Hydridoborylene complexes and di-, tri-, and tetranuclear borido complexes with hydride ligands.

Mono- and dinuclear hydridoborylene complexes were prepared by intermetallic borylene transfer from Group VI borylene or metalloborylene reagents. The hydride and borylene ligands were found to interact with each other significantly, although the boron ligand retains much of its former borylene character. Zero-valent platinum fragments were successively added to the dinuclear hydridoborylene complexes, resulting in tri- and tetranuclear borido complexes, in which the B-H interaction has been lost, and the hydride ligands now bridge two metal centers.

Base-stabilized boryl and cationic haloborylene complexes of iron.

The synthesis of base-stabilized boryl and borylene complexes is reported. An N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-stabilized iron-dihydroboryl complex was prepared by two different routes including methane liberation and salt elimination. A range of base-stabilized iron-dichloroboryl complexes was prepared by addition of Lewis bases to boryl complexes.

Monohaloboryls (BHX-) as bridging ligands: observable dinuclear σ-(halo)boranyl intermediates in the synthesis of metalloborylenes.

Upon treating transition-metal-dihaloboryl complexes of the form [L(n)MBX(2)] with K[(η(5)-C(5)H(5))MnH(CO)(2)], salt elimination occurs along with a migration of the Mn-bound hydride ligand onto the boron atom, thereby forming dinuclear σ-(halo)boranyl complexes of the form [L(n)M(μ-BHX)Mn(CO)(2)(η(5)-C(5)H(5))]. Most of these complexes react further at room temperature to lose HX and provide metalloborylene complexes [L(n)M-B = Mn(CO)(2)(η(5)-C(5)H(5))]; however, when ML(n) = Re(CO)(5) the σ-(halo)boranyl complex decomposes into unidentifiable products. We found through DFT calculations that two electronically and structurally distinct forms of the intermediate σ-(halo)boranyl complexes exist, one of which easily loses HX and one that does not.

Syntheses of Group 4 ansa-trovacene complexes and conversion of [1]silatrovacenophanes into paramagnetic metallopolymers by ring-opening polymerization.

An improved protocol for the selective dilithiation of [V(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(η(7)-C(7)H(7))] has been developed, which afforded [V(η(5)-C(5)H(4)Li)(η(7)-C(7)H(6)Li)]·PMDTA (5; PMDTA=N,N,N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine) in almost quantitative yield (98%). In the solid state, the species features a dimeric structure with two terminal and two bridging lithium atoms, with the latter connecting both sandwich subunits. Reaction with suitable Group 4 dihalide compounds enabled the isolation of highly strained silicon- and germanium-bridged [1]trovacenophanes 6 and 7.

Borido complexes via intermetallic metalloborylene transfer.

Intermetallic borylene transfer has been applied to synthesise new borido complexes. Starting from [{(η(5)-C(5)Me(5))Fe(CO)(2))}(μ-B){Cr(CO)(5)}] (1) the borylene moiety has been transferred successfully to different transition metal fragments. In the manner described, two new compounds have been fully characterised in solution and by X-ray crystallography.

Late-transition-metal complexes as tunable Lewis bases.

Syntheses of the first heteroleptic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-phosphane platinum(0) complexes and formation of the corresponding Lewis acid-base adducts with aluminum chloride is reported. The influence of N-heterocyclic carbenes on tuning the Lewis basic properties of the metal complexes was judged from spectroscopic, structural, and computational data. Conclusive experimental evidence for the enhanced Lewis basicity of NHC-containing complexes was provided by a transfer reaction.

Synthesis and reactivity of boron-, silicon-, and tin-bridged ansa-cyclopentadienyl-cycloheptatrienyl titanium complexes (troticenophanes).

A novel one-pot method was developed for the preparation of [Ti(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(η(7)-C(7)H(7))] (troticene, 1) by reaction of sodium cyclopentadienide (NaCp) with [TiCl(4)(thf)(2)], followed by reduction of the intermediate [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(2)TiCl(2)] with magnesium in the presence of cycloheptatriene (C(7)H(8)). The [n]troticenophanes 3 (n=1), 4, 8, 10 (n=2), and 11 (n=3) were synthesized by salt elimination reactions between dilithiated troticene, [Ti(η(5)-C(5)H(4)Li)(η(7)-C(7)H(6)Li)]⋅pmdta (2) (pmdta = N,N',N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine), and the appropriate organoelement dichlorides Cl(2)Sn(Mes)(2) (Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), Cl(2)Sn(2)(tBu)(4), Cl(2)B(2)(NMe(2))(2), Cl(2)Si(2)Me(4), and (ClSiMe(2))(2)CH(2), respectively. Their structural characterization was carried out by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy.

Oxidative addition of the bismuth-chloride bond: synthesis and structure of trans-[PtCl(PCy3)2{BiCl2}].

The synthesis and full characterisation of trans-[PtCl(PCy(3))(2){BiCl(2)}] is reported via the oxidative addition of the bismuth-chloride bond across [Pt(PCy(3))(2)]; this represents the first instance of such an oxidative addition reaction to be undertaken by a bismuth halide bond.