Planar and pyramidal tetracoordinate carbon in organoboron compounds

Using previously proposed C(BH)2(CH)2 (16, 17) and C(CH)2B2 (22) systems with a central planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom linking two three-membered rings as building blocks, a series of stable structures containing two and three ptC centers within a molecule have been designed and computationally studied with the DFT (B3LYP/6-311+G) method. Inclusion of a carbon atom ligated with pi-accepting and sigma-donating boron centers into at least one aromatic ring is critical for stabilization of a planar structure. A square pyramidal configuration at tetracoordinate carbon may be achieved in appropriately strained molecules such as [3.3.3.3]tetraborafenestrane 45 and others by surrounding the carbon with boron-centered ligands.     

Structure and Bonding in CE5− (E=Al–Tl) Clusters: Planar Tetracoordinate Carbon versus Pentacoordinate Carbon

The structure, bonding, and stability of clusters with the empirical formula CE₅^? (E=Al–Tl) have been analyzed by means of high‐level computations. The results indicate that, whereas aluminum and gallium clusters have C_2v structures with a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC), their heavier homologues prefer three‐dimensional C_4v forms with a pentacoordinate carbon center over the ptC one. The reason for such a preference is a delicate balance between the interaction energy of the fifth E atom with CE₄ and the distortion energy. Moreover, bonding analysis shows that the ptC systems can be better described as CE₄^?, with 17‐valence electrons interacting with E. The ptC core in these systems exhibits double aromatic (both σ and π) behavior, but the σ contribution is dominating.     

包含平面四配位和五配位碳原子的特殊硼碳化合物

采用密度泛函理论(DFT), 在B3LYP/6-311+G**水平上, 研究了三类包含平面四配位碳原子(ptC)和平面五配位碳原子(ppC)的硼碳化合物. 这三类新型化合物是由C3B2H4(包含ptC)、CB4H2(包含ptC)和CB5H2(包含ppC)三种稳定结构和—CHCH—单元连接起来而得到的. 在理论上探讨了这些新型的硼碳化合物的成键特征, 光谱性质以及芳香性. 研究结果表明: 包含ptC和ppC原子的能量最低的结构, 在不受对称面限制的条件下, 具有C2v对称性的顺式立体构型比具有反式平面构型的化合物稳定. 计算的核独立化学位移(NICS)显示, 这些新型化合物的三元环中心有强的芳香性. 计算最稳定硼碳化合物的ptC和ppC原子的Wiberg键指数(WBIs)表明ptC和ppC的成键遵循八隅规则.     

Probing the planar tetra-, penta-, and hexacoordinate carbon in carbon-boron mixed clusters

The concept of planar hypercoordinate (e.g., penta- and hexacoordinate) carbons is intriguing [Exner, K.; Schleyer, P. v. R. Science 2000, 290, 1937] as it is neither compatible with the standard rule of three-dimensional chemical bonding nor with the maximum tetracoordination. Herein we undertake a comprehensive study of the planar tetra- (ptC), penta- (ppC), and hexacoordinate carbon (phC) by covering the whole family of carbon-boron mixed clusters C(m=1-4)B(n=4-8) and their anions. The potential energy surface of every carbon-boron cluster is sampled by using the basin-hopping global search algorithm coupled with ab initio geometry optimization. A large number of planar tetra-, penta-, and hexacoordinate carbon (local-minimum) structures are obtained. Several structures such as the phC consisting of C2B5, C2B5(-), etc. are reported for the first time. In particular, a ptC corresponding to the global minimum of CB4 is revealed, which appears to be highly stable for future synthesis. The boron-centered isomers are generally the more stable structures for planar multicoordinate carbons (ptC, ppC, and phC). The planar tetra-, penta-, and hexacoordinate boron are the prevalent structural motifs in low-lying isomers of the carbon-boron clusters. However, stability of the ptC and ppC units can be reinforced over the boron-centered isomers by attaching proper hydrocarbon unit -(CH)n- to form the so-called "hyparenes" [Wang, Z. X.; Schleyer, P. v. R. Science 2001, 292, 2465]). A new hyparene molecule is suggested for future synthesis of novel planar hypercoordinate carbon compounds.     

A Simple Link between Hydrocarbon and Borohydride Chemistries

A clear link between the hydrocarbon and borohydride chemistries is established by showing that hydrocarbons and borohydrides have a common root regulated by the number of valence electrons in a confined space. Application of the proposed method to archetypal hydrocarbons leads to well‐known borohydrides but, more importantly, it allows the design of new and interesting boron‐containing molecules that can be a source of inspiration for synthetic chemists.     

