Towards understanding monomer coordination in atom transfer radical polymerization: synthesis of [Cu(PMDETA)(π-M)][BPh4] (M = methyl acrylate, styrene, 1-octene, and methyl methacrylate) and structural studies by FT-IR and H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography

Cu^I complexes of the form [Cu^I(PMDETA)(π-M)][BPh₄] (where PMDETA = N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, and M = vinyl monomer) were synthesized and isolated from solution as crystals with methyl acrylate (MA), styrene (Sty), and 1-octene (Oct). The interaction of the CC double bond of the vinyl monomer with Cu^I was characterized via FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray crystallography. A fourth complex with methyl methacrylate (MMA) was synthesized and characterized spectroscopically, but no crystals suitable for X-ray structure analysis could be obtained. In all complexes, PMDETA acts as a tridentate ligand, while the pseudotetrahedral coordination geometry around Cu^I is completed by a π-interaction with the CC double bond of M in the presence of a non-coordinating counter-ion. A decrease in CC IR stretching frequencies of Δν(CC) = −110, −80, −109, and −127 cm⁻¹ for complexes with MA, Sty, Oct, and MMA, respectively, was observed upon coordination. No significant change in CC bond length was seen in the crystal structure for complexes with MA and Oct while a slight lengthening was observed for the Sty complex. The upfield shift of the vinyl proton resonances indicated the presence of significant π-back-bonding.     

A series of new zirconium complexes bearing bis(phenoxyketimine) ligands: Synthesis, characterization and ethylene polymerization

A series of new zirconium complexes bearing bis(phenoxyketimine) ligands, bis((3,5-di-tert-butyl-C₆H₂-2-O)R₁CN (2-R₂-C₆H₄))ZrCl₂ {R₁ = Me, R₂ = H (2a); R₁ = Et, R₂ = H (2b); R₁ = Ph, R₂ = H (2c); R₁ = 2-Me-Ph, R₂ = H (2d); R₁ = 2-F-Ph, R₂ = H (2e); R₁ = 2-Cl-Ph, R₂ = H (2f); R₁ = 2-Br-Ph, R₂ = H (2g); R₁ = Ph, R₂ = Me (2h); R₁ = Ph, R₂ = F (2i)}, have been prepared, characterized and tested as catalyst precursors for ethylene polymerization. Crystal structure analysis reveals that complex 2c has a six coordinate center in a distorted octahedral geometry with trans-O, cis-N, cis-Cl arrangement which possesses approximate C₂ symmetry. When activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO), complexes 2a-2i exhibited high ethylene polymerization activities of 10⁶-10⁸ g PE (mol M h)⁻¹. Compared with the bis(phenoxyimine) zirconium analogues bis((3,5-di-tert-butyl-C₆H₂-2-O)CHNC₆H₅)ZrCl₂ (3), the introduction of substituent on the carbon atom of the imine double bond enhanced the catalytic activity and molecular weight of prepared polyethylene. Especially, when the H atom at the carbon atom of the imine double bond was replaced by 2-fluoro-phenyl with strong electronic-withdrawing property, complex 2e displayed the highest catalytic activity, and the polyethylene obtained possessed the highest molecular weight and melt point.     

An SN2′ displacement approach to allenyl acetates

Reaction of cuprates derived from R³MgBr/CuI/LiBr (R³ = n-alkyl) with R¹CCCH(O₂CR²)₂ (R¹ = sp² hybridised substituent, R² = mainly Me, alkyl, Ph) provides access to allenyl esters R¹R³CCCH(O₂CR²) (51-88%). Such species are not accessible via rearrangement of precursor propargylic R¹R³C(O₂CR²)CCH.     

Argon matrix effect on the geometry and infrared spectrum of H2CMH2 (M = Ti, Zr, Hf): A theoretical study

