Lone-Pair-π Bond Strength Unveiled by a Combined Experimental and Computational Study.

A series of naphthalene-diimide (NDI) and perylene-diimide (PDI) connected bis-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of iridium(III) have been prepared and fully characterized. The analysis of their NMR spectroscopic features, together with their molecular structures show that these species display lone-pair-π interactions between the chloride ligands of the Ir(III) complex and the heterocycles of the NDI/PDI moieties. The detection of this type of interaction in solution is due to the formation of two atropisomers, which are formed as a result of the restricted rotation about the Ir-C bond imposed by the (Cl)lp⋅⋅⋅π interaction.

Reversible Coupling of Germylone with Isocyanates.

The germylone dimNHCGe (5, dimNHC=diimino N-heterocyclic carbene) undergoes a [2+2] cycloaddition with isocyanates RNCO (R=4-tolyl or 3,5-xylyl) to furnish novel alkyl carboxamido germylenes 7 (R=4-tolyl) and 8 (R=3,5-xylyl), featuring a C-C bond between the former carbene carbon and the isocyanate moiety. Heating a mixture of 8 with 4-tolyl isocyanate to 100 °C results in isocyanate metathesis, demonstrating reversible C-C bond formation on the reduced germanium compound. DFT calculations suggest that this process occurs via the reductive dissociation of isocyanate from 8 that regenerates the parent Ge(0) compound 5.

Tuning the Catalytic Activity of a Pincer Complex of Rhodium(I) by Supramolecular and Redox Stimuli.

We report the rhodium(I) complex [Rh(CNC-NDI)(CO)] , in which CNC-NDI refers to a pincer-CNC ligand decorated with a naphthalenediimide moiety. Due to the presence of the planar CNC ligand and the naphthalenediimide moiety, the electronic nature of the complex can be modulated by means of supramolecular and redox stimuli, respectively. The metal complex shows a strong π-π-stacking interaction with coronene.

A Guanidine-Supported π-Complex of Germanium Amenable to Intramolecular C-C Cleavage in Arene and Ge Atom Transfer.

The germylone dimNHCGe (dimNHC=diimino N-heterocyclic carbene) reacts with azides N R (R=SiMe or p-tolyl) to furnish the first examples of germanium π-complexes, i. e. guanidine-ligated compounds (dimNHI-SiMe )Ge (NHI=N-heterocyclic imine, R=SiMe ) and (dimNHI-Tol)Ge (R=p-tolyl).

An Isolable Gallium-Substituted Nitrilimine and its Reactivity with B-H, Si-H and B-B Bonds.

Reaction of the Ga(I) compound NacNacGa (9) with the diazo compound N CHSiMe affords the nitrilimine compound NacNacGa(N-NCSiMe )(CH SiMe ) (10). Carrying out this reaction in the presence of pyridine does not lead to C-H activation on the transient alkylidene NacNacGa=CHSiMe but generates a metallated diazo species NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe )(CN SiMe ) (13) that further rearranges into the isonitrile compound NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe )(N(NC)SiMe ) (15). Reactions of 10 with the silane H SiPh and the borane HBcat furnished products of 1,3 addition to the nitrilimine moiety NacNacGa{N(ER )NCSiMe }(CH SiMe ), whereas reaction with the diborane B cat gave the product of formal nitrene insertion into the B-B bond.

Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Uncovers Guest-Induced Distortions in a Supramolecular Organometallic Metallosquare.

The encapsulation of the tetracationic palladium metallosquare with four pyrene-bis-imidazolylidene ligands [1] with a series of organic molecules was studied by Electrospray ionization Travelling Wave Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometry (ESI TWIM-MS). The method allowed to determine the Collision Cross Sections (CCSs), which were used to assess the size changes experienced by the host upon encapsulation of the guest molecules. When fullerenes were used as guests, the host is expanded ΔCCS 13 Å and 23 Å , for C or C , respectively.

The Milstein Bipyridyl PNN Pincer Complex of Ruthenium Becomes a Noyori-Type Catalyst under Reducing Conditions.

Hydrogenation of the dearomatized PNN ligand of the Milstein bipyridyl complex RuH(CO)[PNN] () gives a square-pyramidal Ru(II) product RuH(CO)[pPNN] (). The central ring of the pPNN ligand is a piperidine. A minor byproduct of the hydrogenation reaction is complex which has a dimeric structure made of two Ru(II) fragments each possessing a partly hydrogenated PNN ligand.

A Shape-Adaptable Organometallic Supramolecular Coordination Cage for the Encapsulation of Fullerenes.

