NHC Carbene-Metal Complex Ligand Binding Energies.

The ligand binding energies (LBEs) of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and CH2 and CF2 adducts with group 1, 2, 10, and 11 metals and complexes with metals from these groups are predicted at the coupled cluster CCSD(T) level of theory by using density functional theory optimized geometries. The differences in LBEs as a function of the metal and the types of bonding interactions as well as the type of carbene are described. The bonding between the alkali cations and alkaline earth dications is predominantly ionic with a linear correlation between the LBEs and the cation hardness. In contrast, the bonding behaviors of the group 10 and 11 metals and metal complexes have only a weak, indirect correlation between the LBEs and the metal hardness. The difference in bonding behavior between the groups of metals arises due to the accessibility of electron donation between the ligand and the metal in the transition metal complexes, which results in more covalent-like bonding behavior. The presence of the methyl groups on the NHC nitrogen results in only slightly more delocalized charge from the metal onto the ring, but there is significant redistribution of the charge on the ring. Saturation of the NHC ring had a much smaller effect on how the charge was distributed on the ring. The analysis of the bonding behavior of NHCs with various metal groups enables improved understanding of carbene-metal interactions to inform rational design of NHC-based systems.

Bond Dissociation Energies of Carbene-Carbene and Carbene-Main Group Adducts.

A range of carbene structures and their adducts with one another and with a selection of small-molecule electrophiles and nucleophiles were examined at the composite correlated molecular orbital theory G3MP2 level to explore ground-state "carbenic" structures, their stabilities, and reactivities. Differences between carbene general classification as a singlet electrophilic carbene or singlet nucleophilic carbene and their given reactivity are discussed. A key quantity is the carbon-carbon bond dissociation energy for carbene dimers or the carbene-adduct dissociation energy for other species. The carbene dimer bond dissociation energies span a wide range from 10 to 170 kcal/mol. The hydrogenation energies and singlet-triplet splitting were found to correlate best with the carbene's self-dimerization energy, whereas other descriptors do not. The proton and fluoride affinities of the carbenes alone prove inadequate for classifying reactivity among classes of carbenes. The self-dimerization bond dissociation energy, hydrogenation energy, and singlet-triplet splitting of various carbenes, despite sometimes large differences in proton affinity and other indicators of reactivity, provide usable metrics to correlate substantial amounts of thermodynamic and kinetic (reactivity) information regarding these structures.

A stable Cerberus tris(maloNHC) and its coinage metal complexes.

The first trisanionic Cerberus-type maloNHC has been generated and coordinated to two different coinage metals (Au(i) and Ag(i)). The resulting triszwitterionic metal complexes have been characterized by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The molecular structures of the new metal complexes reveal an average AuAu and AgAg separation of 20.89 and 21.03 Å respectively, the longest distances reported to date for any related Cerberus-type NHCs.

A stable Janus bis(maloNHC) and its zwitterionic coinage metal complexes.

The first stable dianionic Janus-type bis(maloNHC) was isolated and characterized. Details on the chemistry of this biscarbene with respect to its ability to support catalytically relevant metal complexes are provided. The molecular structures of two dinuclear gold and silver complexes were determined by X-ray crystallography.

A bimetallic complex containing a cyclopentadienyl-annulated imidazol-2-ylidene.

A bimetallic carbene complex architecture that incorporates a cyclopentadienyl-annulated imidazol-2-ylidene moiety is characterized. The ligand architecture enables direct electronic interaction between the pi- and sigma-bonded metals. A preliminary example of aqueous Suzuki coupling employing a metallocene-fused imidazol-2-ylidene-derived catalyst is described.