Within the framework of polarizable continuum model with integral equation formalism (IEF-PCM), an argon matrix effect on the geometry and infrared frequencies of the agostic H₂CMH₂ (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) methylidene complexes was investigated at B3LYP level of theory with the 6-311++G(3df,3pd) basis set for C, H, and Ti atoms and Stuttgart/Dresden ECPs MWB28 and MWB60 for the Zr and Hf atoms. At the B3LYP/IEF-PCM level of theory, H₂CTiH₂ was optimized to an energy minimum having a pyramidal structure. The calculated dipole moment of this structure is 3.06 D. The B3LYP/IEF-PCM simulations gave the three complexes’ agostic angle ∠HCM (°), distance r(H?M) (Å), and CM bond length r(CM) (Å) as follows: ∠HCTi = 87.4, r(H?Ti) = 2.079, r(CTi) = 1.803; ∠HCZr = 89.3, r(H?Zr) = 2.243, r(CZr) = 1.956; ∠HCHf = 94.7, r(H?Hf) = 2.343, r(CHf) = 1.972. As a comparison, the B3LYP simulations gave the values as follows: ∠HCTi = 91.5, r(H?Ti) = 2.150, r(CTi) = 1.811; ∠HCZr = 92.9, r(H?Zr) = 2.299, r(CZr) = 1.955; ∠HCHf = 95.6, r(H?Hf) = 2.352, r(CHf) = 1.967. As far as the MH₂ symmetric and asymmetric stretching and CH₂ wagging frequencies are concerned, the IEF-PCM calculated values are in better agreement with the experimental argon matrix ones than those calculated based on a gas phase model.     

Chlorophosphaalkenyl- and chloroalkenylstibanes

Mono-, bis- and tris(chlorophosphaalkenyl)stibanes have been obtained from Mes^∗PC(SiMe₃)Li (Mes^∗ = 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) or from the phosphaalkene carbenoid Mes^∗PC(X)Li (X = Cl) and SbF₃, Mes^∗Sb(OMes^∗)F or Mes^∗SbF₂. Bis[chloroalkenyl]stibanes [R₂CC(Cl)]₂SbCl (R₂C = fluorenylidene and 2,7-di-tert-butylfluorenylidene) have also been obtained from R₂CC(Cl)Li and SbCl₃.     

Transition-metal complexes of phenoxy-imine ligands modified with pendant imidazolium salts: Synthesis, characterisation and testing as ethylene polymerisation catalysts

Reaction between 3-((1R,2R)-2-{[1-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-phenyl)-meth-(E)-ylidene]-amino}-cyclohexyl)-1-isopropyl-4-phenyl-3H-imidazol-1-ium bromide (1a) or the derivative 3-((1R,2R)-2-{[1-(2-hydroxy-5-nitro-phenyl)-meth-(E)-ylidene]-amino}-cyclohexyl)-1-isopropyl-4-phenyl-3H-imidazol-1-ium bromide (1b) and metal halides MCl_x.yTHF (M = Zr, x = 4, y = 2; M = V, x = y = 3; M = Cr, x = y = 3), in THF, at −78 °C gives the metal complexes of general formula [MCl_x(κ²-N,O-OC₆H₂R¹R²C(H)N-C₆H₁₀-Im)₂][Br]₂ (where M = Zr, x = 2, R¹ = R² = ^tBu, 2; M = Zr, x = 2, R¹ = H, R² = NO₂, 3; M = V, x = 1, R¹ = R² = ^tBu, 4; M = Cr, x = 1, R¹ = R² = ^tBu, 5; M = Fe, x = 0, R¹ = R² = ^tBu, 6; Im = 1-isopropyl-4-phenyl-3H-imidazol-1-ium-3-yl). ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy of 2 and 3 indicate κ²-N,O-ligand coordination via the phenoxy-imine moiety with pendant imidazolium salt that is corroborated by a single crystal structure of 6. Compounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 were tested as precatalysts for ethylene polymerisation in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) cocatalyst, showing low activity. Selected polymer samples were characterised by GPC showing multimodal molecular weight distributions.     

Effect of ketimide ligand for ethylene polymerization and ethylene/norbornene copolymerization catalyzed by (cyclopentadienyl)(ketimide)titanium complexes-MAO catalyst systems: Structural analysis for CpTiCl2(NCPh2)

Ligand effects on the catalytic activity [and norbornene (NBE) incorporation] for both ethylene polymerization and ethylene/NBE copolymerization using half-titanocenes (titanium half-sandwich complexes) containing ketimide ligand of type Cp′TiCl₂[NC(R¹)R²] [Cp′ = Cp (1), C⁵Me⁵ (Cp^∗, 2); R¹,R² = ^tBu,^tBu (a), ^tBu,Ph (b), Ph,Ph (c)]-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst systems have been investigated. CpTiCl₂[NC(^tBu)Ph] (1b) CpTiCl₂(NCPh₂) (1c), and Cp^∗TiCl₂(NCPh₂) (2c) were prepared and identified; the structure of Cp^∗TiCl₂(NCPh₂) (2c) was determined by X-ray crystallography. The catalytic activity for ethylene polymerization increased in the order: 1a > 1b > 1c, suggesting that an electronic nature of the ketimide ligand affects the activity. However, molecular weight distributions for resultant (co)polymers prepared by 1b,c and by 2c-MAO catalyst systems were bi- or multi-modal, suggesting that the ketimide substituent plays a key role in order for these (co)polymerizations to proceed with single catalytically-active species. CpTiCl₂(NC^tBu₂) (1a) exhibited both remarkable catalytic activity and efficient NBE incorporation for ethylene/NBE copolymerization.     

