Mono-Ortho-Beryllated Carbodiphosphoranes: Synthesis, Structure, Bonding and Reactivity.

The reaction of organoberyllium compounds with hexaphenylcarbodiphosphorane yields mono-ortho-beryllated complexes, which feature a double dative Be=C bond. The bonding situation in these compounds together with a simple carbodiphosphorane and an N-heterocyclic carbene adduct was analysed with energy decomposition analysis in combination with natural orbital for chemical valence as well as with quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules. Furthermore, the driving forces accountable for mono-ortho-beryllation were elucidated along with the reactivity of the Be=C bond.

Synthesis and Derivatives of Beryllium Triflate.

Various pathways for the synthesis of beryllium triflate were investigated. The reaction of triflic acid or trimethylsilyl triflate with beryllium metal in liquid ammonia led to the formation of mono-, di-, and tetra-nuclear beryllium ammine complexes. Utilization of SMe2 as a solvent gave homoleptic Be(OTf)2. Various beryllium triflate complexes with N- and O-donor ligands as well as the complex anions [Be(OTf)4]2- and [Be2(OTf)6]2- were synthesized to evaluate the reactivity and solution properties of beryllium triflate. This showed that OTf- is not a weakly coordinating anion for Be2+ cations and that it exhibits good bridging properties.

Trading Symmetry for Stereoinduction in Tetradentate, non-C2 -Symmetric Fe(II)-Complexes for Asymmetric Catalysis.

A series of stereogenic-at-metal iron complexes comprising a non-C2 -symmetric chiral topology is introduced and applied to asymmetric 3d-transition metal catalysis. The chiral iron(II) complexes are built from chiral tetradentate N4-ligands containing a proline-derived amino pyrrolidinyl backbone which controls the relative (cis-α coordination) and absolute metal-centered configuration (Λ vs. Δ). Two chloride ligands complement the octahedral coordination sphere. The modular composition of the tetradentate ligands facilitates the straightforward incorporation of different terminal coordinating heteroaromatic groups into the scaffold. The influence of various combinations was evaluated in an asymmetric ring contraction of isoxazoles to 2H-azirines revealing that a decrease of symmetry is beneficial for the stereoinduction to obtain chiral products in up to 99 % yield and with up to 92 % ee. Conveniently, iron catalysis is feasible under open flask conditions with the bench-stable dichloro complexes exhibiting high robustness towards oxidative or hydrolytic decomposition. The versatility of non-racemic 2H-azirines was subsequently showcased with the conversion into a variety of quaternary α-amino acid derivatives.

Exchange Interactions and Magnetic Properties of a Molecular Mn18 -Ring Complex.

[Mn3 O(OAc)7 (HOAc)]6 ⋅ x AcOH (x=6-9) represents a rare example of a compound containing molecular Mn18 -rings. These are formed by Mn3 (µ3 -O) subunits in which the high-spin Mn(III) centers are bridged by three pairs of acetate anions (AcO- ). An AcOH molecule coordinates to one of the Mn atoms leading to [Mn3 (µ3 -O)(µ2 -OAc)6 (AcOH)]-units, designated in short as Mn3 -units, that are interconnected by acetate anions via the other two Mn atoms to form Mn18 -rings. Magnetic measurements show weak ferromagnetic interactions between them that are suppressed in strong magnetic field. Quantum-chemical calculations on Mn3 model complexes using independently DFT and ab-initio multi reference methods (CASSCF/NEVPT2) show a correlation between the orientation of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller axes of pairs of Mn(III) magnetic centers and corresponding exchange coupling energies. Weak coupling between Mn3 -units within the Mn18 -ring allowed to simulate the magnetic susceptibility versus temperature dependence in terms of basically uncoupled magnetic moments of each Mn3 -unit within the ring.

A Preference for Heterolepticity - Schlenk Type Equilibria in Organometallic Beryllium Systems.

