Some ruthenium complexes containing cyanocarbon ligands: syntheses, structures and extent of electronic communication in binuclear systems

The preparation of several ruthenium complexes containing cyanocarbon anions is reported. Deprotonation (KOBu^t) of [Ru(NCCH₂CN)(PPh₃)₂Cp]PF₆ (1) gives Ru{NCCH(CN)}(PPh₃)₂Cp (2), which adds a second [Ru(PPh₃)₂Cp]⁺ unit to give [{Ru(PPh₃)₂Cp}₂(μ-NCCHCN)]⁺ (3). Attempted deprotonation of the latter to give the μ-NCCCN complex was unsuccessful. Similar chemistry with tricyanomethanide anion gives Ru{NCC(CN)₂}(PPh₃)₂Cp (4) and [{Ru(PPh₃)₂Cp}₂{μ-NCC(CN)CN}]PF₆ (5), and with pentacyanopropenide, Ru{NCC(CN)C(CN)C(CN)₂}(PPh₃)₂Cp (6) and [{Ru(PPh₃)₂Cp}₂{μ-NCC(CN)C(CN)C(CN)CN}]PF₆ (7). The Ru(dppe)Cp* analogues of 6 and 7 (8 and 9) were also prepared. Thermolysis of 6 (refluxing toluene, 12 h) results in loss of PPh₃ and formation of the binuclear cyclic complex {Ru(PPh₃)Cp[μ-NC{C(CN)C(CN)₂}CN]}₂ (10). The solid-state structures of 2-4 and 8-10 have been determined and the nature of the isomers shown to be present in solutions of the binuclear cations 7 and 9 by NMR studies has been probed using Hartree-Fock and density functional theory.     

The first 4,1,10-MC2B10 supraicosahedral metallacarboranes and a route to previously inaccessible 4,1,12-ruthenium arene species

Reduction of 1,12-closo-C2B10H12 or its C,C-dimethyl analogue with sodium in liquid ammonia followed by metallation with {CpCo}2+, {(arene)Ru}2+ or {(dppe)Ni}2+ fragments affords the first examples of 4,1,10-MC2B10 species; thermolysis of these yields the appropriate 4,1,12-MC2B10 isomers, unavailable for (arene)Ru metallacarboranes by similar thermolysis of known 4,1,6-MC2B10 compounds.     

Hydride donor abilities and bond dissociation free energies of transition metal formyl complexes

The hydride complex [Pt(dmpe)2H]+ (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) reversibly transfers H- to the rhenium carbonyl complex [CpRe(PMe3)(NO)(CO)]+, giving the formyl CpRe(PMe3)(NO)(CHO). From the equilibrium constant for the hydride transfer (16.2), the DeltaGdegrees for the reaction was determined (-1.6 kcal/mol), as was the hydride-donating ability of the formyl (44.1 kcal/mol). The hydride-donating ability, DeltaGdegrees(H-), is defined as the energy required to release the hydride ion into solution by the formyl complex [i.e. M(CHO) right arrow M(CO)+ + H-]. Subsequently, the hydride-donating ability of a series of formyl complexes was determined, ranging from 44 to 55 kcal/mol. With use of this information, two rhenium carbonyl complexes, [CpRe(NO)(CO)2]+ and [Cp*Re(NO)(CO)2]+, were hydrogenated to formyls, employing [Pt(dmpp)2]2+ and Proton-Sponge. Finally, the E(1/2)(I/0) values for five rhenium carbonyl complexes were measured by cyclic voltammetry. Combined with the known DeltaGdegrees(H-) values for the complexes, the hydrogen atom donating abilities could be determined. These values were all found to be approximately 50 kcal/mol.     

The synthesis and characterisation of 4,1,2-MC2B10 metallacarboranes

Reduction of the tethered carborane 1,2-(CH2)3-1,2-closo-C2B10H10 followed by treatment with CoCl2/NaCp, [(p-cymene)RuCl2]2(p-cymene=C6H4MeiPr-1,4), (PMe2Ph)2PtCl2 or (dppe)NiCl2(dppe=Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2) affords reasonable yields of the new 13-vertex metallacarboranes 1,2-(CH2)3-4-Cp-4,1,2-closo-CoC2B10H10 (1), 1,2-(CH2)3-4-(p-cymene)-4,1,2-closo-RuC2B10H10 (2), 1,2-(CH2)3-4,4-(PMe2Ph)2-4,1,2-closo-PtC2B10H10 (3) and 1,2-(CH2)3-4,4-(dppe)-4,1,2-closo-NiC2B10H10 (4), respectively. All compounds were characterised spectroscopically and crystallographically. The cobalt and ruthenium species 1 and 2 have Cs symmetry in both solution and the solid state, having henicosahedral cage structures featuring a trapezoidal C1C2B9B5 face. The platinum and nickel compounds 3 and 4 have asymmetric docosahedral cage structures in the crystal (the more so for 4 than for 3) although both appear, by 11B and 31P NMR spectroscopy, to have Cs symmetry in solution. Low-temperature experiments on the more soluble platinacarborane could not freeze out the diamond-trapezium-diamond fluctional process that we assume is operating in solution, and we therefore conclude that this process has a relatively low activation barrier, probably <35 kJ mol-1.     

