Differences and Commonalities in the Gas‐Phase Reactions of Closed‐Shell Metal Dioxide Clusters [MO2]+ (M=V,Nb, and Ta) with Methane

High‐level electronic structure calculations, in combination with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT‐ICR) mass spectrometric studies, permit the mechanism by which closed‐shell, “naked” [TaO₂]⁺ brings about C?H bond activation of methane to be revealed. These studies also help to understand why the lighter congeners of [MO₂]⁺ (M=V, Nb) are unreactive under ambient conditions.     

Selectively Measuring π Back‐Donation in Gold(I) Complexes by NMR Spectroscopy

Even though the Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model has been successfully used by chemists since the 1950s, no experimental methodology is yet known to unambiguously estimate the constituents (donation and back‐donation) of a metal–ligand interaction. It is demonstrated here that one of these components, the metal‐to‐ligand π back‐donation, can be effectively probed by NMR measurements aimed at determining the rotational barrier of a C?N bond (ΔH_r^≠) of a nitrogen acyclic carbene ligand. A large series of gold(I) complexes have been synthesized and analyzed, and it was found that the above experimental observables show an accurate correlation with back‐donation, as defined theoretically by the appropriate charge displacement originated upon bond formation. The proposed method is potentially of wide applicability for analyzing the ligand effect in metal catalysts and guiding their design.     

Xenophilic complexes bearing a Tp(R) Ligand, [Tp(R)M--M'Ln] [Tp(R) = Tp(iPr2), Tp(#) (Tp(Me2,4-Br)); M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn; M'Ln = Co(CO)4, Co(CO)3(PPh3), RuCp(CO)2]: the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interaction but by electrostatic attraction

A series of dinuclear complexes, [Tp(R)M--M'L(n)] [Tp(iPr(2) )M--Co(CO)(4) (1; M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn); Tp(#)M--Co(CO)(4) (1'; M=Ni, Co); Tp(#)Ni--RuCp(CO)(2) (3')] (Tp(iPr(2) )=hydrotris(3,5-diisopropylpyrazolyl)borato; Tp(#) (Tp(Me(2),4-Br))=hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-4-bromopyrazolyl)borato), has been prepared by treatment of the cationic complexes [Tp(iPr(2) )M(NCMe)(3)]PF(6) or the halo complexes [Tp(#)M--X] with the appropriate metalates. Spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of 1-3' reveals that the tetrahedral, high-spin Tp(R)M fragment and the coordinatively saturated carbonyl-metal fragment (M'L(n)) are connected only by a metal-metal interaction and, thus, the dinuclear complexes belong to a unique class of xenophilic complexes. The metal-metal interaction in the xenophilic complexes is polarized, as revealed by their nu(CO) vibrations and structural features, which fall between those of reference complexes: covalently bonded species [R--M'L(n)] and ionic species [M'L(n)](-). Unrestricted DFT calculations for the model complexes [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(4)], [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(3)(PH(3))], and [Tp(H(2) )Ni--RuCp(CO)(2)] prove that the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interactions, but by electrostatic attractions. In other words, the obtained xenophilic complexes can be regarded as carbonylmetalates, in which the cationic counterpart interacts with the metal center rather than the oxygen atom of the carbonyl ligand. The xenophilic complexes show divergent reactivity dependent on the properties of donor molecules. Hard (N and O donors) and soft donors (P and C donors) attack the Tp(R)M part and the ML(n) moiety, respectively. The selectivity has been interpreted in terms of the hard-soft theory, and the reactions of the high-spin species 1-3' with singlet donor molecules should involve a spin-crossover process.     

Manganese,Iron, Cobalt,and Nickel Oxo‐, Peroxo‐, and Superoxoclusters: A Density Functional Theory Study