The reaction of homoleptic beryllium halide with diphenyl beryllium complexes leads to the clean formation of heteroleptic beryllium Grignard compounds [(L)1-2 BePhX]1-2 (X=Cl, Br, I; L=C-, N-, O-donor ligand). The influence of ligands and solvent on these compounds, their formation and exchange equilibria in solution were investigated, together with the factors determining the complex constitution.

Nitrene-Mediated Enantioselective Intramolecular Olefin Oxyamination to Access Chiral γ-Aminomethyl-γ-Lactones.

Attaching a nitrene precursor to an intramolecular nucleophile allows for a catalytic asymmetric intramolecular oxyamination of alkenes in which the nucleophile adds in an endocyclic position and the amine in an exocyclic fashion. Using chiral-at-ruthenium catalysts, chiral γ-aminomethyl-γ-lactones containing a quaternary carbon in γ-position are provided in high yields (up to 99 %) and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee). DFT calculations support the possibility of both a singlet (concerted oxyamination of the alkene) and triplet pathway (stepwise oxyamination) for the formation of the predominant stereoisomer. γ-Aminomethyl-γ-lactones are versatile chiral building blocks and can be converted to other heterocycles such as δ-lactams, 2-oxazolidinones, and tetrahydrofurans.

Electrochemical Enantioselective Nucleophilic α-C(sp3)-H Alkenylation of 2-Acyl Imidazoles.

Merging electrochemistry with asymmetric catalysis promises to provide an environmentally friendly and efficient strategy for the construction of nonracemic chiral molecules. However, in practice, significant challenges arise from the instability or incompatibility of the chiral catalysts under the electrochemical conditions at the interface of electrode and solution. Herein, we report a catalytic asymmetric indirect electrolysis employing the combination of a redox mediator and a chiral-at-rhodium Lewis acid, which achieves a previously elusive enantioselective nucleophilic α-C(sp3)-H alkenylation of ketones. Specifically, 2-acyl imidazoles react with potassium alkenyl trifluoroborates in high yields (up to 94%) and with exceptional enantioselectivities (27 examples with ≥99% ee) without the need for any additional stoichiometric oxidants (overall 40 examples). The new indirect electrosynthesis can be scaled to gram quantities and was applied to the straightforward synthesis of intermediates of the natural product cryptophycin A and a cathepsin K inhibitor.

Reactivity of Diphenylberyllium as a Brønsted Base and Its Synthetic Application.

Diphenylberyllium [Be3 Ph6 ] is shown here to react cleanly as a Brønsted base with a vast variety of protic compounds. Through the addition of the simple molecules tBuOH, HNPh2 and HPPh2 , as well as the more complex 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolinium chloride, one or two phenyl groups in diphenylberyllium were protonated. As a result, the long-postulated structures of [Be3 (OtBu)6 ] and [Be(µ-NPh2 )Ph]2 have finally been verified and shown to be static in solution. Additionally [Be(µ-PPh2 )(HPPh2 )Ph]2 was generated, which is only the second beryllium-phospanide to be prepared; the stark differences between its behaviour and that of the analogous amide were also examined. The first crystalline example of a beryllium Grignard reagent with a non-bulky aryl group has also been prepared; it is stabilised with an N-heterocyclic carbene.

Regioselective Fluorination of Acenes: Tailoring of Molecular Electronic Levels and Solid-State Properties.

Optoelectronic properties of molecular solids are important for organic electronic devices and are largely determined by the adopted molecular packing motifs. In this study, we analyzed such structure-property relationships for the partially regioselective fluorinated tetracenes 1,2,12-trifluorotetracene, 1,2,10,12-tetrafluorotetracene and 1,2,9,10,11-pentafluorotetracene that were further compared with tetracene and perfluoro-tetracene. Quantum chemical DFT calculations in combination with optical absorption spectroscopy data show that the frontier orbital energies are lowered with the degree of fluorination, while their optical gap is barely affected. However, the crystal structure changes from a herringbone packing motif of tetracene towards a planar stacking motif of the fluorinated tetracene derivatives, which is accompanied by the formation of excimers and leads to strongly red-shifted photoluminescence with larger lifetimes.