Thermo-responsive extraction of cadmium(II) ion with TPEN-NIPA gel. Effect of the number of polymerizable double bond toward gel formation and the extracting behavior

N,N,N′,N′-(Tetrakis-2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) derivatives bearing the different number (1-4) of a double bond moiety on the pyridine ring are synthesized and subjected to copolymerization with N-isopropylacrylamide in the presence of AIBN. The obtained poly(TPEN-NIPA) gels show thermo-responsive swelling/shrinking behaviors and are employed for the extraction of cadmium(II) ion from the aqueous solution to examine the relationship of the gel characteristics and the extraction performance. The polymer gels composed of the TPEN derivative bearing three or four double bonds exhibit temperature-dependent change of swelling and shrinking in water. These gels extract Cd^II ion efficiently from the aqueous solution in the swelling state at 5 °C, while little extraction was observed at 45 °C with shrinking.     

Estimation of stability constants of copper(II) chelates with triamines and their mixed complexes with amino acids by using topological indices and the overlapping spheres method

Our two original approaches, the first based on the topological (connectivity) index ³χ^v and the second based on the model of overlapping spheres (OS), were applied for the estimation of stability constants of copper(II) complexes (CuL) with ethylenediamines (N = 14) and diethylenetriamines (N = 8), and mixed complexes (CuLA) of amino acids and diethylenetriamines (N = 18). The stability constants of the ethylenediamine complexes were predicted “indirectly” from calibration models developed on diethylenetriamines and vice versa, and also by a more direct method using the leave-one-out procedure of cross validation (cv). By averaging all the estimates, stability constants were reproduced with a rms error of 0.56 and 0.43 log K units for diethylenetriamines and ethylenediamines, respectively.     

Novel (η-arene)-ruthenium(II) complexes containing bis(iminophosphorano)methanide and methandiide ligands

The novel bis(iminophosphorano)methanes CH₂[P{NP(S)(OR)₂}Ph₂]₂ (R = Ph (1a), Et (1b)) have been obtained by oxydation of dppm with the corresponding thiophosphorylated azides (RO)₂P(S)N₃. Deprotonation of 1a,b with KH generates the methanide species KCH[P{NP(S)(OR)₂}Ph₂]₂ (R = Ph (2a), Et (2b)). The ruthenium(II) dimer [{Ru(η⁶-p-cymene)(μ-Cl)Cl}₂] reacts with 2a,b to afford the cationic complexes [Ru(η⁶-p-cymene)(κ³-C,N,S-CH[P{NP(S)(OR)₂}Ph₂]₂)]⁺ (R = Ph (3a), Et (3b)), via selective κ³-C,N,S-coordination of the bis(iminophosphorano)methanide anions to ruthenium. The structure of [Ru(η⁶-p-cymene)(κ³-C,N,S-CH[P{NP(S)(OEt)₂}Ph₂]₂)][PF₆] (3b) has been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Deprotonation of complexes 3a,b with NaH leads to the neutral carbene derivatives [Ru(η⁶-p-cymene)(κ²-C,N-C[P{NP(S)(OR)₂}Ph₂]₂)] (R = Ph (4a), Et (4b)).     

A novel strategy for synthesis of amphiphilic π-shaped copolymers by RAFT polymerization

The amphiphilic π-shaped copolymers with narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 1.04-1.09) based on polystyrene (PSt) and poly(ethylene glycol) have been synthesized successfully. The reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization of St in the presence of dibenzyl trithiocarbonate and N,N′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) yielded macro RAFT agent PSt-SC(S)S-PSt, subsequent reaction with excess maleic anhydride (MAh) at 80 °C in tetrahydrofuran afforded the PSt-MAh-SC(S)S-MAh-PSt. It was used as RAFT agent in the RAFT polymerization of St, and finally the amphiphilic π-shaped copolymers were obtained by the reaction of MAh with hydroxyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether) at 90 °C for 48 h. Their structures were confirmed by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectra, and their molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were measured by gel permeation chromatography.     