The 3d‐transition‐metal dioxo‐, peroxo‐, and superoxoclusters with the general composition MO₂, M(O₂), and MOO (M=Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) were studied by DFT by the B1LYP functional. The dioxides in their ground states represent the global minima for the M+O₂ system. Both ground‐state dioxides and the lowest‐energy peroxides are in their (d‐only) highest spin states. The ⁶A₁ state of Co(O₂) exceeds the d‐only spin‐multiplicity value (quartet), being nearly isoenergetic with the ⁴A₁ state of Co(O₂). The energy gain on transforming the peroxides to the corresponding dioxides decreases in the order Mn(O₂)>Fe(O₂)>Co(O₂)>Ni(O₂) and varies in the range 0.27–1.8 eV. The dissociation energy to M+O₂ for all studied peroxides is less than 1 eV being the lowest (0.47 eV) for Mn(O₂). The Mn and Fe peroxides need less than 0.3 eV to rupture one of the MO bonds to form the corresponding superoxide. Mn and Fe superoxides are less stable than the corresponding peroxides; the superoxide of Co is more stable than its peroxide, while Ni superoxide is unstable—its energy is above the limit of dissociation to Ni+O₂. According to the electrostatic potential maps, the oxygen atoms in the peroxides are more nucleophilic than those in the dioxides and superoxides, in which the terminal oxygen atom is more nucleophilic than the M‐bonded oxygen atom. This result differs from the expectations based on charge‐distribution analysis.     

A Theoretical Study of the Interaction of Hydrogen and Oxygen with Palladium or Gold Adsorbed on Pyridine‐Like Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene

The interaction of H₂ and O₂ molecules in the presence of nitrogen‐doped graphene decorated with either a palladium or gold atom was investigated by using density functional theory. It was found that two hydrogen molecules were adsorbed on the palladium atom. The interaction of these adsorbed hydrogen molecules with two oxygen molecules generates two hydrogen peroxide molecules first through a Eley–Rideal mechanism and then through a Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. The barrier energies for this reaction were small; therefore, we expect that this process may occur spontaneously at room temperature. In the case of gold, a single hydrogen molecule is adsorbed and dissociated on the metal atom. The interaction of the dissociated hydrogen molecule on the surface with one oxygen molecule generates a water molecule. The competitive adsorption between oxygen and hydrogen molecules slightly favors oxygen adsorption.     

Transition‐Metal Complexes [(PMe3)2Cl2M(E)] and [(PMe3)2(CO)2M(E)] with Naked Group 14 Atoms (E=C–Sn) as Ligands; Part 1: Parent Compounds

The equilibrium geometries and bond dissociation energies of 16‐valence‐electron(VE) complexes [(PMe₃)₂Cl₂M(E)] and 18‐VE complexes [(PMe₃)₂(CO)₂M(E)] with M=Fe, Ru, Os and E=C, Si, Ge, Sn were calculated by using density functional theory at the BP86/TZ2P level. The nature of the M? E bond was analyzed with the NBO charge decomposition analysis and the EDA energy‐decomposition analysis. The theoretical results predict that the heavier Group 14 complexes [(PMe₃)₂Cl₂M(E)] and [(PMe₃)₂(CO)₂M(E)] with E=Si, Ge, Sn have C_2v equilibrium geometries in which the PMe₃ ligands are in the axial positions. The complexes have strong M? E bonds which are slightly stronger in the 16‐VE species 1ME than in the 18‐VE complexes 2ME . The calculated bond dissociation energies show that the M? E bonds become weaker in both series in the order C>Si>Ge>Sn; the bond strength increases in the order Fe<Ru<Os for 1ME , whereas a U‐shaped trend Ru<Os<Fe is found for 2ME . The M? E bonding analysis suggests that the 16‐VE complexes 1ME have two electron‐sharing bonds with σ and π symmetry and one donor–acceptor π bond like the carbon complex. Thus, the bonding situation is intermediate between a typical Fischer complex and a Schrock complex. In contrast, the 18‐VE complexes 2ME have donor–acceptor bonds, as suggested by the Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model, with one M←E σ donor bond and two M→E π‐acceptor bonds, which are not degenerate. The shape of the frontier orbitals reveals that the HOMO?2 σ MO and the LUMO and LUMO+1 π* MOs of 1ME are very similar to the frontier orbitals of CO.     

Far‐Infrared Spectra of Yttrium‐Doped Gold Clusters AunY (n=1–9)

The geometric, spectroscopic, and electronic properties of neutral yttrium‐doped gold clusters Au_nY (n=1–9) are studied by far‐infrared multiple photon dissociation (FIR‐MPD) spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. Comparison of the observed and calculated vibrational spectra allows the structures of the isomers present in the molecular beam to be determined. Most of the isomers for which the IR spectra agree best with experiment are calculated to be the energetically most stable ones. Attachment of xenon to the Au_nY cluster can cause changes in the IR spectra, which involve band shifts and band splittings. In some cases symmetry changes, as a result of the attachment of xenon atoms, were also observed. All the Au_nY clusters considered prefer a low spin state. In contrast to pure gold clusters, which exhibit exclusively planar lowest‐energy structures for small sizes, several of the studied species are three‐dimensional. This is particularly the case for Au₄Y and Au₉Y, while for some other sizes (n=5, 8) the 3D structures have an energy similar to that of their 2D counterparts. Several of the lowest‐energy structures are quasi‐2D, that is, slightly distorted from planar shapes. For all the studied species the Y atom prefers high coordination, which is different from other metal dopants in gold clusters.     