π Back-Donation from a Beryllium Dibromide Fragment at the Expense of Its σ Strength.

It is common knowledge that metal-to-ligand π back-donation requires filled atomic orbitals at the metal center. However, we show through a combined experimental and theoretical approach that Be(II)→N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) π back-donation is present in the two carbene adducts [(iPr)BeBr2] (1) and [(iPr)2BeBr2] (2) (iPr = 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene). These complexes were characterized with NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy as well as with single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The unusual bonding situation is understood from the results of energy decomposition analysis in combination with natural orbital for chemical valence and quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules analysis. The obtained findings shed light on the unusually high Be-C bond strength in carbene adducts to beryllium compounds and rationalize their geometry and reactivity.

Nitrene-Mediated C-H Oxygenation: Catalytic Enantioselective Formation of Five-Membered Cyclic Organic Carbonates.

The synthesis of non-racemic 5-membered cyclic carbonates from abundant alcohols is reported. Conversion of the alcohol into an azanyl carbonate is followed by a chiral-at-ruthenium catalyzed cyclization to provide chiral cyclic carbonates in yields of up to 95 % and with up to 99 % ee. This new synthetic method is proposed to proceed through a nitrene-mediated intramolecular C(sp3 )-H oxygenation which includes an unusual 1,7-hydrogen atom transfer within a ruthenium nitrene intermediate. The method is applicable to the synthesis of non-racemic chiral mono-, di- and trisubstituted cyclic alkylene carbonates.

Catalytic α-Deracemization of Ketones Enabled by Photoredox Deprotonation and Enantioselective Protonation.

This study reports the catalytic deracemization of ketones bearing stereocenters in the α-position in a single reaction via deprotonation, followed by enantioselective protonation. The principle of microscopic reversibility, which has previously rendered this strategy elusive, is overcome by a photoredox deprotonation through single electron transfer and subsequent hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). Specifically, the irradiation of racemic pyridylketones in the presence of a single photocatalyst and a tertiary amine provides nonracemic carbonyl compounds with up to 97% enantiomeric excess. The photocatalyst harvests the visible light, induces the redox process, and is responsible for the asymmetric induction, while the amine serves as a single electron donor, HAT reagent, and proton source. This conceptually simple light-driven strategy of coupling a photoredox deprotonation with a stereocontrolled protonation, in conjunction with an enrichment process, serves as a blueprint for other deracemizations of ubiquitous carbonyl compounds.

DFT-Guided Crystal Structure Redetermination and Lattice Dynamics of the Intermetallic Actinoid Compound UIr.

UIr has been discussed as a rare example of a noncentrosymmetric, ferromagnetic superconductor crystallizing in the acentric PdBi structure type (P21, mP16). Here we present a new structure model for UIr. By means of single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction we find UIr to crystallize in the centrosymmetric space group P21/c, in line with previous ab initio calculations. The discrepancy with the previous noncentrosymmetric model in space group P21 is explained by the occurrence of twinning. The observed twinning hints toward a high-temperature displacive phase transition of UIr to the CrB structure type (Cmcm, oS8): we discuss the lattice dynamics corresponding to this transition by crystallographic symmetry mode analysis and by density functional theory (DFT). We find that spin-orbit coupling is essential to understand this phase transition. We apply our theoretical considerations for a critical judgment of the structure models of UPt and NpIr that have been reported to crystallize isotypically with UIr. We confirm that UPt is isotypic to UIr (P21/c), whereas we predict NpIr to crystallize in the CrB structure type. Our report on the centrosymmetric crystal structure of UIr has an effect on all those theoretical models that investigated potentially novel superconducting coupling mechanisms of this compound on the basis of the noncentrosymmetric structure model.

Syntheses and Characterization of the Mixed-Valent Manganese(II/III) Fluorides Mn2F5 and Mn3F8.

