F-block N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) can bind as two-electron sigma-donor ligands to lanthanide and actinide metal cations. In this review we summarise how the incorporation of an anionic group (alkoxide or amido), to form heterobidentate NHC ligands, allows the synthesis of a range of f-block NHC adducts. The tethering group also allows the lability of the NHC group, and its subsequent reactivity, to be studied. We include a brief survey of the known, structurally characterised f-element-NHC bond distances, and a range of substrates that react to displace the metal-bound NHC group.     

Carbohydrate-containing N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

Novel carbohydrate bearing imidazolium salts have been synthesized and used for the in situ generation of the corresponding N-heterocyclic carbenes. These compounds were successfully used as catalysts of the conjugate umpolung of cinnamaldehyde to form γ-butyrolactones. In addition, silver and palladium complexes of these N-heterocyclic carbenes were synthesized and structurally characterized.     

Toward N-heterocyclic carbene stabilized zinc sulfides

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Magnesium amido N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

Magnesium dications bind strongly to a tridentate anionic dicarbene ligand L = [N{CH(2)CH(2)(CNCHCHNMes)}(2)] forming dinuclear and trinuclear Mg complexes with some particularly short Mg-C bonds. Treatment of the proligand H(4)LCl(3) with three equivalents of methyl magnesium chloride or benzyl magnesium chloride affords Mg(3)(HL)Cl(6) in high yield. A suspension of in thf was heated to 80 degrees C for 2 h to afford Mg(2)(L)Cl(3), consistent with the loss of one equivalent of MgCl(2), and the deprotonation of the remaining acidic NH, lost as HCl gas. Treatment of Mg(3)(HL)Cl(6) with one equivalent of KC(8) results in deprotonation of the ligand amine NH to afford Mg(3)(L)Cl(5); treatment with a second equivalent forms the radical anion of the complex, K[Mg(3)(L)Cl(5)], which decomposes upon storage, precluding its structural characterisation. The acidic NH proton of the ligand in Mg(3)(HL)Cl(6) can also be removed by deprotonation with Li{N(SiMe(3))(2)}; additional equivalents of which also exchange the magnesium-bound chlorides for silylamido ligands, affording Mg(2)(L)Cl(2)N' and Mg(2)(L)Cl(N')(2), which have both been characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.     

Bent metal carbene geometries in amido N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

Lithium(I) and uranium(VI) amido-tethered Bu(t)-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes exhibit very distorted metal-carbene bonds; the corresponding magnesium(II) and mesityl-substituted NHC uranium(VI) complexes are undistorted; the distortion does not affect the ligand binding strength, suggesting a dominance of electrostatic character in closed-shell electropositive metal-carbene bonds.     

Synthesis and reactivity of alkyl-palladium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

The transamination of alkyl-palladium halide N-heterocyclic carbene complexes has enabled the isolation of products that reveal interesting insights into the factors which might be barriers to the development of a palladium-catalysed alkyl-amination reaction.     

Facile synthesis of metal N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

A novel electrochemical procedure for the preparation of metal complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes using imidazolium salts or corresponding silver-NHC complexes as carbene sources and electrolytes, and metal plates as the sacrificial anodes is described. The procedure is simple and good yielding without the use of expensive or air-sensitive reagents.     

Synthesis of the first rNHC (remote N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes with no heteroatom in the carbene carbon-containing ring

Two cationic carbene complexes with no heteroatom in the ring containing the carbene carbon, trans-bromo(2-methyl-2,6-dihydroisoquinolin-6-ylidene)bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) triflate (3) and trans-chloro(1,2-dimethyl-1,7-dihydroquinolin-7-ylidene)bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) triflate (4), were synthesized by oxidative substitution of Pd(PPh3)4 with N-methylated 6-bromoisoquinolinium and 7-chloro-2-methylquinolinium cations, respectively. Compound 3 was also prepared by methylation of neutral trans-bromo(2-methylisoquinolin-6-yl)bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II) (5). All complexes were unambiguously characterized by NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies.     

Copper complexes of nitrogen-anchored tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Incorporation of a nitrogen functionality into a tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene ligand system affords the first N-anchored tetradentate tris-carbene ligands TIMEN(R) (R = Me (5a), t-Bu (5b), Bz (5c)). Treatment of the methyl derivatized [H(3)TIMEN(Me)](PF(6))(3) imidazolium salt (H(3)5a) with silver oxide yields the silver complex [(TIMEN(Me))(2)Ag(3)](PF(6))(3) (9), which, in a ligand transfer reaction, reacts with copper(I) bromide to give the trinuclear copper(I) complex [(TIMEN(Me))(2)Cu(3)](PF(6))(3) (10). Deprotonation of the tert-butyl and benzyl derivatives [H(3)TIMEN(t-Bu)](PF(6))(3) and [H(3)TIMEN(Bz)](PF(6))(3) yields the free tris-carbenes TIMEN(t-Bu) (5b) and TIMEN(Bz) (5c), which react readily with copper(I) salts to give mononuclear complexes [(TIMEN(t-Bu))Cu](PF(6)) (11b) and [(TIMEN(Bz))Cu]Br (11c). The solid-state structures of 10, 11b, and 11c were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. While the TIMEN(Me) ligand yields trinuclear complex 10, with both T-shaped three-coordinate and linear two-coordinate copper(I) centers, the TIMEN(t-Bu) and TIMEN(Bz) ligands induce mononuclear complexes 11b and 11c, rendering the cuprous ion in a trigonal planar ligand environment of three carbenoid carbon centers and an additional, weak axial nitrogen interaction. Complexes 11b and 11c exhibit reversible one-electron redox events at half-wave potentials of 110 and -100 mV vs Fc/Fc(+), respectively, indicating sufficient electronic and structural flexibility of both TIMEN(R) ligands (R = t-Bu, Bz) to stabilize copper(I) and copper(II) oxidation states. Accordingly, a copper(II) NHC complex, [(TIMEN(Bz))Cu](OTf)(2) (12), was synthesized. Paramagnetic complex 12 was characterized by elemental analysis, EPR spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetization measurements.     

