Synthesis,Characterization, and Reactivity of Cationic Gold Diarylallenylidene Complexes

Methoxide abstraction from gold acetylide complexes of the form (L)Au[η¹‐C≡CC(OMe)ArAr′] (L=IPr, P(^tBu)₂(ortho‐biphenyl); Ar/Ar′=C₆H₄X where X=H, Cl, Me, OMe) with trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) at −78 °C resulted in the formation of the corresponding cationic gold diarylallenylidene complexes [(L)Au=C=C=CArAr′]⁺ OTf⁻ in ≥85±5 % yield according to ¹H NMR analysis. ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopic analysis of these complexes established the arene‐dependent delocalization of positive charge on both the C1 and C3 allenylidene carbon atoms. The diphenylallenylidene complex [(IPr)Au=C=C=CPh₂]⁺ OTf⁻ reacted with heteroatom nucleophiles at the allenylidene C1 and/or C3 carbon atom.     

Hydride Transfer to Gold: Yes or No? Exploring the Unexpected Versatility of Au⋅⋅⋅H−M Bonding in Heterobimetallic Dihydrides

The potential for coordination and H-transfer from Cp₂MH₂ (M=Zr, W) to gold(I) and gold(III) complexes was explored in a combined experimental and computational study. [(L)Au]⁺ cations react with Cp₂WH₂ giving [(L)Au(κ²-H₂WCp₂)]⁺ (L=IPr ( 1 ), cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene ( 2 ), PPh₃ ( 3 ) and Dalphos-Me ( 4 ) [IPr=1,3-bis(diisopropylphenyl)imidazolylidene; Dalphos-Me=di(1-adamantyl)-2-(dimethylamino)phenyl-phosphine], while [Au(DMAP)₂]⁺ (DMAP=p-dimethylaminopyridine) affords the C₂-symmetric [Au(κ-H₂WCp₂)₂]⁺ ( 5 ). The Dalphos complex 4 can be protonated to give the bicationic adduct 4 H, showing Au^I⋅⋅⋅H⁺−N hydrogen bonding. The gold(III) Lewis acid [(C^N−CH)Au(C₆F₅)(OEt₂)]⁺ binds Cp₂WH₂ to give an Au-H-W σ-complex. By contrast, the pincer species [(C^N^C)Au]⁺ adds Cp₂WH₂ by a purely dative W→Au bond, without Au⋅⋅⋅H interaction. The biphenylyl-based chelate [(C^C)Au]⁺ forms [(C^C)Au(μ-H)₂WCp₂]⁺, with two 2-electron-3-centre W−H⋅⋅⋅Au interactions and practically no Au−W donor acceptor contribution. In all these complexes, strong but polarized W−H bonds are maintained, without H-transfer to gold. On the other hand, the reactions of Cp₂ZrH₂ with gold complexes led in all cases to rapid H-transfer and formation of gold hydrides. Relativistic DFT calculations were used to rationalize the striking reactivity and bonding differences in these heterobimetallic hydride complexes along with an analysis of their characteristic NMR parameters and UV/Vis absorption properties.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Reactivity of Cationic Gold Diarylallenylidene Complexes

Methoxide abstraction from gold acetylide complexes of the form (L)Au[η¹‐C≡CC(OMe)ArAr′] (L=IPr, P(^tBu)₂(ortho‐biphenyl); Ar/Ar′=C₆H₄X where X=H, Cl, Me, OMe) with trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) at ?78 °C resulted in the formation of the corresponding cationic gold diarylallenylidene complexes [(L)Au=C=C=CArAr′]⁺ OTf^? in ≥85±5 % yield according to ¹H NMR analysis. ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopic analysis of these complexes established the arene‐dependent delocalization of positive charge on both the C1 and C3 allenylidene carbon atoms. The diphenylallenylidene complex [(IPr)Au=C=C=CPh₂]⁺ OTf^? reacted with heteroatom nucleophiles at the allenylidene C1 and/or C3 carbon atom.     