We obtained single crystals of the binary mixed-valent fluorides Mn2F5 and Mn3F8 using a high-pressure/high-temperature approach. Mn2F5 crystallizes isotypic to CaCrF5 in the monoclinic space group C2/c (No. 15), with a = 8.7078(8) Å, b = 6.1473(6) Å, c = 7.7817(7) Å, ß = 117.41(1)°, V = 369.80(6) Å3, Z = 4, and mC28 at T = 173 K. Mn3F8 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21 (No. 4) with a = 5.5253(2) Å, b = 4.8786(2) Å, c = 9.9124(4) Å, ß = 92.608(2)°, V = 266.92(2) Å3, Z = 2, and mP22 at T = 183 K and presents a new structure type. Crystal-chemical reasoning, CHARDI calculations, and quantum-chemical calculations allowed for the assignment of the oxidation states of the Mn atoms. In both bulk compounds, MnF2 was present as an impurity, as evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction and IR and Raman spectroscopy.

Unilaterally Fluorinated Acenes: Synthesis and Solid-State Properties.

The rapid development of organic electronics is closely related to the availability of molecular materials with specific electronic properties. Here, we introduce a novel synthetic route enabling a unilateral functionalization of acenes along their long side, which is demonstrated by the synthesis of 1,2,10,11,12,14-hexafluoropentacene (1) and the related 1,2,9,10,11-pentafluorotetracene (2). Quantum chemical DFT calculations in combination with optical and X-ray absorption spectroscopy data indicate that the single-molecule properties of 1 are a connecting link between the organic semiconductor model systems pentacene (PEN) and perfluoropentacene (PFP). In contrast, the crystal structure analysis reveals a different packing motif than for the parent molecules. This can be related to distinct F⋅⋅⋅H interactions identified in the corresponding Hirshfeld surface analysis and also affects solid-state properties such as the exciton binding energy and the sublimation enthalpy.

Synthesis and Characterization of [Br3 ][MF6 ] (M=Sb, Ir), as well as Quantum Chemical Study of [Br3 ]+ Structure, Chemical Bonding, and Relativistic Effects Compared with [XBr2 ]+ (X=Br, I, At, Ts) and [TsZ2 ]+ (Z=F, Cl, Br, I, At, Ts).

[Br3 ][SbF6 ] and [Br3 ][IrF6 ] were synthesized by interaction of BrF3 with Sb2 O3 or iridium metal, respectively. The former compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbcn (No. 60) with a=11.9269(7), b=11.5370(7), c=12.0640(6) Å, V=1660.01(16) Å3 , Z=8 at 100 K. The latter compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P 1 ‾ (No. 2) with a=5.4686(5), b=7.6861(8), c=9.9830(9) Å, α=85.320(8), ß=82.060(7), γ=78.466(7)°, V=406.56(7) Å3 , Z=2 at 100 K. Both compounds contain the cation [Br3 ]+ , which has a bent structure and is coordinated by octahedron-like anions [MF6 ]- (M=Sb, Ir). Experimentally obtained cell parameters, bond lengths, and angles are confirmed by solid-state DFT calculations, which differ from the experimental values by less than 2 %. Relativistic effects on the structure of the tribromonium(1+) cation are studied computationally and found to be small. For the heaviest analogues containing At and Ts, however, pronounced relativistic effects are found, which lead to a linear structure of the polyhalogen cation.

The Crystal Structures of α- and ß-F2 Revisited.

