Synthesis, Characterization, and Single-Crystal X-ray Structures of Refractory Metal Compounds as Precursors for the Single-Source Chemical Vapor Deposition of Metal Nitrides.

The chemical vapor deposition of refractory metal nitrides requires volatile precursors and has previously been achieved by using metal complexes containing a variety of imide ligands. Recently, the 1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazabutadiene (DAD) adduct of bis(tert-butylimide)dichloridemolybdenum(VI) was shown to be an excellent precursor for the single-source CVD of Mo2N thin films. Leveraging the success of this work, we prepared chromium and tungsten compounds with the same framework. Additionally, the framework has been modified slightly to allow the isolation of mono(tert-butylimide)trichloride complexes of vanadium, niobium, tantalum, and molybdenum(V) to extend the search for new vapor-phase precursors. These compounds were all fully characterized using the standard methods of multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, combustion analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Their thermal properties were determined by using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning colorimetry to assess their utility as vapor-phase precursors. Finally, preliminary deposition studies were carried out to investigate their potential as single-source CVD precursors.

PI and PIII Ions Supported by BZIMPY Ligands.

We report a class of compounds in which both PIII -X and PI forms featuring the same ligand are stable and readily cycled with each other. A series of PIII -X (X=Cl, Br, I) dicationic triflate salts supported by benzyl- and allyl-substituted 2,6-bis(benzimidazole-2-yl)pyridine (BZIMPY) ligands is synthesized. Surprisingly, treatment of these with R3 PO (R=Et, Oct) results in reduction to BZIMPY-ligated PI monocationic triflate salts while treatment with Ph3 P reduces but also substitutes the compound to produce Ph3 P-BZIMPY-ligated PI dicationic triflate salts. The mechanisms of these surprising reductions are probed experimentally and rationalized computationally. The PIII -X dications are shown to be strong Lewis acids both experimentally and computationally and to readily behave as X+ , PX, and P+ transfer agents in reactions with phosphines, NHCs, and diazabutadienes. The PI mono- and dications are shown to be very effective P+ transfer agents when treated similarly. Oxidation from a monocationic PI salt back to the dicationic PIII -X (X=Cl, Br) salt was achieved by treatment with N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) or N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). Full characterization is reported using multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffractometry where suitable crystals were isolated.

An Improved Synthesis of PN-adamantanoid Cages P4 (NR)6 and a Mechanistic Study of their Fourfold Oxidation.

Phosphorus-nitrogen (PN) adamantanoid cages are valuable precursors for materials chemistry, but their syntheses are based on harsh methods that sometimes require access to restricted reagents. We report a new and scalable synthesis of PN adamantanoid compounds by chlorosilane elimination between bis-silylated amines and phosphorus trichloride. We further study the mechanism of the recently-reported four-fold oxidation of such cages with Me3 SiN3 to yield tetravalent tetrahedral connectors for materials chemistry. Reaction monitoring and kinetic modelling revealed the key rate-limiting step, but attempts to accelerate this using Lewis acid additives were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, a new four-fold oxidized PN-adamantanoid cage has been prepared and structurally characterized.

Disturbance of intermolecular forces: eutectics as a new tool for the preparation of vapor-phase deposition precursors.

The volatile bis(tert-butylimido)dichloromolybdenum(VI) compounds, (tBuN)2MoCl2·dad (dad = 1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazabutadiene) (1) and [(tBuN)2MoCl(µ-Cl)·(tBuNH2)]2 (2), form a eutectic, with a two to one composition (χ2 = 0.33). A decrease of 40 °C in the melting temperature has been observed between the eutectic mixture and the pure compounds. We have isolated a co-crystal of (tBuN)2MoCl2·dme (dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane) (3) and 2, also in a two to one ratio, which serves as a structural model for such mixtures. The lower melting point of carefully chosen eutectic mixtures can offer more consistent precursor delivery in deposition processes.

Origin of Decomposition in a Family of Molybdenum Precursor Compounds.

The bis(tert-butylimido)-molybdenum(VI) framework has been used successfully in the design of vapor-phase precursors for molybdenum-containing thin films, so understanding its thermal behavior is important for such applications. Here, we report the thermal decomposition mechanism for a series of volatile bis(alkylimido)-dichloromolybdenum(VI) adducts with neutral N,N'-chelating ligands, to probe the stability and decomposition pathways for these molecules. The alkyl groups explored were tert-butyl, tert-pentyl, 1-adamantyl, and a cyclic imido (from 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diamine). We also report the synthesis of the new tert-octyl imido adducts, (tOctN)2MoCl2·L (L = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine or 2,2'-bipyridine), which have been fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. We found that the decomposition of all compounds follows the same general pathway, proceeding first by the dissociation of the chelating ligand to give the coordinatively unsaturated species (RN)2MoCl2. Subsequent dimerization results in either an imido bridged adduct, [(RN)Mo(µ-NR)Cl2]2, or a chloride bridged adduct, [(RN)2Mo(µ-Cl)Cl]2, depending on the size of the R group. The dimeric species then likely undergoes an intramolecular γ-hydrogen transfer to yield a nitrido-amido adduct, (RHN)MoNCl2, and an alkene. Ultimately, the resulting molybdenum species appears to decompose into free tert-alkylamine and Mo2N or Mo2C. The thermolysis reactions have been monitored using 1H NMR spectroscopy, and the volatile decomposition products were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A key intermediate has also been detected using electron ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry. Finally, a detailed computational investigation supports the mechanism outlined above and helps explain the relative stabilities of different N,N'-chelated bis(alkylimido)-dichloromolybdenum(VI) adducts.