Substituent Effects in π-Hole Regium Bonding Interactions Between Au(p-X-Py)2 Complexes and Lewis Bases: An ab initio Study

Long range substituent effects in regium bonding interactions involving Au(I) linear complexes are investigated for the first time. The Au(I) atom is coordinated to two para-substituted pyridine ligands. The interaction energy (RI-MP2/def2-TZVP level of theory) of the π-hole regium bonding assemblies is affected by the pyridine substitution. The Hammett's plot representations for several sets of Lewis bases have been carried out and, in all cases, good regression plots have been obtained (interaction energies vs. Hammett's σ parameter). The Bader's theory of “atoms-in-molecules” has been used to evidence that the electron density computed at the bond critical point that connects the Au-atom to the electron donor can be used as a measure of bond order in regium bonding. Several X-ray structures retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) provide experimental support to the existence of π-hole regium bonding in [Au(Py)₂]⁺ derivatives.     

Two thiourea‐containing gold(I) complexes

The crystal structures of two salts of bis­(thio­urea)­gold(I) complexes, namely bis­(thio­urea‐κS)­gold(I) chloride, [Au(CH₄N₂S)₂]Cl, (I), and bis­[bis­(thio­urea‐κS)­gold(I)] sulfate, [Au(CH₄N₂S)₂]₂SO₄, (II), have been determined. The chloride salt, (I), is isomorphous with the corresponding bromide salt, although there are differences in the bonding. The Au^I ion is located on an inversion centre and coordinated by two symmetry‐related thio­urea ligands through the lone pairs on their S atoms [Au—S 2.278 (2) Å and Au—S—C 105.3 (2)°]. The sulfate salt, (II), crystallizes with four independent [Au(CH₄N₂S)₂]⁺ cations per asymmetric unit, all with nearly linear S—Au—S bonding. The cations in (II) have similar conformations to that found for (I). The Au—S distances range from 2.276 (3) to 2.287 (3) Å and the Au—S—C angles from 173.5 (1) to 177.7 (1)°. These data are relevant in interpreting different electrochemical processes where gold–thio­urea species are formed.     

Hydrogen and Halogen Bonding to Au(I) Fluorido Complexes

The hydrogen bonding in the Au(I) complex [Au(F ⋅ HF)(SPhos)] (SPhos=dicyclohexyl(2’,6’-dimethoxy[1,1’-biphenyl]-2-yl)phosphane) ( 1 a ⋅ HF) has been analysed by IR and NMR measurements, revealing the formation of an unsymmetrical bifluoride moiety. The data are in excellent agreement with DFT calculations. Comparisons to analogous complexes bearing NHC (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) ligands demonstrated a comparable bonding situation. The identity of the halogen bond in the compound [Au(F ⋅ IC₆F₅)(SPhos)] ( 1 a ⋅ IC₆F₅) in CD₂Cl₂ has been estimated, and van't Hoff data for the equilibrium between [Au(F)(SPhos)] ( 1 a ) and IC₆F₅ with [Au(F ⋅ IC₆F₅)(SPhos)] are ΔH⁰=−8.1(3) kJ mol⁻¹ and ΔS⁰=−36(1) J (mol K)⁻¹. The latter are also in agreement with DFT calculations. For all calculations, comparisons between an explicit and implicit solvent model were drawn. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies were performed for [Au(F ⋅ 2IC₆F₅)(BrettPhos)] ⋅ 2IC₆F₅ (BrettPhos=2-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-3,6-dimethoxy-2’,4’,6’-triisopropyl-1,1’-biphenyl) ( 1 b ⋅ 4IC₆F₅) demonstrating the presence of halogen bonds to Au(I) fluorido complexes in the solid state.     

Tunable Trimers: Using Temperature and Pressure to Control Luminescent Emission in Gold(I) Pyrazolate‐Based Trimers

