Unprecedented Oxidative Addition and Metal‐Only Lewis Pair Chemistry of Antimony Trihalides

Reaction of the zero‐valent platinum complex [Pt(PCy₃)₂] with SbF₃ generates the cationic diplatinum stibenium complex [{(Cy₃P)₂Pt}₂(μ‐SbF₂)]⁺, the first unsupported metal‐only Lewis pair containing an antimony‐centered Lewis acid. In contrast, SbCl₃ undergoes oxidative addition to [Pt(PCy₃)₂], resulting in the dihalostibanyl complex trans‐[PtCl(SbCl₂)(PCy₃)₂], the first example of oxidative addition of an antimony–halide bond to a transition metal.     

Stepwise isolation of low-valent,low-coordinate Sn and Pb mono- and dications in the coordination sphere of platinum

Synthetic access to low-coordinate Pb mono- and dications is in general impeded due to their poor solubility and highly electrophilic nature. However, the electrophilicity of these cations can be tamed by attaching them to electron-rich transition metals. Following this principle we have isolated low-valent Pb mono- ([(Cy₃P)₂Pt–PbCl]₂[AlCl₄]₂, 8a) and dications ([(Cy₃P)₂Pt(Pb)][AlCl₄]₂, 11) in the coordination sphere of platinum. The same approach then has been implemented for the isolation of analogous low-valent Sn mono- (7a) and dications (10). An energy decomposition analysis (EDA-NOCV) was performed to investigate the nature of Pt–Pb and Pb–Cl bonding in [(Cy₃P)₂Pt(PbCl₂)] (2), 8a and 11. The results show that the Pt–Pb bonds in 8a and 11 are electron-sharing in nature, whereas that of the precursor 2 is a dative bond. The breakdown of attractive interactions in 2, 8a and 11 reveals that the ionic interactions in the analyzed Pt–Pb and Pb–Cl bonds are always stronger than the covalent interactions, except for the Pb–Cl bond in 8a. The calculated D3 dispersion energies show that dispersion interactions play a key role in the thermodynamic stability of 2, 8a and 11.     

Boron- versus Nitrogen-Centered Nucleophilic Reactivity of (Cyano)hydroboryl Anions: Synthesis of Cyano(hydro)organoboranes and 2-Aza-1,4-diborabutatrienes

Cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene-stabilized (cyano)hydroboryl anions were synthesized by deprotonation of (cyano)dihydroborane precursors. While they display boron-centered nucleophilic reactivity towards organohalides, generating fully unsymmetrically substituted cyano(hydro)organoboranes, they show cyano-nitrogen-centered nucleophilic reactivity towards haloboranes, resulting in the formation of hitherto unknown linear 2-aza-1,4-diborabutatrienes.     

Identification of a Lead Candidate in the Search for Carbene‐Stabilised Homoaromatics

The effect of carbenes as Lewis donor groups on the homoaromaticity of mono‐ and bicyclic organic molecules is surveyed. The search for viable carbene‐stabilised homoaromatics resulted in a large amount of rejected candidates as well as nine promising candidates that are further analysed for their homoaromaticity by using a number of metrics. Of these, five appeared to show modest homoaromaticity, whereas another compound showed a level of homoaromaticity comparable with the homotropylium cation benchmark compound. Isoelectronic analogues and constitutional isomers of the lead compound were investigated, however, none of these showed comparable homoaromaticity. The implications of these calculations on the design of donor‐stabilised homoaromatics are discussed.     

Direct Hydroboration of BB Bonds: A Mild Strategy for the Proliferation of BB Bonds

Synthetic access to electron‐precise boron chains is hampered by the preferential formation of nonclassical structures. The few existing strategies for this involve either strongly reducing reagents or transition‐metal catalysts, both with distinct disadvantages. The synthesis of new furyl‐ and thienyl‐substituted diborenes is presented, along with their direct hydroboration with catecholborane (CatBH) to form a new electron‐precise B? B bond and a B₃ chain. The reaction is diastereoselective and proceeds under mild conditions without the use of strong reducing agents or transition‐metal catalysts commonly used in B‐B coupling reactions.     

Engineering a Small HOMO–LUMO Gap and Intramolecular C−H Borylation by Diborene/Anthracene Orbital Intercalation

The diborene 1 was synthesized by reduction of a mixture of 1,2-di-9-anthryl-1,2-dibromodiborane(4) ( 6 ) and trimethylphosphine with potassium graphite. The X-ray structure of 1 shows the two anthryl rings to be parallel and their π(C₁₄) systems perpendicular to the diborene π(B=B) system. This twisted conformation allows for intercalation of the relatively high-lying π(B=B) orbital and the low-lying π* orbital of the anthryl moiety with no significant conjugation, resulting in a small HOMO–LUMO gap (HLG) and ultimately a C−H borylation of the anthryl unit. The HLG of 1 was estimated to be 1.57 eV from the onset of the long wavelength band in its UV/Vis absorption spectrum (THF, λ_onset=788 nm). The oxidation of 1 with elemental selenium afforded diboraselenirane 8 in quantitative yield. By oxidative abstraction of one phosphine ligand by another equivalent of elemental selenium, the B−B and C¹−H bonds of 8 were cleaved to give the cyclic 1,9-diborylanthracene 9 .     

Boron: Its Role in Energy‐Related Processes and Applications

Boron's unique position in the Periodic Table, that is, at the apex of the line separating metals and nonmetals, makes it highly versatile in chemical reactions and applications. Contemporary demand for renewable and clean energy as well as energy‐efficient products has seen boron playing key roles in energy‐related research, such as 1) activating and synthesizing energy‐rich small molecules, 2) storing chemical and electrical energy, and 3) converting electrical energy into light. These applications are fundamentally associated with boron's unique characteristics, such as its electron‐deficiency and the availability of an unoccupied p orbital, which allow the formation of a myriad of compounds with a wide range of chemical and physical properties. For example, boron's ability to achieve a full octet of electrons with four covalent bonds and a negative charge has led to the synthesis of a wide variety of borate anions of high chemical and electrochemical stability—in particular, weakly coordinating anions. This Review summarizes recent advances in the study of boron compounds for energy‐related processes and applications.     

Platinum Complexes Containing Pyramidalized Germanium and Tin Dihalide Ligands Bound through σ,σ ME Multiple Bonds

We present the isolation of the first mononuclear dihalogermylene, and mono‐ and dinuclear stannylene complexes of transition metals. These exhibit exceptionally pyramidalized Group 14 centers. Additionally, removal of the halide substituents from the Ge/Sn atom was successfully performed in two ways, halide abstraction and reduction, leading to a variety of unusual structural motifs.