Lone-Pair-p Bond Strength Unveiled by a Combined Experimental and Computational Study.

A series of naphthalene-diimide (NDI) and perylene-diimide (PDI) connected bis-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of iridium (III) have been prepared and fully characterized. The analysis of their NMR spectroscopic features, together their molecular structures show that these species display lone pair-p interactions between the chloride ligands of the Ir(III) complex and the heterocycles of the NDI/PDI moieties. The detection of this type of interaction in solution is due to the formation of two atropisomers, which are formed as a result of the restricted rotation about the Ir-Ccarbene bond imposed by the (Cl)lp…p interaction. Variable temperature 1H NMR analysis allowed to determine the strength of this non-covalent interaction, which lies between DH = 6.6-10 kcal/mol. The computational studies performed fully support the experimental findings. Our study demonstrates that this type of lp…p interaction is comparable to strong hydrogen bonding.

Reversible Coupling of Germylone with Isocyanates.

The germylone dimNHCGe (5, dimNHC=diimino N-heterocyclic carbene) undergoes a [2+2] cycloaddition with isocyanates RNCO (R=4-tolyl or 3,5-xylyl) to furnish novel alkyl carboxamido germylenes 7 (R=4-tolyl) and 8 (R=3,5-xylyl), featuring a C-C bond between the former carbene carbon and the isocyanate moiety. Heating a mixture of 8 with 4-tolyl isocyanate to 100 °C results in isocyanate metathesis, demonstrating reversible C-C bond formation on the reduced germanium compound. DFT calculations suggest that this process occurs via the reductive dissociation of isocyanate from 8 that regenerates the parent Ge(0) compound 5.

Tuning the Catalytic Activity of a Pincer Complex of Rhodium(I) by Supramolecular and Redox Stimuli.

We report the rhodium(I) complex [Rh(CNC-NDI)(CO)]+ , in which CNC-NDI refers to a pincer-CNC ligand decorated with a naphthalenediimide moiety. Due to the presence of the planar CNC ligand and the naphthalenediimide moiety, the electronic nature of the complex can be modulated by means of supramolecular and redox stimuli, respectively. The metal complex shows a strong π-π-stacking interaction with coronene. This interaction has an impact on the electron-richness of the metal, as demonstrated by the shifting of the ν(CO) stretching band to a lower frequency. The addition of tetrabutylammonium fluoride facilitates the sequential one- and two-electron reduction of the NDI moiety of the ligand, thus resulting in a situation in which the ligand can increase its electron-donor strength in two levels. The nature of the interaction with the fluoride anion was studied computationally. The catalytic activity of the [Rh(CNC-NDI)(CO)]+ complex was tested in the cycloisomerization of alkynoic acids, where it is observed that the activity of the catalyst can be modulated between four levels of activity, which correspond to i) the use of the unmodified catalyst, ii) catalyst+coronene, iii) catalyst+2 equivalents of fluoride, and iv) catalyst+5 equivalents of fluoride.

A Guanidine-Supported π-Complex of Germanium Amenable to Intramolecular C-C Cleavage in Arene and Ge Atom Transfer.

The germylone dimNHCGe (dimNHC=diimino N-heterocyclic carbene) reacts with azides N3 R (R=SiMe3 or p-tolyl) to furnish the first examples of germanium π-complexes, i. e. guanidine-ligated compounds (dimNHI-SiMe3 )Ge (NHI=N-heterocyclic imine, R=SiMe3 ) and (dimNHI-Tol)Ge (R=p-tolyl). DFT calculations suggest that these species are formed by a Staudinger type replacement of dinitrogen in the azide by a nucleophilic germylone, leading to a transient carbene adduct of iminogermylidene. Heating a solution of compound (dimNHI-SiMe3 )Ge to 70 °C results in extrusion of the iminogermylidene that further aggregates to produce the known [Me3 SiNGe]4 tetramer, whereas the imidazolylidene fragment transforms into an unusual heptatriene species that can be considered as a product of carbene insertion into the C-C bond of a pendant Ar substituent at the imidazolylidene nitrogen of the dimNHC. Reaction of (dimNHI-SiMe3 )Ge with tetrachloro-o-benzoquinone results in the net transfer of a germanium atom and formation of the free diimino-guanidine ligand. This ligand also forms when (dimNHI-SiMe3 )Ge is treated with azide N3 (p-Tol), with the germanium product being [(p-Tol)NGe]n.