A systematic investigation into the relationship between the solid‐state luminescence and the intermolecular Au???Au interactions in a series of pyrazolate‐based gold(I) trimers; tris(μ₂‐pyrazolato‐N,N′)‐tri‐gold(I) ( 1 ), tris(μ₂‐3,4,5‐ trimethylpyrazolato‐N,N′)‐tri‐gold(I) ( 2 ), tris(μ₂‐3‐methyl‐5‐phenylpyrazolato‐N,N′)‐tri‐gold(I) ( 3 ) and tris(μ₂‐3,5‐diphenylpyrazolato‐N,N′)‐tri‐gold(I) ( 4 ) has been carried out using variable temperature and high pressure X‐ray crystallography, solid‐state emission spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and computational techniques. Single‐crystal X‐ray studies show that there is a significant reduction in the intertrimer Au???Au distances both with decreasing temperature and increasing pressure. In the four complexes, the reduction in temperature from 293 to 100 K is accompanied by a reduction in the shortest intermolecular Au???Au contacts of between 0.04 and 0.08 Å. The solid‐state luminescent emission spectra of 1 and 2 display a red shift with decreasing temperature or increasing pressure. Compound 3 does not emit under ambient conditions but displays increasingly red‐shifted luminescence upon cooling or compression. Compound 4 remains emissionless, consistent with the absence of intermolecular Au???Au interactions. The largest pressure induced shift in emission is observed in 2 with a red shift of approximately 630 cm^?1 per GPa between ambient and 3.80 GPa. The shifts in all the complexes can be correlated with changes in Au???Au distance observed by diffraction.     

The Impact of Crystal Packing and Aurophilic Interactions on the Luminescence Properties in Polymorphs and Solvate of Aroylacetylide–Gold(I) Complexes

The influence of the chemical substitution, crystal packing, and aurophilic interactions of the gold(I) acetylide complexes of the type (ArCOC≡C)_nAuPEt₃ (n=1,2) on their luminescent properties were examined. All described complexes undergo ligand scrambling in solution, which results in the formation of stable, easily isolated crystals that contain [ArCO(C≡C)_n]₂Au⁻(Et₃P)₂Au⁺ homoleptic species. In particular, we observed that the (benzoylacetylide)gold(I) complex yields three crystal forms with strikingly different luminescence properties. We monitored the conversion pathway for these forms: an orange luminescent form of homoleptic complex upon drying undergoes spontaneous transformation to bright green fluorescent form and finally to the weakly blue emissive one. In addition, we report a rare example of a helical arrangement of Au⋅Au⋅Au chains that are observed for the first time in acetylide gold(I) complexes in the case of heteroleptic (benzoylacetylide)gold(I) complex. This is a very rare case in which crystal structures and ensuing electronic properties of the heteroleptic and Au^I complexes could be directly compared.     

Mass spectrometric studies of dithiophosphinato metal complexes

Electron impact induced fragmentation reactions of planar, tetrahedral, octahedral and oligomeric metal dithiophosphinates Me(II)L₂ (L=Et₂PS₂^?; Me(II)=Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, Co, Mn, Ni, Pd, Pt), Me(III)L₃ (Me(III) = Sb, Bi, In, Rh, Ir) and (Me(I)I)_n (Me(I)/n=Tl/1, Au/2, Cu/4) have been studied. Fragmentation patterns, which are in accordance with metastable peak determinations by linked scans, are reported. In the case of the transition metals the spectra of the complexes show abundant [M]^+· predominantly metal containing ions and, the former being weak and the intensities of the latter being considerably reduced in the case of metal complexes with filled d shells. With planar or tetrahedral transition metal complexes no dependence of fragmentation on the coordination geometry can be observed. The dependence of fragmentation on d configuration, ionization energy of the metal and metal ligand π bonding is discussed. In the case of the oligomeric complexes strong metal-metal interaction is observed even under electron impact.     

Preparing Gold(I) for Interactions with Proton Donors: The Elusive [Au]⋅⋅⋅HO Hydrogen Bond

MP2 and DFT calculations with correlation consistent basis sets indicate that isolated linear anionic dialkylgold(I) complexes form moderately strong (ca. 10 kcal mol^?1) Au???H hydrogen bonds with single H₂O molecules as donors in the absence of sterically demanding substituents. Relativistic effects are critically important in the attraction. Such bonds are significantly weaker in neutral, strong σ‐donor N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes (ca. 5 kcal mol^?1). The overall association (>11 kcal mol^?1), however, is strengthened by co‐operative, synergistic classical hydrogen bonding when the NHC ligands bear NH units. Further manipulation of the interaction by ligands positioned trans to the carbene, is possible.     

