Thienyl-Substituted Diboranes(4): Electronic Stabilization of Radicals Versus Increased Reactivity towards Bond Activation.

Low-valent main group chemistry involves a balancing act between steric and electronic stabilization of the electron-rich low oxidation state main group centers and their desired reactivity. Herein we show that the combination of sterically shielding mesityl and rotationally flexible 2-thienyl groups, the latter having the potential to be either electronically stabilizing or activating, at a diborane(4) provides a platform for both radical anion stabilization and unusual bond activation and rearrangement reactions. The addition of a Lewis base to a 1,2-dimesityl-1,2-dithienyldiborane(4) (1) results in direct and unprecedented C-H borylation of one thienyl substituent with cleavage of the B-B bond.

Room-Temperature Cu(II) Radical-Triggered Alkyne C-H Activation.

A dimeric Cu(II) complex [Cu(II)L(μ-Cl)Cl] () built from an asymmetric tridentate ligand (2-(((2-aminocyclohexyl)imino)methyl)-4,6-di--butylphenol) and weakly coordinating anions has been synthesized and structurally characterized. In dichloromethane solution, exists in a monomeric [Cu(II)LCl] () (85%)-dimeric () (15%) equilibrium, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies indicate structural stability and redox retention. Addition of phenylacetylene to the CHCl solution populates and leads to the formation of a transient radical species.

SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates in asymptomatic workers at a cancer referral center in Mexico City: A prospective observational study in the context of adapting hospitals back to regular practice.

Background: Healthcare workers are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The positivity rates in hospitals that do not receive patients with COVID-19, such as the National Cancer Institute (INCan) in Mexico, and the associated factors are unknown.

Objective: To assess the incidence and factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers at INCan.

Reactivity of cyano- and isothiocyanatoborylenes: metal coordination, one-electron oxidation and boron-centred Brønsted basicity.

Doubly base-stabilised cyano- and isothiocyanatoborylenes of the form LL'BY (L = CAAC = cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene; L' = NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene; Y = CN, NCS) coordinate to group 6 carbonyl complexes the terminal donor of the pseudohalide substituent and undergo facile and fully reversible one-electron oxidation to the corresponding boryl radical cations [LL'BY]˙. Furthermore, calculations show that the borylenes have very similar proton affinities, both to each other and to NHC superbases. However, while the protonation of LL'B(CN) with PhSH yielding [LL'BH(CN)][PhS] is fully reversible, that of LL'B(NCS) is rendered irreversible by a subsequent B-to-C hydrogen shift and nucleophilic attack of PhS at boron.

Highly Colored Boron-Doped Thiazolothiazoles from the Reductive Dimerization of Boron Isothiocyanates.

Reduction of (CAAC)BBr (NCS) (CAAC=cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene) in the presence of a Lewis base L yields tricoordinate (CAAC)LB(NCS) borylenes which undergo reversible E/Z-isomerization. The same reduction in the absence of L yields deep blue, bis(CAAC)-stabilized, boron-doped, aromatic thiazolothiazoles resulting from the dimerization of dicoordinate (CAAC)B(NCS) borylene intermediates.

Structural and Electronic Control of the Bidentate 1-(2-pyridyl)benzotriazole Ligand in Copper Chemistry with Application to Catalysis in the A Coupling Reaction.

The hybrid bidentate 1-(2-pyridyl)benzotriazole (pyb) ligand was introduced into 3d transition metal catalysis. Specifically, [Cu (OTf) (pyb) ]⋅2 CH CN (1) enables the synthesis of a wide range of propargylamines by the A coupling reaction at room temperature in the absence of additives. Experimental and high-level theoretical calculations suggest that the bridging N atom of the ligand imposes exclusive trans coordination at Cu and allows ligand rotation, while the N atom of the pyridine group modulates charge distribution and flux, and thus orchestrates structural and electronic precatalyst control permitting alkyne binding with simultaneous activation of the C-H bond via a transient Cu species.

π-Complexes of Diborynes with Main Group Atoms.

We present herein an in-depth study of complexes in which a molecule containing a boron-boron triple bond is bound to tellurate cations. The analysis allows the description of these salts as true π complexes between the B-B triple bond and the tellurium center. These complexes thus extend the well-known Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model of bonding to compounds made up solely of p block elements.

Trapping of a Borirane Intermediate in the Reductive Coupling of an Arylborane to a Diborene.

The reductive coupling of a N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-stabilized aryldibromoborane yields a mixture of - and -diborenes in which the aryl groups are coplanar with the diborene core. Under dilute reduction conditions two diastereomers of a borirane-borane intermediate are isolated, which upon further reduction give rise to the aforementioned diborene mixture. DFT calculations suggest a mechanism proceeding via nucleophilic attack of a dicoordinate borylene intermediate on the aryl ring and subsequent intramolecular B-B bond formation.

trans-Selective Insertional Dihydroboration of a cis-Diborene: Synthesis of Linear sp -sp -sp -Triboranes and Subsequent Cationization.