An Isolable Gallium-Substituted Nitrilimine and its Reactivity with B-H, Si-H and B-B Bonds.

Reaction of the Ga(I) compound NacNacGa (9) with the diazo compound N2 CHSiMe3 affords the nitrilimine compound NacNacGa(N-NCSiMe3 )(CH2 SiMe3 ) (10). Carrying out this reaction in the presence of pyridine does not lead to C-H activation on the transient alkylidene NacNacGa=CHSiMe3 but generates a metallated diazo species NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe3 )(CN2 SiMe3 ) (13) that further rearranges into the isonitrile compound NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe3 )(N(NC)SiMe3 ) (15). Reactions of 10 with the silane H3 SiPh and the borane HBcat furnished products of 1,3 addition to the nitrilimine moiety NacNacGa{N(ERn )NCSiMe3 }(CH2 SiMe3 ), whereas reaction with the diborane B2 cat2 gave the product of formal nitrene insertion into the B-B bond. DFT calculations suggest that the interaction of 9 with N2 CHSiMe3 proceeds through intermediate formation of an alkylidene compound that undergoes CH activation with a second molecule of N2 CHSiMe3 . Insertion into the B-B bond likely proceeds through an initial 1,3-addition of the diborane, followed by boryl migration to the former nitrene center.

Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Uncovers Guest-Induced Distortions in a Supramolecular Organometallic Metallosquare.

The encapsulation of the tetracationic palladium metallosquare with four pyrene-bis-imidazolylidene ligands [1]4+ with a series of organic molecules was studied by Electrospray ionization Travelling Wave Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometry (ESI TWIM-MS). The method allowed to determine the Collision Cross Sections (CCSs), which were used to assess the size changes experienced by the host upon encapsulation of the guest molecules. When fullerenes were used as guests, the host is expanded ΔCCS 13 Å2 and 23 Å2 , for C60 or C70 , respectively. The metallorectangle [1]4+ was also used for the encapsulation of a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (NTCDI), to form complexes of formula [(NTCDI)2 (PAH)@1]4+ . For these host:guest adducts, the ESI IM-MS studies revealed that [1]4+ is expanded by 47-49 Å2 .. The energy-minimized structures of [1]4+ , [C60 @1]4+ , [C70 @1]4+ , [(NTCDI)2 (corannulene)@1]4+ in the gas phase were obtained by DFT calculations.Introduction.

The Milstein Bipyridyl PNN Pincer Complex of Ruthenium Becomes a Noyori-Type Catalyst under Reducing Conditions.

Hydrogenation of the dearomatized PNN ligand of the Milstein bipyridyl complex RuH(CO)[PNN] (2) gives a square-pyramidal Ru(II) product RuH(CO)[pPNN] (5). The central ring of the pPNN ligand is a piperidine. A minor byproduct of the hydrogenation reaction is complex 6 which has a dimeric structure made of two Ru(II) fragments each possessing a partly hydrogenated PNN ligand. The structures of 5 and 6 have been elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The PNN ligand of 2 is also hydrogenated under the conditions of the catalytic dehydrogenative coupling of ethanol to ethyl acetate. No direct evidence of the aromatized dihydride RuH2(CO)[PNN] (4) was found in this study. However, treating RuHCl(CO)[PNN] with Li[HBEt3] or reacting 2 with H2 at low temperature resulted in a structurally characterized hydride-bridged dimer (7) bearing intact aromatized bipyridyl ligands. M06-L/def2-QZVP DFT calculations provided insights into the thermodynamics of the stoichiometric reactions of this work and into the nature of the intermediates of the catalytic ester hydrogenation facilitated by RuH2(CO)[pPN(H)N] (8) formed from 5 under H2.

A Shape-Adaptable Organometallic Supramolecular Coordination Cage for the Encapsulation of Fullerenes.

The development of three-dimensional supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs), with cavities suitable for guest binding, is of great interest because these materials are useful in a large number of applications. Herein, a nickel-conjoined organometallic molecular prism is described, which has been fully characterized. The X-ray diffraction structure of the molecule reveals that the cage possesses an internal cavity with a volume of 1028 Å3 , thus suitable for the encapsulation of large 3D-molecules, such as fullerenes. This cage shows highly selective complexation of C70 over C60 , thus being potentially useful for fullerene separation and purification. The combined experimental and computational studies suggest that the complexation process is largely entropically-driven, and DFT calculations suggest that the cage is flexible and can adapt the size and the shape of the cavity to maximize the face-to-face interaction with the fullerenes.