Quantum-chemical study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis> influence in gold(I) linear complexes

Theoretical study of trans influence of ligands in Au(I) and Ag(I) complexes is based on quantumchemical calculations fulfilled within the limits of density functional theory. Metal-ligand bond orders and their σ- and π-components were analyzed for several series of [L-M(I)-X] ^q complexes; the participation of s, p, and d metal orbitals in binding was characterized. The π dative interactions metal→ ligand in Ag(I) and Au(I) complexes are weakened, and trans influence is caused by a competition of σ-donor ligands for the electronic density transfer from lone pairs of ligands onto $ 0.9s + 0.4d_{z^2 } $ 0.9s + 0.4d_{z^2 } hybrid orbitals of gold.     

Formation and infrared spectroscopic characterization of carbon suboxide complexes TM-η1-C3O2 and the inserted ketenylidene complexes OCTMCCO (TM=Cu,Ag, Au) in solid neon

The reactions of coinage metal atoms Cu, Ag and Au with carbon suboxide (C₃O₂) are studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. The weakly bound complexes TM-η¹-C₃O₂ (TM=Cu, Ag, Au), in which the carbon suboxide ligand binds to the metal center in the monohapto fashion are formed as initial reaction products. The complexes subsequently isomerize to the inserted products OCTMCCO upon visible light (λ = 400–500 nm) excitation. The analysis of the electronic structure using modern quantum chemistry methods suggests that the linear OCTMCCO complexes are best described by the bonding interactions between the TM⁺ cation in the electronic singlet ground state and the [OC…CCO]⁻ ligands in the doublet state forming two TM⁺ ← ligands σ donation and two TM⁺ → ligands π backdonation bonding components. In addition, the CuCCO, AgCCO and AuCCO complexes are also formed, which are predicted to be bent.     

Study of the Interaction of Some Potential Anticancer Gold(III) Complexes with Biologically Important Thiols Using NMR,UV–Vis,and Electrochemistry

The interaction of gold(III) complexes [Au(en)Cl₂]Cl, [Au(en)₂]Cl₃, [Au(cis‐DACH)Cl₂]Cl, and [Au(cis‐DACH)₂]Cl₃ (en = ethylenediamine, DACH = cis‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane) with biologically important thiols, such as glutathione (GSH), dl ‐penicillamine (PSH), mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), and N‐(2‐mercaptopropionyl)glycine (MPG), has been studied using ¹H, ¹³C NMR, UV–vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry in aqueous solution. Kinetic data revealed that the reactivity of their substitution reaction followed the order: [Au(en)Cl₂]⁺ > [Au(en)₂]³⁺ > [Au(cis‐DACH)Cl₂]⁺ > [Au(cis‐DACH)₂]³⁺. The thiol reactivity increased with decreasing its size, viz. MAA ≫ MPG > PSH > GSH. Square wave stripping voltammetry displayed peaks for Au(III) and Au(I) at +0.875 V and +1.4 V respectively. The interaction of the complexes with thiols resulted in reduction of gold(III) to gold(I) and thiol ligands (RSH) were oxidized to disulfide (RSSR).     

Achiral Au(I) Cyclic Trinuclear Complexes with High-Efficiency Circularly Polarized Near-Infrared TADF

Realizing high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) in the near-infrared (NIR) region is challenging and valuable for luminescent material, especially for thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) material. In this work, we report two achiral cyclic trinuclear Au(I) complexes, Au₃(4-Clpyrazolate)₃ and Au₃(4-Brpyrazolate)₃ (denoted as Cl−Au and Br−Au) , obtained through the reaction of 4-chloro-1H-pyrazole and 4-bromo-1H-pyrazole with Au(I) salts, respectively. Both Cl−Au and Br−Au exhibit TADF with high PLQY (>70 %) in the NIR I (700–900 nm) (λ_max = 720 nm) region, exceeding other NIR−TADF emitters in the solid state. Photophysical experiments and theoretical calculations confirmed the efficient NIR−TADF properties of Cl−Au and Br−Au were attributed to the small energy gap ΔE_(S1-T2) (S = singlet, T = triplet) and the large spin-orbital coupling induced by ligand-to-metal-metal charge transfer of molecular aggregations. In addition, both complexes crystallize in the achiral Pna2₁ space group (mm2 point group) and are circularly polarized light (CPL) active with maxima luminescent dissymmetry factor |g_lum| of 3.4 × 10⁻³ ( Cl−Au ) and 2.7 × 10⁻³ ( Br−Au ) for their crystalline powder samples, respectively. By using Cl−Au as the emitting ink, 3D-printed luminescent logos are fabricated, which own anti-counterfeiting functions due to its CPL behavior dependent on the crystallinity.     

