Tuning Philicity of Dichlorosilylene: Nucleophilic Behavior of the Dichlorosilylene-NHC Complex ClSi-IPr.

Novel unsaturated four-membered ring disilene, 3,3-dichloro-1,2,4,4-tetrakis[di--butyl(methyl)silyl]-Δ-1,2,3,4-trisilagermetene, was synthesized by the ring expansion reaction of the three-membered ring 1-disilagermirene with the silylene-NHC complex ClSi-IPr. The mechanism of the unexpected formation of this compound was verified by high-level density functional theory computations, which revealed n-π as the dominant orbital interaction.

Metalcarbonyl analogues of annelated cyclooctatetraene and cyclodecapentaene derivatives with a planar core cycle: a quantum chemical study.

With the help of DFT calculations the possibility of stabilizing non-standard flat conformations of cyclooctatetraene and cyclodecapentaene by equatorially located metalcarbonyl substituents has been predicted. Structures and stabilities of a new family of metalcarbonyl Cr(CO)5, Fe(CO)4, Ni(CO)3, Ti(CO)4, and Ni(CO)2 cyclooctatetraene and cyclodecapentaene derivatives have been studied. All cyclooctatetraene derivatives, except the Ti(CO)4 derivative, have planar structures and are characterized by the pronounced anti-aromaticity of the core cycle.

Multi-decker tricarbonyl-bridged sandwich complexes of transition metals: structure, stability and electron-counting rules.

Structures and stabilities of a new family of multi-decker tricarbonyl-bridged sandwich complexes of transition metals (Cr, Mn, Fe) have been studied using DFT B3LYP/6-311+G(df,p) calculations. Stable structures satisfy the (12n + 6) electron-counting rule, where n is the number of metal atoms. Lengthening of the molecular chains is accompanied by growth of aromaticity of the inner basal cycles, lowering of the aromaticity of the terminal basal cycles and decrease in the energy gap between the frontier orbitals.

Sandwich compounds of transition metals with cyclopolyenes and isolobal boron analogues.

A series of sandwich compounds of transition metals (M=Ni, Fe, Cr) with cyclic hydrocarbon (M(CH)(n)) and borane (M(BH(2))(n)), ligands (including mixed hydrocarbon/borane sandwiches) has been studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/6-311+G(df,p)). Multicenter bonding between the central metal atom and basal cycloborane rings provides stabilization to planar cycloborane species. Large negative NICS values allude to aromatic character in the cycloboranes similar to the analogous cyclic hydrocarbons.

Planar and pyramidal tetracoordinate carbon in organoboron compounds.

Using previously proposed C(BH)2(CH)2 (16, 17) and C(CH)2B2 (22) systems with a central planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom linking two three-membered rings as building blocks, a series of stable structures containing two and three ptC centers within a molecule have been designed and computationally studied with the DFT (B3LYP/6-311+G) method. Inclusion of a carbon atom ligated with pi-accepting and sigma-donating boron centers into at least one aromatic ring is critical for stabilization of a planar structure. A square pyramidal configuration at tetracoordinate carbon may be achieved in appropriately strained molecules such as [3.

Poly[n]prismanes: a family of stable cage structures with half-planar carbon centers.

A series of bi[n]prismanes and tri[n]prismanes (n = 3-6) containing n and 2n, respectively, tetracoordinated carbon centers with nonclassical bisphenoidal (half-planar) configuration has been designed computationally.