Transition‐Metal Complexes [(PMe3)2Cl2M(E)] and [(PMe3)2(CO)2M(E)] with Naked Group 14 Atoms (E=C–Sn) as Ligands; Part 2: Complexation with W(CO)5

Density functional calculations at the BP86/TZ2P level were carried out to understand the ligand properties of the 16‐valence‐electron(VE) Group 14 complexes [(PMe₃)₂Cl₂M(E)] ( 1ME ) and the 18‐VE Group 14 complexes [(PMe₃)₂(CO)₂M(E)] ( 2ME ; M=Fe, Ru, Os; E=C, Si, Ge, Sn) in complexation with W(CO)₅. Calculations were also carried out for the complexes (CO)₅W–EO. The complexes [(PMe₃)₂Cl₂M(E)] and [(PMe₃)₂(CO)₂M(E)] bind strongly to W(CO)₅ yielding the adducts 1ME–W(CO)₅ and 2ME–W(CO)₅ , which have C_2v equilibrium geometries. The bond strengths of the heavier Group 14 ligands 1ME (E=Si–Sn) are uniformly larger, by about 6–7 kcal mol^?1, than those of the respective EO ligand in (CO)₅W‐EO, while the carbon complexes 1MC–W(CO)₅ have comparable bond dissociation energies (BDE) to CO. The heavier 18‐VE ligands 2ME (E=Si–Sn) are about 23–25 kcal mol^?1 more strongly bonded than the associated EO ligand, while the BDE of 2MC is about 17–21 kcal mol^?1 larger than that of CO. Analysis of the bonding with an energy‐decomposition scheme reveals that 1ME is isolobal with EO and that the nature of the bonding in 1ME–W(CO)₅ is very similar to that in (CO)₅W–EO. The ligands 1ME are slightly weaker π acceptors than EO while the π‐acceptor strength of 2ME is even lower.     

Phase Stability and Site Preference of the Disordered TbCu7‐Type Compound PrCo7‐xTx (T: Ti,Zr, Hf,Cu)

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.     

Mechanism of the Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Bromo‐Alkynes Revisited: Hydrogen versus Bromine Migration

A comprehensive mechanistic study of the InCl₃‐, AuCl‐, and PtCl₂‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of the 2‐(haloethynyl)biphenyl derivatives of Fürstner et al. was carried out by DFT/M06 calculations to uncover the catalyst‐dependent selectivity of the reactions. The results revealed that the 6‐endo‐dig cyclization is the most favorable pathway in both InCl₃‐ and AuCl‐catalyzed reactions. When AuCl is used, the 9‐bromophenanthrene product could be formed by consecutive 1,2‐H/1,2‐Br migrations from the Wheland‐type intermediate of the 6‐endo‐dig cyclization. However, in the InCl₃‐catalyzed reactions, the chloride‐assisted intermolecular H‐migrations between two Wheland‐type intermediates are more favorable. These Cl‐assisted H‐migrations would eventually lead to 10‐bromophenanthrene through proto‐demetalation of the aryl indium intermediate with HCl. The cause of the poor selectivity of the PtCl₂ catalyst in the experiments by the Fürstner group was predicted. It was found that both the PtCl₂‐catalyzed alkyne–vinylidene rearrangement and the 5‐exo‐dig cyclization pathways have very close activation energies. Further calculations found the former pathway would lead eventually to both 9‐ and 10‐bromophenanthrene products, as a result of the Cl‐assisted H‐migrations after the cyclization of the Pt–vinylidene intermediate. Alternatively, the intermediate from the 5‐exo‐dig cyclization would be transformed into a relatively stable Pt–carbene intermediate irreversibly, which could give rise to the 9‐alkylidene fluorene product through a 1,2‐H shift with a 28.1 kcal mol^?1 activation barrier. These findings shed new light on the complex product mixtures of the PtCl₂‐catalyzed reaction.     