Preparation of crosslinked microspheres and porous solids from hydrocarbon solutions: A new variation of precipitation polymerization chemistry

A new variation of precipitation polymerization is described wherein C H bond addition to a triallyl monomer contributes to molecular weight growth, thereby incorporating a significant amount of saturated hydrocarbon into the solid phase. The extent of monomer oligomerization relative to hydrocarbon addition is shown to increase with the concentration of allyl benzoate in cyclooctane. An extension to the trifunctional monomer, triallyl trimesate, results in phase separation of hydrocarbon‐monomer adducts to give a dispersed phase whose continued reactivity leads to crosslinked microspheres. The relationships between reaction conditions and solid‐phase composition and morphology are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6561–6570, 2009     

Design of sandwichlike complexes based on the planar tetracoordinate carbon unit CAl4(2-)

Ever being a large curiosity, a series of simple "planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC)" molecules have been recently characterized by experiments. Incorporation of such exotic ptC units into the assembled molecular materials, which will bridge the isolated clusters in molecular beams and the potential solid materials, is very challenging. In this paper, we described the first attempt on how to assemble the fewest-number ptC unit CAl42- into molecular materials in sandwich forms on the basis of the density functional theory calculations on a series of model compounds [D(CAl4)M]q- as well as the saturated compounds [D(CAl4)Mn] ((D = CAl42-, Cp-(C5H5-); M = Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca). For M = Li, Be, Mg, and Ca, the ptC unit CAl42- can only be assembled in our newly proposed "heterodecked sandwich" scheme (e.g., [Cp(CAl4)M]q- (M = Li, Na, K, q = 2; M = Be, Mg, Ca, q = 1)) so as to avoid cluster fusion. For M = Na and K, the ptC unit CAl42- can be assembled in both the traditional "homodecked sandwich" [(CAl4)2M]q- (M = Li, Na, K, q = 3; M = Be, Mg, Ca, q = 2) and the novel heterodecked sandwich schemes. Moreover, the counterions were found to have an important role in determining the type of the ground structures for the homodecked sandwich. Various assembled species in extended frameworks were designed. Notably, among all the designed sandwich species, the ptC unit CAl42- generally prefers to interact with the partner deck at the side (Al-Al bond) or corner (Al atom) site. This has not been reported in the sandwich complexes on the basis of the known decks such as Cp-, P5-, N42-, and Al42-, for which only the traditional face-face interaction type was considered. Our results for the first time showed that the ptC unit CAl42- can act as a new type of "superatom". The present results are expected to enrich the flat carbon chemistry, superatom chemistry, metallocenes, and combinational chemistry.     

Synthesis of polymeric nanocapsules with a crosslinked shell through interfacial miniemulsion polymerization

A water‐soluble comonomer, N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), and an oil‐soluble crosslinker, divinylbenzene (DVB), have been combined in a system for the synthesis of nanocapsules with crosslinked shells through interfacial miniemulsion polymerization by encapsulating a liquid nonsolvating hydrocarbon. Oligomers of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) were dehydrated and separated from the aqueous phase and were adsorbed by the nanodroplets or latex particles and then anchored at their interfaces by means of a crosslinking reaction. Nanocapsules were then formed through encapsulation of the hydrocarbon by the newly produced polymers at the interfaces of the droplets. The crosslinked structure gradually grew to stabilize the shell morphology. The incorporation of NIPAM into the shell copolymers has been verified by FTIR and solid‐state ¹³C NMR data. The fact that the number of nanocapsules increases with increasing amounts of DVB and NIPAM supports the formation of nanocapsules following interfacial (co)polymerization. Therefore, a mechanism for the formation of nanocapsules through interfacial (co)polymerization induced by NIPAM and DVB is proposed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1522–1534, 2009     

Planar tetracoordinate carbon species involving beryllium substituents

Planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) arrangements can be achieved by employing multiple substituents based on beryllium, despite its rather weak pi-acceptor ability. A variety of ptC-containing examples, some with more than one ptC, have been designed computationally by elaborating the planar C(BeH) 4 (2-) prototype at B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) and MP2/6-311++G(3df,2p) levels of theory for some small ptC representatives. The prototype prefers a D(2h) paramagnetic triplet ground state due to Hund's rule, rather than a singlet. The highly polarized C-Be bonding weakens the rigidity of the tetrahedral carbon in T(d)C(BeH) 4 enormously, and the enhancement of both C-Be and Be 4 peripheral covalent bonding exerted by the extra electrons stabilizes the ptC eventually. The delocalization of the two p pi electrons is only modest, but their density on the most electronegative carbon atom helps stabilize the ptC arrangement. This is in contrast to the conventional strategy to delocalize p(pi) lone pairs for stabilizing the ptC arrangement. Various strategies to achieve neutral derivatives with ptCs are demonstrated.     

A theoretical prediction of potentially observable lithium compounds with planar tetracoordinate carbons

Several potentially experimentally accessible lithiated heterocyclic and heteroatom compounds with planar tetracoordinate carbons (ptC) have been predicted computationally. These utilize the strong electron-donating ability and the bridging proclivity of lithium to achieve the ptC preferences. As the p orbitals on the central carbons are only partially occupied, their electronic structures are similar to those of the related carbenes, e.g. imidazole-2-ylidene, rather than to the other ptC compounds such as dilithiocyclopropane.     