Cationic, Neutral, and Anionic Hydrides of Iridium with PSiP Pincers.

This work describes synthetic routes from the known precursor [IrClH{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}] (1) to new hydride and polyhydride derivatives. Substituting the chloride ligand with triflate leads to the five-coordinate complex [IrH{κO-O3S(CF3)}{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}] (2), which can undergo reversible coordination of water (H2O) or dihydrogen (H2) to generate respectively the cationic derivative [IrH{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}(OH2)2](CF3SO3) (3) or the neutral trans-hydride-dihydrogen [IrH{κO-O3S(CF3)}{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}(η2-H2)] (6) in equilibrium. The use of acetonitrile or carbon monoxide (CO) excess instead of water produces stable analogues of 3 (complexes 4 or 5, respectively). The reaction between 1 and NaBH4 affords the tetrahydroborate derivative [IrH{κ2H-H2BH2}{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}] (7), which can be protonated with triflic acid to form 2 or with HBF4 to give the dinuclear cationic derivative [(µ:κ2H,κ2H-BH4)[IrH{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}]2](BF4) (8). The reactions of 7 with alcohols afford either the dihydride-carbonyl [IrH2{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}(CO)] (9) or the known tetrahydride [IrH4{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}] (10), depending on the ease of alcohol decarbonylation. NMR observations and density functional theory calculations on the fluxional behavior of 10 indicate that the spatial contour of the mer PSiP framework conditions hydride-ligand exchanges. Complex 10 reacts with NaH in tetrahydrofuran to form the anionic trihydride [IrH3{κP,P,Si-Si(Me)(C6H4-2-PiPr2)2}]Na (11), which exists as a mixture of fac and mer isomers in equilibrium.

Rethinking the Claisen-Tishchenko Reaction.

Pincer-type complexes [OsH2 (CO){PyCH2 NHCH2 CH2 NHPtBu2 }] and [OsH2 (CO){HN(CH2 CH2 PiPr2 )2 }] catalyze the disproportionation reaction of aldehydes via an outer-sphere bifunctional mechanism achieving turnover frequencies up to 14 000 h-1 . The N-H group of the catalysts is a key player in this process, elucidated with the help of DFT calculations.

Chemoselective hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds and acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols.

OsHCl(CO)[κ(3)-PyCH2NHC2H4NHPtBu2] is the first efficient catalyst for chemoselective reduction of challenging unsaturated esters to enols and for acceptorless coupling of amines with MeOH and EtOH affording formamides and acetamides. The NMR, ESI-MS, and DFT data indicate a mechanism proceeding in the metal coordination sphere and producing no free organic intermediates.

Replacing phosphorus with sulfur for the efficient hydrogenation of esters.

Catalyst tune-up: A readily available, air-stable amino-sulfide catalyst, [RuCl(2)(PPh(3)){HN(C(2)H(4)SEt)(2)}], has been developed. This complex displays outstanding efficiency for the hydrogenation of a broad range of substrates with C=X bonds (esters, ketones, imines), as well as for the acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of ethanol to ethyl acetate.

The Tolman electronic parameter (TEP) and the metal-metal electronic communication in ditopic NHC complexes.

Whereas the electronic communication between metals in dimetallic organometallic compounds is often assessed through cyclic voltammetric measurements, we have found that the variations in the Tolman electronic parameter (TEP) can also be an alternative and effective way of determining this type of interaction. The TEP values of several (CO)3Ni-NHC-X systems with five different ditopic NHC ligand systems [triazolyldiylidene (A), bis(imidazolylidene) (B), benzobis(imidazolylidene) (C), cyclopenta[f,g]acenaphthylenebis(imidazolylidene) (D) and bis(imidazolidinylidene) (F)] were determined by means of DFT calculations. Based on these values, the electron-withdrawing character of the X metal fragments employed in this study was found to increase in the order IrCp(CO) → RhCl(COD) → Ni(CO)3 → Cr(CO)5 → RhCl(CO)2. We found that the degree of electronic interaction through the ditopic NHC ligands is the strongest in A, followed by B and F, while being weak in B and C. The TEP values and the quantitative analysis of the upper molecular orbitals of A and F and their (CO)3Ni-NHC-Ni(CO)3 complexes strongly suggest that the principal electronic interaction between the metal centres of the M-NHC-M' complexes is of σ-type, via the delocalized HOMO and HOMO - 1 orbitals of the NHC ligands.