The development of three-dimensional supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs), with cavities suitable for guest binding, is of great interest because these materials are useful in a large number of applications. Herein, a nickel-conjoined organometallic molecular prism is described, which has been fully characterized. The X-ray diffraction structure of the molecule reveals that the cage possesses an internal cavity with a volume of 1028 Å , thus suitable for the encapsulation of large 3D-molecules, such as fullerenes.

Cationic, Neutral, and Anionic Hydrides of Iridium with PSiP Pincers.

This work describes synthetic routes from the known precursor [IrClH{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(CH-2-PiPr)}] (1) to new hydride and polyhydride derivatives. Substituting the chloride ligand with triflate leads to the five-coordinate complex [IrH{κO-OS(CF)}{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(CH-2-PiPr)}] (2), which can undergo reversible coordination of water (HO) or dihydrogen (H) to generate respectively the cationic derivative [IrH{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(CH-2-PiPr)}(OH)](CFSO) (3) or the neutral trans-hydride-dihydrogen [IrH{κO-OS(CF)}{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(CH-2-PiPr)}(η-H)] (6) in equilibrium. The use of acetonitrile or carbon monoxide (CO) excess instead of water produces stable analogues of 3 (complexes 4 or 5, respectively).

Rethinking the Claisen-Tishchenko Reaction.

Pincer-type complexes [OsH (CO){PyCH NHCH CH NHPtBu }] and [OsH (CO){HN(CH CH PiPr ) }] catalyze the disproportionation reaction of aldehydes via an outer-sphere bifunctional mechanism achieving turnover frequencies up to 14 000 h . The N-H group of the catalysts is a key player in this process, elucidated with the help of DFT calculations.

Chemoselective hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds and acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols.

OsHCl(CO)[κ(3)-PyCH2NHC2H4NHPtBu2] is the first efficient catalyst for chemoselective reduction of challenging unsaturated esters to enols and for acceptorless coupling of amines with MeOH and EtOH affording formamides and acetamides. The NMR, ESI-MS, and DFT data indicate a mechanism proceeding in the metal coordination sphere and producing no free organic intermediates.

The Tolman electronic parameter (TEP) and the metal-metal electronic communication in ditopic NHC complexes.

Whereas the electronic communication between metals in dimetallic organometallic compounds is often assessed through cyclic voltammetric measurements, we have found that the variations in the Tolman electronic parameter (TEP) can also be an alternative and effective way of determining this type of interaction. The TEP values of several (CO)3Ni-NHC-X systems with five different ditopic NHC ligand systems [triazolyldiylidene (A), bis(imidazolylidene) (B), benzobis(imidazolylidene) (C), cyclopenta[f,g]acenaphthylenebis(imidazolylidene) (D) and bis(imidazolidinylidene) (F)] were determined by means of DFT calculations. Based on these values, the electron-withdrawing character of the X metal fragments employed in this study was found to increase in the order IrCp(CO) → RhCl(COD) → Ni(CO)3 → Cr(CO)5 → RhCl(CO)2.

Replacing phosphorus with sulfur for the efficient hydrogenation of esters.

Catalyst tune-up: A readily available, air-stable amino-sulfide catalyst, [RuCl(2)(PPh(3)){HN(C(2)H(4)SEt)(2)}], has been developed. This complex displays outstanding efficiency for the hydrogenation of a broad range of substrates with C=X bonds (esters, ketones, imines), as well as for the acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of ethanol to ethyl acetate.

From esters to alcohols and back with ruthenium and osmium catalysts.

There and back again: hydrogenation of esters and the reverse reaction of dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols are efficiently catalyzed by dimeric complexes of Ru and Os under neutral conditions. The Os dimer is an outstanding catalyst for the hydrogenation of alkenoates and triglycerides, and allows production of fatty alcohols from olive oil. This complex converts ethanol into ethyl acetate and hydrogen under reflux.

PNP pincer osmium polyhydrides for catalytic dehydrogenation of primary alcohols.

This paper reports the synthesis, structure, and properties of a series of PNP pincer complexes of osmium OsH(3)Cl[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (1), OsH(3)[N(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (2), OsH(4)[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (3), and OsH(2)(PMe(3))[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (4). The tetrahydride 3 operates as an efficient catalyst at 0.1 mol% loading for the reactions of amination and dehydrogenative coupling of primary alcohols, producing secondary amines and symmetrical esters, respectively.

Calculated hydride and fluoride affinities of a series of carbenium and silylium cations in the gas phase and in C6H5Cl solution.