The reaction of aryl- and amino(dihydro)boranes with dibora[2]ferrocenophane 1 leads to the formation 1,3-trans-dihydrotriboranes by formal hydrogenation and insertion of a borylene unit into the B=B bond. The aryltriborane derivatives undergo reversible photoisomerization to the cis-1,2-μ-H-3-hydrotriboranes, while hydride abstraction affords cationic triboranes, which represent the first doubly base-stabilized B H analogues.

Solvent-Free Synthesis and Key Intermediate Isolation in NiDy Catalyst Development in the Domino Ring-Opening Electrocyclization Reaction of Furfural and Amines.

A solvent-free methodology that yields trans-4,5-diaminocyclopent-2-enones, main domains of natural products and a variety of N-heterocycles, is described. The bimetallic catalyst [NiDyL(DMF)] 2(OTf) 2(DMF) (1) promotes the domino reaction of furfural and amines, with loadings as low as 0.01%, under stirring or microwave-assisted conditions to afford the corresponding frameworks in very good to excellent yields.

Phosphine-Stabilized Diiododiborenes: Isolable Diborenes with Six Labile Bonds.

The lability of B=B, B-P, and B-halide bonds is combined in the syntheses of the first diiododiborenes. In a series of reactivity tests, these diiododiborenes undergo cleavage of all six of their central bonds in different ways, leading to products of B=B hydrogenation and dihalogenation as well as halide exchange.

Facile Synthesis of a Stable Dihydroboryl {BH } Anion.

While the one-electron reduction of (CAAC )BH Br (CAAC =1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene) yields a hydride-shift isomer of the corresponding tetrahydrodiborane, a further reversible reduction leads to the first stable parent boryl anion, [(CAAC )BH ] , which acts as a powerful boron nucleophile.

Chelated Diborenes and Their Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels-Alder Reactions with Dienes.

A doubly base-stabilised diborane based on a benzylphosphine linker was prepared by a salt elimination reaction between 2-LiC H CH PCy ⋅Et O and B Br . This compound was reduced with KC to its corresponding diborene, with the benzylphosphine forming a five-membered chelate. The diborene reacts with butadiene, 2-trimethylsiloxy-1,3-butadiene, and isoprene to form 4,5-diboracyclohexenes, which interconvert between their 1,1- (geminal) and 1,2- (vicinal) chelated isomers.

Diboryldiborenes: π-Conjugated B Chains Isoelectronic to the Butadiene Dication.

B(sp )-B(sp ) diborane species based on bis(catecholato)diboron and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) underwent catechol/bromide exchange selectively at the sp -hybridized boron atom. The reduction of the resulting 1,1-dibromodiborane adducts led to reductive coupling and isolation of doubly NHC-stabilized 1,2-diboryldiborenes. These compounds are the first examples of molecules exhibiting π-electron delocalization over an all-boron chain.

Boron Centres Allow Design, Control and Systematic Tuning of Neutral Homoaromatics for Functionalization Purposes.

Homoaromatic compounds are currently viewed mainly as an interesting novelty with little to no practical application. Based on calculations within density functional theory, we show that the unique charge redirection properties of tricoordinate boron, along with it being isolobal to a carbocation, allow for a larger range of two-electron donors to be utilized, leading to the rational design of homoaromatic compounds better suited to functionalization. Among others, these compounds show a strong dependency on the relative positioning of the hetero-atoms within the ring system, a modulation control rendered possible by the insertion of the boron centres.

Direct access to a cAAC-supported dihydrodiborene and its dianion.

The two-fold reduction of (cAAC)BHX (cAAC = 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene; X = Cl, Br) provides a facile, high-yielding route to the dihydrodiborene (cAAC)BH. The (chloro)hydroboryl anion reduction intermediate was successfully isolated using a crown ether. Overreduction of the diborene to its dianion [(cAAC)BH] causes a decrease in the B-B bond order whereas the B-C bond orders increase.

Bottleable Neutral Analogues of [B H ] as Versatile and Strongly Binding η Donor Ligands.

Herein we report the discovery that two bottleable, neutral, base-stabilized diborane(5) compounds are able to bind strongly to a number of copper(I) complexes exclusively through their B-B bond. The resulting complexes represent the first known complexes containing unsupported, neutral σ diborane ligands. Single-crystal X-ray analyses of these complexes show that the X-Cu moiety (X=Cl, OTf, C F ) lies opposite the bridging hydrogen atom of the diborane and is near perpendicular to the B-B bond, interacting almost equally with both boron atoms and causing a B-B bond elongation.

Unsymmetrical, Cyclic Diborenes and Thermal Rearrangement to a Borylborylene.

Cyclic diboranes(4) based on a chelating monoanionic benzylphosphine linker were prepared through boron-silicon exchange between arylsilanes and B Br . Coordination of Lewis bases to the remaining sp boron atom yielded unsymmetrical sp -sp diboranes, which were reduced with KC to their corresponding trans-diborenes. These compounds were studied with a combination of spectroscopic methods, X-ray diffraction, and DFT calculations.