Synthesis and reactivity of triethylborane adduct of N-heterocyclic carbene: versatile synthons for synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

The reaction of an imidazolium salt with LiBEt(3)H afforded triethylborane adduct of imidazol-2-ylidene, which can act as a carbene precursor for the synthesis of a transition metal complex as well as a main group element complex.     

A stable anionic N-heterocyclic carbene and its zwitterionic complexes

Pyrimidinium beta?nes (1), readily accessible via a straightforward modular synthesis from a formamidine and a monosubstituted malonic acid, are readily deprotonated by nBuLi (or KHMDS) to give the stable carbene species [2]Li+ (abbreviated as maloNHC). The latter represents the archetype of a subgroup of N-heterocyclic carbenes incorporating a malonate as remote anionic functional group within their heterocyclic backbone. While playing the dual role of monodentate 2 e- L type donor and noncoordinating charge carrier X, such ligands are seen to provide a rational route to zwitterionic complexes, as illustrated here by three examples (Rh, Fe, Ag). In particular, the reaction of [2]Li+ with [RhCl(1,5-COD)]2 produces the neutral 14 e- complex Rh(maloNHC)(COD) (3) in which coordinative unsaturation at the metal is relieved in the solid state by an uncommon labile bonding interaction between the Cipso of one of the mesityl arms and the Rh center.     

N-heterocyclic carbene tethered amido complexes of palladium and platinum

With a view to applications in bifunctional catalysis, a modular cross-coupling strategy has been used to prepare amine bis(imidazolium) salts (3a and 3b) and an amine mono(imidazolium) salt (6) as precursors to chelating amido-NHC ligands. Treating the pro-ligands 3 with 3 equivalents of the bulky base KHMDS and Pd(OAc)(2) or PtCl(2)(COD) gave the four amido bis(N-heterocyclic carbene) pincer complexes [CNC-R]M-I [M = Pd (7) or Pt (8); R = i-Pr (a) or n-Bu (b)], including the first examples of platinum complexes of a CNC ligand. The reaction of 7a with AgOTf in pyridine gave the cationic complex {[CNC-i-Pr]Pd-py}OTf (9a). Heating a mixture of amine mono(imidazolium) salt 6 with PdCl(2) or K(2)PtCl(4), K(2)CO(3) and KI in pyridine at 100 °C gave the complexes [C,NH]MI(2)py [M = Pd (10) or Pt (11)], in which the amine arm of the NHC ligand is not deprotonated and does not coordinate to the metal. For a solution of 10 in 1,4-dioxane, deprotonation of the amine occurred in a biphasic reaction with aqueous KOH at 40 °C, giving the dimeric amido complex {[C,N]Pd(μ-OH)}(2) (12). The more inert Pt analogue 11 was unreactive under the same conditions. Solid-state structures of the complexes 7a, 7b, 9a, 10, 11 and 12 have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Synthesis and catalytic activity of pyrazolyl-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene palladium complexes

Three pyrazolyl-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium complexes based on 1-[2-(pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl]imidazole have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods, and the structures of two of the complexes have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The pyrazolyl-functionalized NHCs act as chelating N,C-bidentate ligands in these three complexes. Catalytic tests have proved that these complexes exhibit highly effective catalytic activity for the Suzuki–Miyaura and Mizoroki–Heck coupling reactions in water or aqueous/organic media under air. The substituents on the pyrazolyl ring exert different influences on the catalytic activity of the complexes in these coupling reactions.     

4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted silver(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes and ruthenium(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: synthesis and transfer hydrogenation of ketones

4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes and Ru(II) NHC complexes have been synthesized. The Ag(I) complexes were synthesized from the imidazolium salts and Ag₂O in dichloromethane at room temperature. The Ru(II) complexes were prepared from Ag(I) NHC complexes by transmetallation. The six 4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ag(I) NHC complexes and six 4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ru(II) NHC complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic techniques and elemental analyses. The Ru(II) NHC complexes show catalytic activity for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones.     

Tautomerism-dependent ring construction of N-heterocyclic compounds from the reactions of 1-alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes and substituted pyrazolinones

Four types of N-heterocyclic ring systems were successfully constructed from the reactions of 1-alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes (OC)5M=C(OEt)C[triple bond]CPh (1) (M = Cr, W) and substituted pyrazolinones (2). Reactions of 1 with 3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2a), 3-n-propyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2b), 3,4-dimethyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2c), 3,4-trimethylene-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2d), or 3,4-tetramethylene-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2e) generated three kinds of Fischer aminocarbene complexes (3-5), and reactions of 1 with phenyl-substituted pyrazolinones, i.e., 3-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (2f) and its tautomer 3-phenyl-3-pyrazolin-5-one (2g), gave Fischer alkoxycarbene complexes (6) as the major products and aminocarbene complexes of types 3-5 as the minor products. Multiple tautomerism of pyrazolinones is attributed to the versatile formation of N-heterocyclic Fischer carbene complexes. Oxidative demetalation of complexes 3-6 with pyridine N-oxide or m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid efficiently afforded organic carbonyl products, and thus, strongly fluorescent syn-mixed-bimanes were prepared. The present findings constitute an alternative new method to synthesize mixed bimanes and other novel N-heterocyclic compounds.