We report the hydride and fluoride affinities for a group of silylium and carbenium cations. With comparable substituents on the central atom, the silylium cations have the higher fluoride affinity, whereas the carbenium ions have the higher hydride affinity. In the first approximation, the hydride and the fluoride affinities vary in parallel with changes in substitution, but the deviations from linear correspondence of hydride and fluoride affinities are more pronounced for carbenium ions.

Heterolytic splitting of H-X bonds at a cationic (PNP)Pd center.

The (PNP)PdOTf complex is a suitable synthetic equivalent of the [(PNP)Pd](+) fragment in reactions with various HX substrates. The [(PNP)Pd](+) fragment either simply binds HX molecules as L-type ligands (X = NH(2), PCy(2), imidazolyl) or heterolytically splits the H-X bond to produce [(PN(H)P)Pd-X](+) (X = H, CCR, SR). DFT calculations analyze the relative energetics of the two outcomes and agree with the experimental data.

N,N'-diamidoketenimines via coupling of isocyanides to an N-heterocyclic carbene.

Treatment of an N-heterocyclic carbene that features two amide groups N-bound to the carbene nucleus with various organic isocyanides afforded a new class of ketenimines in yields of up to 96% (isolated). DFT analyses revealed that the carbene exhibits a unique, low-lying LUMO, which may explain the atypical reactivity observed.

Carbanionic Friedel-Crafts equivalents. regioselective directed ortho and remote metalation-C-N cross coupling routes to acridones and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones.

Carbanion-mediated general regioselective routes to acridones 4 (Table 2) and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones 20 (Table 4) are described. Buchwald-Hartwig C-N cross coupling of o-halo benzamides 1 with anilines 2 or 16, followed by simple N-methylation, dependably provides N-methyl diarylamines 3 (Table 1) and 18 (Table 3). Upon treatment with LDA, 3 and 18 are converted into acridones 4 and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones 20, respectively, in good to excellent yields with regioselectivity which depends upon the presence or absence of directed metalation groups (DMGs).

Carbene vs olefin products of C-H activation on ruthenium via competing alpha- and beta-H elimination.

Bulky pincer complexes of ruthenium are capable of C-H activation and H-elimination from the pincer ligand backbone to produce mixtures of olefin and carbene products. To characterize the products and determine the mechanisms of the C-H cleavage, reactions of [RuCl(2)(p-cymene)](2) with N,N'-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)-1,3-diaminopropane (L1) and 1,3-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)cyclohexane (L2) were studied using a combination of X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and DFT computational techniques. The reaction of L1 afforded a mixture of an alkylidene, a Fischer carbene, and two olefin isomers of the 16-e monohydride RuHCl[(t)Bu(2)PNHC(3)H(4)NHPBu(t)(2)] (2), whereas the reaction of L2 gave two olefin and two alkylidene isomers of 16-e RuHCl[2,6-(CH(2)PBu(t)(2))(2)C(6)H(8)] (3), all resulting from dehydrogenations of the ligand backbone of L1 and L2.

Effect of weak interactions on the H...H distance in stretched dihydrogen complexes.

Computational and experimental results presented in this paper demonstrate that the H-H distance in stretched dihydrogen complexes can be hypersensitive to a variety of weak intra- and intermolecular interactions, including those with bulky ligands and solvent molecules, hydrogen-bonding interactions, or ion-pairing. Particularly, the complex IrH(H..

Triple C-H activation of 1,5-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)-2-(S)-dimethylaminopentane on ruthenium gives a chiral carbene complex.

This communication reports the preparation of a novel trans-chelating diphosphine, 1,5-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)-2-(S)-dimethylaminopentane, that undergoes triple C-H activation in reaction with [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 to give a chiral square-pyramidal 16-electron carbene complex of ruthenium.

Structure and H(2)-Loss Energies of OsHX(H(2))(CO)L(2) Complexes (L = P(t-Bu)(2)Me, P(i-Pr)(3); X = Cl, I, H): Attempted Correlation of (1)J(H-D), T(1min), and DeltaG().

1J(H-D), T(1min) and k(1) for H(2) dissociation from OsHX(H(2))(CO)L(2) have been measured for X = Cl, I, H (L = P(t-Bu)(2)Me or P(i-Pr)(3)), as well as for OsCl(2)(H(2))(CO)(P(i-Pr)(3))(2). For comparison, new data (including previously unobserved coupling constants) have been reported for W(HD)(CO)(3)(P(i-Pr)(3))(2). A comprehensive consideration of T(1min) data for over 20 dihydrogen complexes containing only 1-2 phosphines cis to H(2), together with a consideration of the shortest "conceivable" H-H distance for H(2) bound to a d(4) or d(6) metal, is used to argue that the "fast spinning" model is not appropriate for determining r(H-H) in such complexes.