Platination of [3-X-7,8-Ph2-7,8-nido-C2B9H8] (X=Et, F): Synthesis and characterisation of slipped and 1,2→1,7 isomerised products

The reaction of the labelled carborane ligand [3-Et-7,8-Ph₂-7,8-nido-C₂B₉H₈]²⁻ with a source of {Pt(PMe₂Ph)₂}²⁺ affords non-isomerised 1,2-Ph₂-3,3-(PMe₂Ph)₂-6-Et-3,1,2-closo-PtC₂B₉H₈ (1). The analogous reaction between [3-F-7,8-Ph₂-7,8-nido-C₂B₉H₈]²⁻ and {Pt(PMe₂Ph)₂}²⁺ yields 1,8-Ph₂-2,2-(PMe₂Ph)₂-4-F-2,1,8-closo-PtC₂B₉H₈ (3). Compound 1 has a heavily slipped structure (Δ 0.72 Å), which to some degree obviates the need for C atom isomerisation. However, that it is a kinetic product of the reaction is evident from the fact that it reverts to isomerised 1,8-Ph₂-2,2-(PMe₂Ph)₂-4-Et-2,1,8-closo-PtC₂B₉H₈ (2) slowly at room temperature but more rapidly with gentle warming. The heteroatom and labelled-B atom positions in the isomerised compounds 2 and 3 may be explained most simply by the rotation of a CB₂ face of an intermediate based on the structure of 1. Compounds 1–3 were characterised by a combination of spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques.     

Differentiation of isobaric compounds using chemical ionization reaction mass spectrometry

The technique of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) couples a proton transfer reagent, usually H3O+, with a drift tube and mass spectrometer to determine concentrations of volatile organic compounds. Here we describe a first attempt to use chemical ionization (CI) reagents other than proton transfer species inside a PTR-MS instrument. The ability to switch to other types of CI reagents provides an extra dimension to the technique. This capability is demonstrated by focusing on the ability to distinguish several isobaric aldehydes and ketones, including the atmospherically important molecules methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone. Two CI reagents were selected, H3O+ and NO+, both being cleanly generated in a low intensity radioactive source prior to injection into the drift tube. By recording spectra with both of these reagents, the contributions from different isobaric molecules can be separated by virtue of their unique spectrometric 'fingerprints'. The work demonstrates that this form of instrumentation is not restricted to proton transfer reagents and is the basis of a more general technique, chemical ionization reaction mass spectrometry (CIRMS).     

First-principles calculations of K-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectra of some transition metal dimers

Theoretical X-ray absorption near-edge spectra have been evaluated for different bond lengths of Mn₂, Co₂ and Ni₂ using a modified Xα scattered-wave procedure.     

Determination of trifluorothymidine in the eye using high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for trifluorothymidine in biological matrices of the eye is presented. Sample pretreatment was based on liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Following evaporation, the residue was analyzed using a reversed-phase octadecylsilane column with ultraviolet detection. The lower limit of detection is ca. 50 ng/ml (ca. 3 ng on column). The method is simple, reproducible and selective. Concentrations of trifluorothymidine in the aqueous humour, vitreous humour and cornea of normal rabbits after a 50-microliters topical dose of 1% trifluorothymidine are reported.     

The electronic structure of FeO 4 2− , RuO4, RuO 4 − , RuO 4 2− and OsO4 by the HFS-DVM method

The electronic structures of FeO ₄ ^2? , RuO₄, RuO ₄ ^? , RuO ₄ ^2? and OsO₄ have been investigated using the Hartree-Fock-Slater Discrete Variational Method. The calculated ordering of the valence orbitals is 2t ₂, 1e, 2a ₁, 3t ₂ andt ₁ with thet ₁ orbital as the highest occupied. The first five charge transfer bands are assigned as:t ₁→2e(v ₁), 3t ₂→2e(v ₂),t ₁→4t ₂(v ₃), 3t ₂→4t ₂(v ₄) and 2a ₁→4t ₂(v ₅). It is suggested that ad-d transition should be observed at 1.5 eV in RuO ₄ ^? and RuO ₄ ^2? .