Isolation, Structural and Physical Characterization as well as Reactivity of Persistent Acenium Radical Cation Salts.

The unsubstituted acenium radical cations (ARCs) are extremely sensitive and were hitherto only studied in situ, i. e. in the gas phase, as dilute solutions in strong acids or by matrix isolation spectroscopy at about 10 K. In this study, room temperature stable ARC salts with the weakly coordinating anion [F{Al(ORF )3 }2 ]- (ORF =-OC(CF3 )3 ) supported by the weakly coordinating solvent 1,2,3,4-tetrafluorobenzene (TFB) were prepared and structurally, electrochemically and spectroscopically characterized. Reaction of the neutral acenes with Ag+ [F{Al(ORF )3 }2 ]- led, non-innocent,[54] to intermediate [Ag2 (acene)2 ]2+ complexes, which decompose over time to Ag0 and the corresponding (impure) ARC salts. By contrast, direct deelectronation with the recently developed innocent[54] deelectronator radical cation salt [anthraceneHal ]+⋅ [F{Al(ORF )3 }2 ]- led to phase-pure products [acene]+⋅ [F{Al(ORF )3 }2 ]- (anthraceneHal =9,10-dichlorooctafluoroanthracene; acene=anthra-, tetra-, pentacene). For the first time, a homogenous set of spectroscopic data on analytically pure ARC salts was obtained. In addition, cyclovoltammetric measurements of the acenes connected the potentials in solution with those in the gas-phase. Hence, the data complement the existing isolated gas-phase, strong acid or matrix isolation studies. A first entry to follow-up chemistry of the acenium radical cations as ligand forming oxidizers was demonstrated by reaction with 1 / 2 ${{ 1/2 }}$ Co2 (CO)8 giving [Co(anthracene)(CO)2 ]+ .

Altering Charges on Heterobimetallic Transition-Metal Carbonyl Clusters.

The homoleptic group 5 carbonylates [M(CO)6 ]- (M=Nb, Ta) serve as ligands in carbonyl-terminated heterobimetallic Agm Mn clusters containing 3 to 11 metal atoms. Based on our serendipitous [Ag6 {Nb(CO)6 }4 ]2+ (4 a2+ ) precedent, we established access to such Agm Mn clusters of the composition [Agm {M(CO)6 }n ]x (M=Nb, Ta; m=1, 2, 6; n=2, 3, 4, 5; x=1-, 1+, 2+). Salts of those molecular cluster ions were synthesized by the reaction of [NEt4 ][M(CO)6 ] and Ag[Al(ORF )4 ] (RF =C(CF3 )3 ) in the correct stoichiometry in 1,2,3,4-tetrafluorobenzene at -35 °C. The solid-state structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods and, owing to the thermal instability of the clusters, a limited scope of spectroscopic methods. In addition, DFT-based AIM calculations were performed to provide an understanding of the bonding within these clusters. Apparently, the clusters 3+ (m=6, n=5) and 42+ (m=6, n=4) are superatom complexes with trigonal-prismatic or octahedral Ag6 superatom cores. The [M(CO)6 ]- ions then bind through three CO units as tridentate chelate ligands to the superatom core, giving overall structures related to tetrahedral AX4 (42+ ) or trigonal bipyramidal AX5 molecules (3+ ).