Four-coordinate iridium(I) monohydrides: reversible dinitrogen binding, bond activations, and deprotonations.

Detailed herein are synthetic, spectroscopic and reactivity studies for two isolable four-coordinate iridium(I) monohydride complexes of the simple formulation HIrL(3). Such complexes have been postulated as reactive species in several transformations, but definite evidence for their existence has remained elusive. To stabilize these complexes, the methyleneadamantyl substituted phosphine ligand P(CH(2)(1)Ad)(i-Pr)(2) (abbreviated L(mAd)) was employed because of the resistance of the adamantane cage toward cyclometalation reactions.

Bond activation, substrate addition and catalysis by an isolable two-coordinate Pd(0) bis-isocyanide monomer.

Mg metal reduction of the divalent precursor PdCl(2)(CNAr(Dipp2))(2) (Dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) provides the isolable, two-coordinate Pd(0) bis-isocyanide, Pd(CNAr(Dipp2))(2), which is the first stable monomeric isocyanide complex of zerovalent palladium. Variable temperature (1)H NMR and FTIR studies on Pd(CNAr(Dipp2))(2) in the presence of added CNAr(Dipp2) revealed that free and coordinated isocyanide undergo rapid exchange, but the components do not form a stable tris-isocyanide complex. Bis-isocyanide Pd(CNAr(Dipp2))(2) is active for oxidative addition reactions and readily reacts with benzyl chloride and mesityl bromide to form Pd(Cl)(Bz)(CNAr(Dipp2))(2) and Pd(Br)(Mes)(CNAr(Dipp2))(2), respectively.

Thallium(I) as a coordination site protection agent: preparation of an isolable zero-valent nickel tris-isocyanide.

Blocking the pass: Low-valent Ni centers readily bind Tl(I) ions in a synthetically reversible fashion. The Tl units, in turn, serve as coordination site protection agents for Ni with respect to incoming Lewis basic ligands. This synthetic sequence allows for the isolation of a reactive zero-valent Ni tris-isocyanide complex.