Potassium Binding Adjacent to Cationic Transition-Metal Fragments: Unusual Heterobimetallic Adducts of a Calix[4]arene-Based Thione Ligand.

The synthesis of cationic rhodium and iridium complexes of a bis(imidazole-2-thione)-functionalized calix[4]arene ligand and their surprising capacity for potassium binding are described. In both cases, uptake of the alkali metal into the calix[4]arene cavity occurs despite adverse electrostatic interactions associated with close proximity to the transition-metal fragment [Rh···K = 3.715(1) Å; Ir···K = 3.

Monomeric 16-Electron π-Diborene Complexes of Zn(II) and Cd(II).

Despite the prevalence of stable π-complexes of most d metals, such as Cu(I) and Ni(0), with ethylene and other olefins, complexation of d Zn(II) to simple olefins is too weak to form isolable complexes due to the metal ion's limited capacity for π-backdonation. By employing more strongly donating π-ligands, namely neutral diborenes with a high-lying π(B═B) orbital, monomeric 16-electron M(II)-diborene (M = Zn, Cd) π-complexes were synthesized in good yields. Metal-B π-interactions in both the solid and solution state were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analyses and their solution NMR and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively.

Engineering a Small HOMO-LUMO Gap and Intramolecular C-H Borylation by Diborene/Anthracene Orbital Intercalation.

The diborene 1 was synthesized by reduction of a mixture of 1,2-di-9-anthryl-1,2-dibromodiborane(4) (6) and trimethylphosphine with potassium graphite. The X-ray structure of 1 shows the two anthryl rings to be parallel and their π(C ) systems perpendicular to the diborene π(B=B) system. This twisted conformation allows for intercalation of the relatively high-lying π(B=B) orbital and the low-lying π* orbital of the anthryl moiety with no significant conjugation, resulting in a small HOMO-LUMO gap (HLG) and ultimately a C-H borylation of the anthryl unit.

Strongly Phosphorescent Transition Metal π-Complexes of Boron-Boron Triple Bonds.

Herein are reported the first π-complexes of compounds with boron-boron triple bonds with transition metals, in this case Cu. Three different compounds were isolated that differ in the number of copper atoms bound to the BB unit. Metalation of the B-B triple bonds causes lengthening of the B-B and B-C bonds, as well as large upfield shifts of the B NMR signals, suggesting greater orbital interactions between the boron and transition metal atoms than those observed with recently published diboryne/alkali metal cation complexes.

Dibora[2]ferrocenophane: A Carbene-Stabilized Diborene in a Strained cis-Configuration.

Unsaturated bridges that link the two cyclopentadienyl ligands together in strained ansa metallocenes are rare and limited to carbon-carbon double bonds. The synthesis and isolation of a strained ferrocenophane containing an unsaturated two-boron bridge, isoelectronic with a C=C double bond, was achieved by reduction of a carbene-stabilized 1,1'-bis(dihaloboryl)ferrocene. A combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations was used to assess the influence of the unprecedented strained cis configuration on the optical and electrochemical properties of the carbene-stabilized diborene unit.

Dynamic, Reversible Oxidative Addition of Highly Polar Bonds to a Transition Metal.

The combination of Pt complexes and indium trihalides leads to compounds that form equilibria in solution between their In-X oxidative addition (OA) products (Pt indyl complexes) and their metal-only Lewis pair (MOLP) isomers (LPt→InX). The position of the equilibria can be altered reversibly by changing the solvent, while the equilibria can be reversibly and irreversibly driven toward the MOLP products by addition of further donor ligands. The results mark the first observation of an equilibrium between MOLP and OA isomers, as well as the most polar bond ever observed to undergo reversible oxidative addition to a metal complex.

Efficient Ni(II)2Ln(III)2 Electrocyclization Catalysts for the Synthesis of trans-4,5-Diaminocyclopent-2-enones from 2-Furaldehyde and Primary or Secondary Amines.

A series of heterometallic coordination clusters (CCs) [Ni(II)2Ln(III)2(L1)4Cl2(CH3CN)2] 2CH3CN [Ln = Y (1Y), Sm (1Sm), Eu (1Eu), Gd (1Gd), or Tb (1Tb)] were synthesized by the reaction of (E)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene-amino)phenol) (H2L1) with NiCl2·6(H2O) and LnCl3·x(H2O) in the presence of Et3N at room temperature. These air-stable CCs can be obtained in very high yields from commercially available materials and are efficient catalysts for the room-temperature domino ring-opening electrocyclization synthesis of trans-4,5-diaminocyclopent-2-enones from 2-furaldehyde and primary or secondary amines under a non-inert atmosphere. Structural modification of the catalyst to achieve immobilization or photosensitivity is possible without deterioration in catalytic activity.