Thermal Stability and Decomposition Pathways in Volatile Molybdenum(VI) Bis-imides.

The vapor deposition of many molybdenum-containing films relies on the delivery of volatile compounds with the general bis(tert-butylimido)molybdenum(VI) framework, both in atomic layer deposition and chemical vapor deposition. We have prepared a series of (tBuN)2MoCl2 adducts using neutral N,N'-chelates and investigated their volatility, thermal stability, and decomposition pathways. Volatility has been determined by thermogravimetric analysis, with the 1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazabutadiene adduct (5) found to be the most volatile (1 Torr of vapor pressure at 135 °C). Thermal stability was measured primarily using differential scanning calorimetry, and the 1,10-phenanthroline adduct (4) was found to be the most stable with an onset of decomposition of 303 °C. We have also investigated molybdenum compounds with other alkyl-substituted imido groups: these compounds all follow a similar decomposition pathway, γ-H activation, with varying reaction barriers. The tert-pentyl, 1-adamantyl, and a cyclic imido (from 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diamine) were systematically studied to probe the kinetics of this pathway. All of these compounds have been fully characterized, including via single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and a total of 19 new structures are reported.

Heavy Metals Make a Chain: A Catenated Bismuth Compound.

Catenation is common for the light main-group elements whereas it is rare for the heavy elements. Herein, we report the first example of a neutral molecule containing a Bi4 chain. It is prepared in a one-step reaction between bismuth trichloride and bis(diisopropylphosphino)amine in methanol suspension. The same reaction carried out in dichloromethane gives quite different products. All products have been characterized spectroscopically and using single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Coordination, reactivity, and structural properties of electron-rich ethoxy- and dimethylamino-substituted 1,3-diketiminate ligands and their complexes.

In this paper we describe the synthesis, characterization, and X-ray crystal structures of two ligands, diethyl-N,N'-bis(p-tolyl)malonimidate and 1,3-bis(dimethylamino)-N,N'-bis(p-tolyl)propanediimidate. Their corresponding rhodium(i) dicarbonyl, dimethylaluminium, and bis-ligated zinc complexes have also been prepared and characterized. The donor properties of the ligands have been studied and have been compared to those of the traditional anionic N,N'-chelating ligand nacnac.

Crystal structure of 2,4,6-tri-methyl-benzoic anhydride.

The title compound, C20H22O3, was formed in the reaction between 2,4,6-tri-methyl-benzoic acid and N,N-diiso-propyl-ethyl-amine in the presence of 1,3-di-chloro-1,3-bis-(di-methyl-amino)-propenium hydrogen dichloride, and was recrystallized from diethyl ether solution. It is the first exclusively alkyl-substituted benzoic anhydride to have been structurally characterized. The asymmetric unit consists of a half mol-ecule, the other half of which is generated by twofold rotation symmetry; the dihedral angle between the symmetry-related aromatic rings is 54.97 (3)°. The geometric parameters of the aromatic ring are typical of those for 2,4,6-tri-methyl-phenyl substituted groups. The C=O and C-O bond lengths are 1.1934 (12) and 1.3958 (11) Å, respectively, and the angle between these three atoms (O=C-O) is 121.24 (9)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions. The packing features wavy chains that extend parallel to [001].

Rapid, Reversible, Solid-Gas and Solution-Phase Insertion of CO2 into In-P Bonds.

The P,P-chelated heteroleptic complex bis[bis(diisopropylphosphino)amido]indium chloride [(i-Pr2P)2N]2InCl was prepared in high yield by treating InCl3 with 2 equiv of (i-Pr2P)2NLi in Et2O/tetrahydrofuran solution. Samples of [(i-Pr2P)2N]2InCl in a pentane slurry, a CH2Cl2 solution, or in the solid state were exposed to CO2, resulting in the insertion of CO2 into two of the four M-P bonds to produce [O2CP(i-Pr2)NP(i-Pr2)]2InCl in each case. Compounds were characterized by multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction. ReactIR solution studies show that the reaction is complete in less than 1 min at room temperature in solution and in less than 2 h in the solid-gas reaction. The CO2 complex is stable up to at least 60 °C under vacuum, but the starting material is regenerated with concomitant loss of carbon dioxide upon heating above 75 °C. The compound [(i-Pr2P)2N]2InCl also reacts with CS2 to give a complicated mixture of products, one of which was identified as the CS2 cleavage product [S═P(i-Pr2)NP(i-Pr2)]2InCl]2(µ-Cl)[µ-(i-Pr2P)2N)].

Comment on "crystallographic snapshot of an arrested intermediate in the biomimetic activation of CO2 ".

Out of focus: A recent Communication published in this journal describes the synthesis of [nBu4 N]HCO3 . The authors performed a single-crystal X-ray study that revealed a putative species described as an incipient hydroxide ion engaging in a long, and presumably weak, interaction with CO2 . Our recent exploration of the coordination chemistry of CO2 with small ions leads us to believe that such an exceptional bonding situation is unlikely. Instead, we argue that the crystal structure is that of [nBu4 N]O2 CCH3 and therefore not representative of the bulk powder from the synthesis.