Primary Fragmentation Pathways of Gas Phase [M(Uracil−H)(Uracil)]+ Complexes (M=Zn,Cu, Ni,Co, Fe,Mn, Cd,Pd , Mg,Ca, Sr,Ba, and Pb): Loss of Uracil versus HNCO

Complexes formed between metal dications, the conjugate base of uracil, and uracil are investigated by sustained off‐resonance irradiation collision‐induced dissociation (SORI‐CID) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. Positive‐ion electrospray spectra show that [M(Ura?H)(Ura)]⁺ (M=Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cd, Pd, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, or Pb) is the most abundant ion even at low concentrations of uracil. SORI‐CID experiments show that the main primary decomposition pathway for all [M(Ura?H)(Ura)]⁺, except where M=Ca, Sr, Ba, or Pb, is the loss of HNCO. Under the same SORI‐CID conditions, when M is Ca, Sr, Ba, or Pb, [M(Ura?H)(Ura)]⁺ are shown to lose a molecule of uracil. Similar results were observed under infrared multiple‐photon dissociation excitation conditions, except that [Ca(Ura?H)(Ura)]⁺ was found to lose HNCO as the primary fragmentation product. The binding energies between neutral uracil and [M(Ura?H)]⁺ (M=Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, Cd, Pd ,Mg, Ca, Sr Ba, or Pb) are calculated by means of electronic‐structure calculations. The differences in the uracil binding energies between complexes which lose uracil and those which lose HNCO are consistent with the experimentally observed differences in fragmentation pathways. A size dependence in the binding energies suggests that the interaction between uracil and [M(Ura?H)]⁺ is ion–dipole complexation and the experimental evidence presented supports this.     

A challenge to chemical intuition: donor-acceptor interactions in H3B-L and H2B+-L (L=CO; EC5H5, E=N-Bi)

The equilibrium geometries and bond energies of the complexes H(3)B-L and H(2)B(+)-L (L=CO; EC(5)H(5): E=N, P, As, Sb, Bi) have been calculated at the BP86/TZ2P level of theory. The nature of the donor-acceptor bonds was investigated by energy decomposition analysis (EDA). The bond strengths of H(3)B-L have the order CO>N>P>As>Sb>Bi. The calculated values are between D(e)=37.1 kcal mol(-1) for H(3)B-CO and D(e)=6.9 kcal mol(-1) for H(3)B-BiC(5)H(5). The bond dissociation energies of the cations H(2)B(+)-CO and H(2)B(+)-EC(5)H(5) are larger than for H(3)B--L, particularly for complexes of the heterobenzene ligands. The calculated values are between D(e)=51.9 kcal mol(-1) for H(2)B(+)-CO and D(e)=122.1 kcal mol(-1) for H(2)B(+)-NC(5)H(5). The trend of the BDE of H(2)B(+)-CO and H(2)B(+)-EC(5)H(5) is N>P>As>Sb>Bi>CO. A surprising result is found for H(2)B(+)-CO, which has a significantly stronger and yet substantially longer bond than H(3)B-CO. The reason for the longer but stronger bond in H(2)B(+)-CO compared with that in H(3)B-CO comes mainly from the change in electrostatic attraction and pi bonding at shorter distances, which increases more in the neutral system than in the cation, and to a lesser extent from the deformation energy of the fragments. The H(2)B(+)<--NC(5)H(5) pi( perpendicular) donation plays an important role for the stronger interactions at shorter distances compared with those in H(3)B-NC(5)H(5). The attractive interaction in H(2)B(+)--CO further increases at bond lengths that are shorter than the equilibrium value, but this is compensated by the energy which is necessary to deform BH(2) (+) from its linear equilibrium geometry to the bent form in the complex. The EDA shows that the contributions of the orbital interactions to the donor-acceptor bonds are always larger than the classical electrostatic contributions, but the latter term plays an important role for the trend in bond strength. The largest contributions to the orbital interactions come from the sigma orbitals. The EDA calculations suggest that heterobenzene ligands may become moderately strong pi donors in complexes with strong Lewis acids, while CO is only a weak pi donor. The much stronger interaction energies in H(2)B(+)-EC(5)H(5) compared with those in H(3)B-EC(5)H(5) are caused by the significantly larger contribution of the pi(perpendicular) orbitals in H(2)B(+)-EC(5)H(5) and by the increase of the binding interactions of the sigma+pi( parallel) orbitals.     