From esters to alcohols and back with ruthenium and osmium catalysts.

There and back again: hydrogenation of esters and the reverse reaction of dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols are efficiently catalyzed by dimeric complexes of Ru and Os under neutral conditions. The Os dimer is an outstanding catalyst for the hydrogenation of alkenoates and triglycerides, and allows production of fatty alcohols from olive oil. This complex converts ethanol into ethyl acetate and hydrogen under reflux.

PNP pincer osmium polyhydrides for catalytic dehydrogenation of primary alcohols.

This paper reports the synthesis, structure, and properties of a series of PNP pincer complexes of osmium OsH(3)Cl[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (1), OsH(3)[N(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (2), OsH(4)[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (3), and OsH(2)(PMe(3))[HN(C(2)H(4)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (4). The tetrahydride 3 operates as an efficient catalyst at 0.1 mol% loading for the reactions of amination and dehydrogenative coupling of primary alcohols, producing secondary amines and symmetrical esters, respectively. The catalyst 3 is distinguished by outstanding stability, and it can be used in an aqueous environment at temperatures as high as 200 °C.

Calculated hydride and fluoride affinities of a series of carbenium and silylium cations in the gas phase and in C6H5Cl solution.

We report the hydride and fluoride affinities for a group of silylium and carbenium cations. With comparable substituents on the central atom, the silylium cations have the higher fluoride affinity, whereas the carbenium ions have the higher hydride affinity. In the first approximation, the hydride and the fluoride affinities vary in parallel with changes in substitution, but the deviations from linear correspondence of hydride and fluoride affinities are more pronounced for carbenium ions. The hydride and fluoride affinities of silylium cations are very similar, whereas for carbenium ions, the hydride affinities are 35-60 kcal mol(-1) higher than fluoride affinities. These results are placed in the context of studies of hydrodefluorination of aliphatic C-F bonds enabled by silylium carborane catalysts [C. Douvris, O. V. Ozerov, Science 2008, 321, 1188]. The abstraction of fluoride from perfluoroalkanes by a trialkylsilylium cation is neither thermodynamically favorable nor kinetically accessible and, if at all possible, will require a much more fluorophilic silylium cation.

Heterolytic splitting of H-X bonds at a cationic (PNP)Pd center.

The (PNP)PdOTf complex is a suitable synthetic equivalent of the [(PNP)Pd](+) fragment in reactions with various HX substrates. The [(PNP)Pd](+) fragment either simply binds HX molecules as L-type ligands (X = NH(2), PCy(2), imidazolyl) or heterolytically splits the H-X bond to produce [(PN(H)P)Pd-X](+) (X = H, CCR, SR). DFT calculations analyze the relative energetics of the two outcomes and agree with the experimental data. Calculations also allow to assess the unobserved Pd(IV) isomer [(PNP)Pd(H)(2)](+) and validate its unfavourability with respect to the Pd(II) isomer [(PN(H)P)PdH](+).

N,N'-diamidoketenimines via coupling of isocyanides to an N-heterocyclic carbene.

Treatment of an N-heterocyclic carbene that features two amide groups N-bound to the carbene nucleus with various organic isocyanides afforded a new class of ketenimines in yields of up to 96% (isolated). DFT analyses revealed that the carbene exhibits a unique, low-lying LUMO, which may explain the atypical reactivity observed.

Carbanionic Friedel-Crafts equivalents. regioselective directed ortho and remote metalation-C-N cross coupling routes to acridones and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones.

Carbanion-mediated general regioselective routes to acridones 4 (Table 2) and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones 20 (Table 4) are described. Buchwald-Hartwig C-N cross coupling of o-halo benzamides 1 with anilines 2 or 16, followed by simple N-methylation, dependably provides N-methyl diarylamines 3 (Table 1) and 18 (Table 3). Upon treatment with LDA, 3 and 18 are converted into acridones 4 and dibenzo[b,f]azepinones 20, respectively, in good to excellent yields with regioselectivity which depends upon the presence or absence of directed metalation groups (DMGs). Brief investigations as follows are described: the synthesis of desmethyl acridone 15 (Scheme 4), an attempt to effect a double-directed remote metalation sequence which leads only to a monocyclization product 13 (Scheme 3), and an analogous but nonregioselective route to a xanthone 22 and dibenzo[b,f]oxepinone 24 (Scheme 5). DFT calculations reveal low energy conformations for compounds 18b and 23 which account for product formation and indicate that the cyclization reactions are under kinetic control.