Bis(phosphino)borates: a new family of monoanionic chelating phosphine ligands

The reaction of dimethyldiaryltin reagents Me(2)SnR(2) (R = Ph (1), p-MePh (2), m,m-Me(2)Ph (3), p-(t)BuPh (4), p-MeOPh (5), p-CF(3)Ph (6)) with BCl(3) provided a high-yielding, simple preparative route to the corresponding diarylchloroboranes R(2)BCl (R = Ph (10), p-MePh (11), m,m-Me(2)Ph (12), p-(t)BuPh (13), p-MeOPh (14), p-CF(3)Ph (15)). In some cases, the desired diarylchloroborane was not formed from an appropriate tin reagent Me(2)SnR(2) (R = o-MeOPh (7), o,o-(MeO)(2)Ph (8), o-CF(3)Ph (9)). The reaction of lithiated methyldiaryl- or methyldialkylphosphines with diarylchloroboranes or dialkylchloroboranes is discussed. Specifically, several new monoanionic bis(phosphino)borates are detailed: [Ph(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (25); [(p-MePh)(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (26); [(p-(t)BuPh)(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (27); [(p-MeOPh)(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (28); [(p-CF(3)Ph)(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (29); [Cy(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)] (30); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P[p-(t)BuPh](2))(2)] (31); [(p-MeOPh)(2)B(CH(2)P[p-(t)BuPh](2))(2)] (32); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P[p-CF(3)Ph](2))(2)] (33); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P(BH(3))(Me)(2))(2)] (34); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P(S)(Me)(2))(2)] (35); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P(i)Pr(2))(2)] (36); [Ph(2)B(CH(2)P(t)Bu(2))(2)] (37); [(m,m-Me(2)Ph)(2)B(CH(2)P(t)Bu(2))(2)] (38). The chelation of diarylphosphine derivatives 25-33 and 36 to platinum was examined by generation of a series of platinum dimethyl complexes. The electronic effects of substituted bis(phosphino)borates on the carbonyl stretching frequency of neutral platinum alkyl carbonyl complexes were studied by infrared spectroscopy. Substituents remote from the metal center (i.e. on boron) have minimal effect on the electronic nature of the metal center, whereas substitution close to the metal center (on phosphorus) has a greater effect on the electronic nature of the metal center.     

The new facial tripod ligand 3,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)propionic acid and carbonyl complexes thereof containing manganese and rhenium

The new facially coordinating tripod ligand 3,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)propionate (bmip) has been studied. A synthetic route to sodium 3,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)propionate (Na[bmip], 2a) and its hydrochloride (Hbmip · 2HCl, 2b) is reported. The electronic properties of Hbmip were calculated by DFT methods and are compared to those of structurally similar bis(pyrazol-1-yl)acetic acids. The ligand was applied in the synthesis of the two tricarbonyl complexes [Re(bmip)(CO)₃] (3) and [Mn(bmip)(CO)₃] (4). Methyl 3,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)propionate (bmipme) (1), which is the precursor of Hbmip, and the complexes [Re(bmip)(CO)₃] (3) and [Mn(bmip)(CO)₃] (4) were characterised by single crystal X-ray analysis.     

Electrochemically induced ring-closing of photochromic 1,2-dithienylcyclopentenes

An unprecedented combination of photochromism and electrochromism is observed for two 1,2-bis(dithienyl)cyclopentene derivatives; the ring-opening reactions are photochemically driven while the ring-closing reactions can be triggered by electrochemical oxidation.     

Synthesis of 4H-3,3a-dihydrothiazolo[4,3-b]quinazolines

Regiospecific synthesis of 4H-3,3a-dihydrothiazolo[4,3-b]quinazolines and 7-methyl-4H-3,3a-dihydrothiazolo[4,3-b]quinazolines IVa and IVb is described. The N-substituted thiazolidinecarboxylic acids Ia and Ib were converted to the corresponding acid chlorides, IIa and IIb but neither reacted with silver trifluoromethanesulphonate. The carboxylic acids Ic and Id were however, decarboxylated to the corresponding iminium ions using phosphorus oxychloride and these afforded the nitroamines IIIa and IIIb. Reductive cyclisation led to the quinazolines IVa and IVb.     

Rate constants from the reaction path Hamiltonian. I. Reactive flux simulations for dynamically correct rates

As ab initio electronic structure calculations become more accurate, inherent sources of error in classical transition state theory such as barrier recrossing and tunneling may become major sources of error in calculating rate constants. This paper introduces a general method for diabatically constructing the transverse eigensystem of a reaction path Hamiltonian in systems with many degenerate transverse frequencies. The diabatically constructed reaction path Hamiltonian yields smoothly varying coupling constants that, in turn, facilitate reactive flux calculations. As an example we compute the dynamically corrected rate constant for the chair to boat interconversion of cyclohexane, a system with 48 degrees of freedom and a number of degenerate frequencies. The transmission coefficients obtained from the reactive flux simulations agree with previous results that have been calculated using an empirical potential. Furthermore, the calculated rate constants agree with experimental values. Comparison to variational transition state theory shows that, despite finding the true bottleneck along the reaction pathway, variational transition state theory only accounts for half of the rate constant reduction due to recrossing trajectories.