Interactions of Isonitriles with Metal-Boron Bonds: Insertions, Coupling, Ring Formation, and Liberation of Monovalent Boron.

Boryl, borylene, and base-stabilized borylene complexes of manganese and iron undergo a range of different reactions when treated with isonitriles including single, double, and partial isonitrile insertions into metal-boron bonds, ring formation, isonitrile coupling, and the liberation of new monovalent boron species. Two of the resulting cyclic species have also been found to react selectively with anhydrous HCl to form ring-opened products. The diverse isonitrile-promoted reactivity of transition-metal-boron compounds has been explored computationally.

Boron-Metallated Borirenes and Bis(Borirenes).

Heating the metalloborylene complex [{(η(5) -C5 Me5 )Fe(CO)2 }(µ-B){Cr(CO)5 }] with alkynes and diynes leads to the formation of B-metallated borirenes and a bis(B-metallated borirene) through formal transfer of the metalloborylene moiety [(η(5) -C5 Me5 )(OC)2 Fe(B:)]. By using this protocol, a range of B-metallated borirenes with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents are prepared, and these are studied spectroscopically, structurally, and computationally. The yellow-orange color of the complexes is additionally explained through time-dependent density functional theory calculations.

Carbene-induced synthesis of the first borironium cations using the [(η(5)-C5Me5)Fe(CO)2](-) anion as an unlikely leaving group.

Reaction of N-heterocyclic carbenes with ferroborirene complex [{(η(5)-C5Me5)Fe(CO)2}{BC2(SiMe3)2}] results in heterolytic Fe-B bond cleavage, yielding borironium ions, a new class of boron-containing heterocycles. The reaction rests on the surprising ability of the reactive [(η(5)-C5Me5)Fe(CO)2](-) anion to act as a leaving group. The properties of these species were investigated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Activation of boryl-, borylene and metalloborylene complexes by isonitriles.

The reactions of isonitriles with a variety of metalloboryl and metalloborylene species are shown to yield a range of products, none of which display the typical Lewis acid-base reactivity previously observed between such metal complexes and other Lewis bases. Insertions of one, or several, isonitriles into the metal-boron bond give cyclic and spiro compounds with bonding controlled by the electron count at the metal and in the ring.

Hydridoborylene complexes and di-, tri-, and tetranuclear borido complexes with hydride ligands.

Mono- and dinuclear hydridoborylene complexes were prepared by intermetallic borylene transfer from Group VI borylene or metalloborylene reagents. The hydride and borylene ligands were found to interact with each other significantly, although the boron ligand retains much of its former borylene character. Zero-valent platinum fragments were successively added to the dinuclear hydridoborylene complexes, resulting in tri- and tetranuclear borido complexes, in which the B-H interaction has been lost, and the hydride ligands now bridge two metal centers. The complexes were studied spectroscopically, crystallographically, and by DFT methods, and the unusual bonding situation in the M-B-H triangles of hydridoborylene complexes were evaluated.