The crystal structures of α-F2 and ß-F2 have been reinvestigated using neutron powder diffraction. For the low-temperature phase α-F2 , which is stable below circa 45.6 K, the monoclinic space group C2/c with lattice parameters a=5.4780(12), b=3.2701(7), c=7.2651(17) Å, ß=102.088(18)°, V=127.26(5) Å3 , mS8, Z=4 at 10 K can now be confirmed. The structure model was significantly improved, allowed for the anisotropic refinement of the F atom, and an F-F bond length of 1.404(12) Šwas obtained, which is in excellent agreement with spectroscopic data and high-level quantum chemical predictions. The high-temperature phase ß-F2 , stable between circa 45.6 K and the melting point of 53.53 K, crystallizes in the cubic primitive space group Pm 3 ‾ n with the lattice parameter a=6.5314(15) Å, V=278.62(11) Å3 , cP16, Z=8, at 48 K. ß-F2 is isotypic to γ-O2 and δ-N2 . The centres of gravity of the F2 molecules are arranged like the atoms in the Cr3 Si structure type.

UF4 and the High-Pressure Polymorph HP-UF4.

A laboratory-scale synthesis of UF4 is presented that utilizes the reduction of UF6 with sulfur in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. An excess of sulfur can be removed by vacuum sublimation, yielding pure UF4 , as shown by powder X-ray diffraction, micro X-ray fluorescence analysis, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as magnetic measurements. Furthermore, a single-crystalline, high-pressure modification of UF4 was obtained in a multi-anvil press at elevated temperatures. The high-pressure polymorph HP-UF4 was characterized by means of single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, as well as by magnetic measurements, and presents a novel crystal structure type. Quantum-chemical calculations show the HP-modification to be 10 kJ mol-1 per formula unit higher in energy compared to UF4 .

A Revised Structure Model for the UCl6 Structure Type, Novel Modifications of UCl6 and UBr5 , and a Comment on the Modifications of Protactinium Pentabromides.

The redetermination of the crystal structure of trigonal UCl6 , which is the eponym for the UCl6 structure type, showed that certain atomic coordinates had been incorrectly reported. This led to noticeably different U-Cl distances within the octahedral UCl6 molecule (2.41 and 2.51 Å). Within the revised structure model presented here, which is based on single crystal data as well as quantum chemical calculations, all U-Cl distances are essentially equal within standard uncertainty (2.431(5), 2.437(5), and 2.439(6) Å). This room temperature modification, called rt-UCl6 , crystallizes in the trigonal space group P 3 ‾ m1, No. 164, hP21, with a=10.907(2), c=5.9883(12) Å, V=616.9(2) Å3 , Z=3 at T=253 K. A new low-temperature (lt) modification of UCl6 is also presented that was obtained by cooling a single crystal of rt-UCl6. The phase change occurs between 150 and 175 K. lt-UCl6 crystallizes isotypic to a low-temperature modification of SF6 in the monoclinic crystal system, space group C2/m, No. 12, mS42, with a=17.847(4), b=10.8347(18), c=6.2670(17) Å, ß=96.68(2)°, V=1203.6(5) Å3 , Z=6 at 100 K. The Cl anions form a close-packed structure corresponding to the α-Sm type with uranium atoms in the octahedral voids. During the synthesis of UBr5 a new modification was obtained that crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system, space group P 1 ‾ , No. 2, aP36, with a=10.4021(6), b=11.1620(6), c=12.2942(7) Å, α=68.3340(10)°, ß=69.6410(10)° and γ=89.5290(10)°, V=1231.84(12) Å3 , Z=3 at T=100 K. In this structure the UBr5 units are dimerized to U2 Br10 molecules. The Br anions also form a close-packed structure of the α-Sm type with adjacent uranium atoms in the octahedral voids. Comparisons of the crystal structures of the compounds MX5 (M=Pa, U; X=Cl, Br) show that the crystal structure of monoclinic α-PaBr5 is probably not correct.

Binary Lead Fluoride Pb3 F8.

The binary lead fluoride Pb3 F8 was synthesized by the reaction of anhydrous HF with Pb3 O4 or by the reaction of BrF3 with PbF2 . The compound was characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, IR, Raman, and solid-state MAS 19 F NMR spectroscopy, as well as thermogravimetric analysis, XP and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Solid-state quantum-chemical calculations are provided for the vibrational analyses and band assignments. The electronic band structure offers an inside view of the mixed valence compound.