Three Dicyanidometallate(I)‐based Complexes Incorporating Hydrogen‐bonding, π–π Packing and d10–d10 Interactions with Auxiliary 2,2′‐Bipyridyl‐like Ligands

To investigate the influence of the non‐covalent interactions, such as hydrogen‐bonding, π–π packing and d¹⁰–d¹⁰ interactions in the supramolecular motifs, three cyanido‐bridged heterobimetallic discrete complexes {Mn(bipy)₂(H₂O)[Ag(CN)₂]}[Ag(CN)₂] ( 1 ), {Mn(phen)₂(H₂O)[Au(CN)₂]}₂[Au(CN)₂]₂ · 4H₂O ( 2 ), and {Cd(bipy)₂(H₂O)[Au(CN)₂]}[Au(CN)₂] ( 3 ) (bipy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, and phen = 1,10‐phenanthroline), which are based on dicyanidometallate(I) groups with 1:2 stoichiometry of metal ions and 2,2′‐bipyridyl‐like co‐ligands were synthesized and structurally characterized. In compound 1 , hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions governed the supramolecular contacts. In compound 2 , the incorporation of aurophilic, hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions result in a 3D supramolecular network. In compound 3 , hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions result in a 2D supramolecular layer. In the three complexes, hydrogen‐bonding, π–π packing and/or d¹⁰–d¹⁰ interactions can play important roles in increasing the dimensionality of supramolecular assemblies.     

Methyl‐, Ethenyl‐, and Ethynyl‐Bridged Cationic Digold Complexes Stabilized by Coordination to a Bulky Terphenylphosphine Ligand

Reactions of the gold(I) triflimide complex [Au(NTf₂)(PMe₂Ar )] ( 1 ) with the gold(I) hydrocarbyl species [AuR(PMe₂Ar )] ( 2 a – 2 c ) enable the isolation of hydrocarbyl‐bridged cationic digold complexes with the general composition [Au₂(μ‐R)(PMe₂Ar )₂][NTf₂], where Ar =C₆H₃‐2,6‐(C₆H₃‐2,6‐iPr₂)₂ and R=Me ( 3 ), CH?CH₂ ( 4 ), or C?CH ( 5 ). Compound 3 is the first alkyl‐bridged digold complex to be reported and features a symmetric [Au(μ‐CH₃)Au]⁺ core. Complexes 4 and 5 are the first species of their kind that contain simple, unsubstituted vinyl and acetylide units, respectively. In the series of complexes 3 – 5 , the bridging carbon atom systematically changes its hybridization from sp³ to sp² and sp. Concomitant with this change, and owing to variations in the nature of the bonding within the [Au(μ‐R)Au]⁺ unit, there is a gradual decrease in aurophilicity, that is, the strength of the Au???Au bonding interaction decreases. This change is illustrated by a monotonic increase in the Au–Au distance by approximately 0.3 Å from R=CH₃ (2.71 Å) to CH?CH₂ (3.07 Å) and C?CH (3.31 Å).     

Enhanced π‐Backdonation from Gold(I): Isolation of Original Carbonyl and Carbene Complexes

The specific electronic properties of bent o‐carborane diphosphine gold(I) fragments were exploited to obtain the first classical carbonyl complex of gold [(DPCb)AuCO]⁺ (ν(CO)=2143 cm^?1) and the diphenylcarbene complex [(DPCb)Au(CPh₂)]⁺, which is stabilized by the gold fragment rather than the carbene substituents. These two complexes were characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic means. The [(DPCb)Au]⁺ fragment plays a major role in their stability, as substantiated by DFT calculations. The bending induced by the diphosphine ligand substantially enhances π‐backdonation and thereby allows the isolation of carbonyl and carbene complexes featuring significant π‐bond character.