background of inorganometallic catalysis and its development over the last 15 years. The results of mechanistic studies presented in the Review are related to the occurrence of TM-E and TM-H compounds as reactive intermediates in the catalytic transformations of selected metalloids (E = B, Si, Ge, Sn, As, Sb, or Te). The Review illustrates the significance of inorganometallics in catalysis of the following processes: addition of metalloid-hydrogen and metalloid-metalloid bonds to unsaturated compounds; activation and functionalization of C-H bonds and C-X bonds with hydrometalloids and bismetalloids; activation and functionalization of C-H bonds with vinylmetalloids, metalloid halides, and sulfonates; and dehydrocoupling of hydrometalloids. This first Review on inorganometallic catalysis sums up the developments in the catalytic methods for the synthesis of organometalloid compounds and their applications in advanced organic synthesis as a part of tandem reactions.

Synthesis of Unsaturated Silyl Heterocycles via an Intramolecular Silyl-Heck Reaction

We report the synthesis of unsaturated silacycles via an intramolecular silyl-Heck reaction. Using palladium catalysis, silicon electrophiles tethered to alkenes cyclize to form 5- and 6-membered silicon heterocycles. The effects of alkene substitution and tether length on the efficiency and regioselectivity of the cyclizations are described. Finally, through the use of an intramolecular tether, the first examples of disubstituted alkenes in silyl-Heck reactions are reported.

Platinum-catalyzed reactions between Si-H groups as a new method for cross-linking of silicones

The platinum-catalyzed self-cross-linking of polymethylhydrosiloxane at RT in air was performed for the first time and proved by 1H, 13C, and 29Si SSNMR and swelling measurements. Quantum chemical modeling of possible structures was investigated. Platinum (0) and (ii) complexes were used as catalysts between the Si-H groups of polymethylhydrosiloxane. Karstedt's catalyst leads to Si-O-Si and Si-Si bond formation, but cis-[PtCl2(BnCN)2] generates predominantly Si-O-Si cross-links. cis-[PtCl2(BnCN)2] allows creating high-quality silicone rubbers without visible mechanical defects. This cross-linking approach can be used to obtain new Si-H-containing silicone materials.

Synthesis of hydrosilanes via Lewis-base-catalysed reduction of alkoxy silanes with NaBH4

Hydrosilanes were synthesized by reduction of alkoxy silanes with BH₃ in the presence of hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA) as a Lewis-base catalyst. The reaction was also achieved using an inexpensive and easily handled hydride source NaBH₄, which reacted with EtBr as a sacrificial reagent to form BH₃in situ.

Group 10 Metal Aminopyridinato Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Application as Aryl-Cl Activation and Hydrosilane Polymerization Catalysts

(4-Methyl-pyridin-2-yl)(trimethylsilanyl)amine (ApSi-H) and tert-butyl(4-methyl-pyridin-2-yl)amine (AptBu-H) were synthesized via salt metathesis and aryl amination reactions, respectively. Lithiation of these two aminopyridines using n-BuLi and the reactions with [(dme)NiCl2] (dme = dimethoxyethane) or [(cod)PdCl2] (cod = cyclooctadiene) in THF at low temperature gave rise--after workup in hexane--to group 10 amido compounds, [(ApSi)4Ni2], [(AptBu)2Pd], [(AptBu-H)(AptBu)2Ni], [(AptBu)3(C2H5O)3Ni3OLi(thf)], and [(AptBu)2Ni(tBupy)2] (tBupy = 4-tert-butylpyridine). The aminopyridinato complexes were characterized by X-ray crystal structure analysis. The highly strained binding situation of the aminopyridinato ligands suggested that these compounds might be efficiently converted into catalytically active species. The applications of some of the synthesized complexes as Suzuki cross-coupling catalysts (activation of aryl chlorides) are described and [(ApSi)4Ni2] is a rare example of a "phosphine-free" catalyst system. A number of late transition metal complexes were found to successfully catalyze polymerization of MeH2SiSiH2Me toward soluble, linear poly(methylsilane). Remarkable activity was observed for [(ApSi)2Pd].

Group 6 metal complexes with a hemilabile tridentate xantsil ligand and facile insertion of tBuCN into a W–Si bond [xantsil = (9,9-dimethylxanthene-4,5-diyl)bis(dimethylsilyl)]

The synthesis and characterization of tungsten and molybdenum complexes of the xanthene-based bis(silyl) ligand (xantsil) with a kappa3(Si,Si,O) coordination mode are reported, where an insertion of tBuCN into a tungsten-silicon bond leads to formation of an eta2-iminoacyl complex.

Reactivity of Rhodium-Triflate Complexes with Diphenylsilane: Evidence for Silylene Intermediacy in Stoichiometric and Catalytic Reactions

Addition of Ph2SiH2 to [Rh(iPr3P)2(OTf)] (1) yielded the thermally unstable RhIII adduct [Rh(iPr3P)2(OTf)(H)(SiPh2H)] (2), which decomposed to [Rh(iPr3P)2(H)2(OTf)] (3), liberating (unobserved) silylene. The silylene was trapped by 1, resulting in the RhI-silyl complex [Rh(iPr3P)2(SiPh2OTf)]. Complex 3 was converted to 2 by addition of diphenylsilane, providing a basis for a possible catalytic cycle. The last reaction did not involve a RhI intermediate, as shown by a labeling study. Complex 1 catalyzed the dehydrogenative coupling of Ph2SiH2 to Ph2HSi--SiHPh2. A mechanism involving a silylene intermediate in this catalytic cycle is proposed. The mechanism is supported by complete lack of catalysis in the case of the tertiary silanes Ph2MeSiH and PhMe2SiH, and by a study of individual steps of the catalytic cycle. The outcome of the reaction of Ph2SiH2 with styrene in the presence of 1 depends on the complex/substrate ratio; under stoichiometric conditions olefin hydrogenation prevailed over hydrosilylation, whereas with excess of substrates hydrosilylation prevailed. Catalytic hydrosilylation resulted in double addition giving Ph2Si(CH2CH2Ph)2. Mechanistic aspects of the reported processes are discussed, and a new hydrosilylation mechanism based on silylene intermediacy is proposed.

Silylene-bridged dinuclear iron complexes [Cp(OC)2Fe]2SiX2 (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I). Synthesis, molecular structure, vibrational spectroscopy, and theoretical studies

The mu2-silylene-bridged iron complexes [Cp(OC)(2)Fe](2)SiX(2) (X = F (2), Br (4), I (5)) have been prepared from the mu2-SiH(2) functional precursor [Cp(OC)(2)Fe](2)SiH(2) (1) by hydrogen/halogen exchange, using HBF(4), CBr(4), and CH(2)I(2), respectively. The fluoro- and bromo-substituted derivatives 2 and 4 are converted upon UV irradiation to the carbonyl- and dihalosilylene-bridged dinuclear complexes [Cp(OC)Fe](2) (mu2-CO)(mu2-SiX(2)) (X = F (6), Br (7)) via CO elimination. All new compounds have been characterized spectroscopically, and, in addition, the molecular structure of 2, 4, and the previously reported chloro derivative [Cp(OC)(2)Fe](2)SiCl(2) (3) has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. For 1-5, the Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra have been recorded and discussed, together with density functional theory calculations, which support the experimental results of the structural and vibrational analysis. The computed geometries, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers, and their corresponding Raman scattering activities are in good agreement with the experimental data. A significant dependence of the CO and Fe-Si stretching modes on the X substituents of the mu2-silylene bridge has been observed and discussed.