钛,锆和铪羰基化合物M(CO)_n(M=Ti,Zr,Hf;n=4～7)的理论研究

利用密度泛函方法对标题化合物的平衡几何、热化学及振动频率进行了理论预测,发现这3种金属原子都有相似的M(CO)n(n=4～7)结构.全局最低构型对M(CO)7都是单态C3v戴帽八面体7S-1,对M(CO)6都是三重态D3d畸变八面体6T(而对应的单重态M(CO)5仅比它低不到21 kJ·mol-1).对M(CO)n(n=5,4)都是三重态6S-1,其构型分别为从6T中移去1个或2个CO基的衍生物5T和4T.此外,五重态的D3h的三角双锥M(CO)5和单态的Td四面体M(CO)4以及能量更高的含有C和O同时与金属成键的独特配位CO基的M(CO)6和M(CO)3也被发现.最后,给出M(CO)7→M(CO)6+CO反应的离解能.并讨论了金属18价电子的Ti(CO)7存在的可能性.     

Stereo‐ and Regioselective Alkyne Hydrometallation with Gold(III) Hydrides

The hydroauration of internal and terminal alkynes by gold(III) hydride complexes [(C^N^C)AuH] was found to be mediated by radicals and proceeds by an unexpected binuclear outer‐sphere mechanism to cleanly form trans‐insertion products. Radical precursors such as azobisisobutyronitrile lead to a drastic rate enhancement. DFT calculations support the proposed radical mechanism, with very low activation barriers, and rule out mononuclear mechanistic alternatives. These alkyne hydroaurations are highly regio‐ and stereospecific for the formation of Z‐vinyl isomers, with Z/E ratios of >99:1 in most cases.     

Bonding in Cationic MCH2+ (M=K–La,Hf–Rn): A Theoretical Study on Periodic Trends

DFT and CCSD(T) calculations have been performed to investigate the bonding situation of 54 cationic methylene complexes, MCH₂⁺ (M=K–La, Hf–Rn). A comparison of the computed results with experimentally and CBS‐QB3‐derived data demonstrates the reliability of B3LYP/def2‐QZVP with regard to the bond dissociation energies. Further, the bonding character of the MCH₂⁺ complexes is revealed by geometrical and molecular‐orbital (MO) analysis. The comparison of the periodic trends within the s‐, p‐, and d‐block MCH₂⁺ carbenes shows a pattern different for main‐group versus transition‐metal complexes. By combining this work with the recently reported trends for the f‐block lanthanide carbenes MCH₂⁺, a systematic and comprehensive overview can be obtained.     

A close look at short C-CH3...potassium contacts: synthetic and theoretical investigations of [M2Co2(mu3-OtBu)2(mu2-OtBu)4(thf)n] (M = Na, K, Rb, thf = tetrahydrofuran)

Agostic interactions of the type Si-CH3M+ (M = alkali metal) are frequently mentioned in discussions of solid-state structures of trimethylsilyl compounds and the purpose of this work was to elucidate if they also exist in the related tert-butyl species by using density functional theory. The compounds [M2Co2(mu3-OtBu)2(mu2-OtBu)4(thf)n] (M = Na, n = 2; M = K, n = 0; M = Rb, n = 1) have been synthesised and their crystal structures determined. Close contacts of methyl groups with K atoms are observed in the solid-state structure of [K2Co2(mu3-OtBu)2(mu2-OtBu)4], and calculations of the rotational barrier of a tert-butoxy group about the axis through the C-O bond were performed. It was shown that apparent short C-CH3K distances are in this case a consequence of the packing in the extended solid-state structure.     

Dispersion Forces,Disproportionation, and Stable High‐Valent Late Transition Metal Alkyls

The transition metal tetra‐ and trinorbornyl bromide complexes, M(nor)₄ (M=Fe, Co, Ni) and Ni(nor)₃Br (nor=1‐bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐1‐yl) and their homolytic fragmentations were studied computationally using hybrid density functional theory (DFT) at the B3PW91 and B3PW91‐D3 dispersion‐corrected levels. Experimental structures were well replicated; the dispersion correction resulted in shortened M?C bond lengths for the stable complexes, and it was found that Fe(nor)₄ receives a remarkable 45.9 kcal mol^?1 stabilization from the dispersion effects whereas the tetragonalized Co(nor)₄ shows stabilization of 38.3 kcal mol^?1. Ni(nor)₄ was calculated to be highly tetragonalized with long Ni?C bonds, providing a rationale for its current synthetic inaccessibility. Isodesmic exchange evaluation for Fe(nor)₄ confirmed that dispersion force attraction between norbornyl substituents is fundamental to the stability of these species.