Photofunctional supramolecular solution systems of chiral Schiff base nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) complexes and photochromic azobenzenes

Preparations, crystal structures, electronic and CD spectra are reported for new chiral Schiff base complexes, bis(N-R-1-naphthylethyl-3,5-dichlorosalicydenaminato)nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II). Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes adopt a square planar trans-[MN₂O₂] coordination geometry with Δ(R,R) configuration. While zinc(II) complex adopts a compressed tetrahedral trans-[MN₂O₂] one with Δ(R,R) configuration and exhibits an emission band around 21 000 cm⁻¹ (λ_ex = 27 000 cm⁻¹). Absorption and CD spectra were recorded in N,N′-dimethylformamide, acetone, methanol, chloroform, and toluene solutions to discuss relationships between spectral shifts of d–d and π–π^∗ bands by structural changes of the complexes and physical properties of the solvents. Moreover, we have attempted to investigate conformational changes of the complexes induced by photoisomerization of azobenzene, 4-hydroxyazobenzene, or 4-aminoazobenzene, in various solutions under different conditions. Weak intermolecular interactions between complexes and azobenzenes are important for the phenomenon by conformational changes of bulky π-conjugated moieties of the ligands.     

Synthesis and decarboxylation of N-acyl-α-triphenylphosphonio-α-amino acids: a new synthesis of α-(N-acylamino)alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts

4-Phosphoranylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones 1 undergo hydrolysis in THF in the presence of HBF₄ at room temperature to give N-acyl-α-triphenylphosphonioglycines 3 (R² = H) in very good yields. 4-Alkyl-4-triphenylphosphonio-5(4H)-oxazolones 2 react with water in CH₂Cl₂/THF solution without any acidic catalyst at 0-5 °C in a few days yielding N-acyl-α-triphenylphosphonio-α-amino acids 3 (R² = Me) or α-(N-acylamino)alkyltriphenylphosphonium salt 4 (R² = CH₂OMe). α-Triphenylphosphonio-α-amino acids 3, on heating up to 105-115 °C under reduced pressure (5 mmHg) or on treatment with diisopropylethylamine in CH₂Cl₂ at 20 °C undergo decarboxylation to give the corresponding α-(N-acylamino)alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts 4, usually in very good yields.     

Unprecedented rearrangement during the formation of P-P homoatomic N-phosphino formamidine complexes

A variety of homoatomic P-P donor-acceptor homoleptic (R = R′) and heteroleptic (R ≠ R′) N-phosphino formamidine complexes [iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂-PR′₂]Cl were synthesized from the addition of N-phosphino formamidine (phosfam) donor reagent iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂ on halogenophosphane compounds R′₂PCl which are synthetic sources for the corresponding phosphenium derivatives R₂P⁺. We have demonstrated that the dynamic equilibrium observed between the different species is shifted either completely to the side of the free species or to the side of the donor-acceptor adduct [iPr₂N-C(H)N-PPh₂-PPh₂]Cl by changing the solvent or by varying the temperature. Activation parameters of ΔS^≠ = (−130 ± 7.2) J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, ΔH^≠ = (8.4 ± 0.6) kJ mol⁻¹ and ΔG^≠ (298.15 K) = (53.6 ± 2.3) kJ mol⁻¹ were determined by an Eyring analysis over the temperature range of 193-293 K. The negative entropy of activation is consistent with an associative pathway and the low value of ΔH^≠ suggests that the energy barrier for this reaction is entropically controlled. Phosphine-phosphenium adducts is the most appropriate term to describe the dynamic process observed at variable temperature for complexes [iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂ → PR′₂]⁺, but the ³¹P NMR chemical shift and the calculated electronic charges are more in favor of a phosphinophosphonium Lewis drawing [iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂-PR′₂]⁺. Formation of the homoatomic P-P heteroleptic formamidine complexes [iPr₂N-C(H)NPR′₂PR₂]Cl (R = Ph, R′ = Et, iPr) results in the formal insertion of the phosphino group of the corresponding alkyl chlorophosphanes R′₂PCl into the N-P bond of the starting phosfam ligand iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂. Computed data are in agreement with the transient formation of a heteroatomic N-P intermediate [iPr₂N-C(H)N(PR₂)PR′₂]Cl, which then rearranges to the more thermodynamically favored homoatomic P-P compound [iPr₂N-C(H)N-PR₂-PR′₂]Cl.