Beryllium and boron decoration forms planar tetracoordinate carbon strips at the edge of graphene nanoribbons

Graphene has been viewed as one of the most promising materials in many fields. Recently, it has been found that by using Cu-decoration at the edge of zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNR), a novel kind of planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) strip can be formed. In this paper, we investigate the edge-decoration of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNR) by various atom types and find that two new kinds of ptC strip can be effectively formed by using Be or B decoration. For the Be-decorated AGNR, the edge Be atoms take the form of a "zigzag-like" chain, and all the edge C atoms have a ptC nature. However, for the B-decorated AGNR, the edge B atoms form an infinite yet "fractured" chain consisting of separate B(4)-subunits, which results in only 50% of the edge C atoms being ptCs, in contrast with Be-decorated AGNR and Cu-decorated ZGNR. The high thermal stability of both types of ptC-based AGNR is indicated by isomeric sampling and molecular dynamics simulations.     

Unexpected Michael Additions on the Way to 2.3,8.9‐Dibenzanthanthrenes with Interesting Structural Properties

The synthesis and properties of a new polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing eight annulated rings and based on the anthanthrene core is described. An unexpected, nucleophile‐dependent Michael addition to a dibenzanthanthrene‐1,7‐dione is found, giving a product with three triisopropylsilylacetylene units and a remarkable solid‐state structure (as determined by X‐ray crystallography).     

Surface modification of gold nanoparticles with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and incorporation within polymer matrices

A new approach to achieve polymer‐mediated gold ferromagnetic nanocomposites in a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)‐containing random copolymer matrix has been developed. Stable and narrow distributed gold nanoparticles modified by 3‐mercaptopropylisobutyl POSS to form Au‐POSS nanoparticles are prepared by two‐phase liquid‐liquid method. These Au‐POSS nanoparticles form partial particle aggregation by blending with poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) homopolymer because of poor miscibility between Au‐POSS and PnBMA polymer matrix. The incorporation the POSS moiety into the PnBMA main chain as a random copolymer matrix displays well‐dispersed gold nanoparticles because the POSS‐POSS interaction enhances miscibility between gold nanoparticles and the PnBMA‐POSS copolymer matrix. This gold‐containing nanocomposite exhibits ferromagnetic phenomenon at room temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 811–819, 2009     

一种新型包含平面四配位碳二硼有机化合物的理论研究

采用B3LYP/6-311+G**方法, 研究了一种新型的包含平面四配位碳(ptC)二硼有机化合物C9B2H6的结构、稳定性和振动频率. 计算结果表明, C9B2H6结构的稳定性和两个硼原子的位置有很大关系, 硼原子起给予σ电子和接受π电子的作用. 在C9B2H6的15个异构体中, 最稳定的结构是具有C2v对称性的异构体(1,5), 在异构体(1,5)中, 两个硼原子位于同一个六元环中且与ptC相邻. 而且占据的π轨道说明异构体(1,5)具有10个π电子, 满足4n+2规则. 计算的核独立化学位移(NICS)值显示异构体(1,5)强的芳香性位于C9B2H6的两个三元环而不是两个六元环上.     

Four Decades of the Chemistry of Planar Hypercoordinate Compounds

The idea of planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) was considered implausible for a hundred years after 1874. Examples of ptC were then predicted computationally and realized experimentally. Both electronic and mechanical (e.g., small rings and cages) effects stabilize these unusual bonding arrangements. Concepts based on the bonding motifs of planar methane and the planar methane dication can be extended to give planar hypercoordinate structures of other chemical elements. Numerous planar configurations of various central atoms (main‐group and transition‐metal elements) with coordination numbers up to ten are discussed herein. The evolution of such planar configurations from small molecules to clusters, to nanospecies and to bulk solids is delineated. Some experimentally fabricated planar materials have been shown to possess unusual electrical and magnetic properties. A fundamental understanding of planar hypercoordinate chemistry and its potential will help guide its future development.     

Quantitative analysis of saccharides by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy

A series of saccharides, including several monohydrates and one amorphous phase, has been investigated by XPS, providing the first database of survey and high‐resolution spectra for this class of compounds. Known stoichiometries and XPS‐determined elemental compositions agree well. XPS has sufficient precision for distinguishing the stoichiometries of mono‐, di‐, and polysaccharides. The C 1s chemical shifts of the acetal and alcohol groups are similar for all samples, albeit with slight binding energy increases in the series from mono‐ to di‐ and polysaccharides. Increasing X‐ray exposure causes a radiation‐induced increase of the aliphatic hydrocarbon emission at 285 eV, concomitant with the appearance of a high binding energy C 1s emission peak at 289.1 eV and a decrease in the O 1s/C 1s emission intensity ratio. Formation of aliphatic hydrocarbon groups is proposed to arise from dehydroxylation, while the increase in the 289.1 eV peak can be attributed to double dehydroxylation at the C₁ position or partial oxidation of an alcohol or acetal group. The rate of radiation damage correlates with previously reported rates of thermally induced caramelization. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A straightforward strategy for the efficient synthesis of acrylate and phosphine oxide‐containing vegetable oils and their crosslinked materials

Phosphorus‐containing triglycerides were prepared from a new route that involves the singlet oxygen photo‐oxygenation of high oleic sunflower oil and further reduction of the resulting hydroperoxide derivatives to a mixture of secondary allylic alcohols. These allylic alcohols in presence of chlorodiphenylphosphine give allylic phosphinites capable to undergo a [2,3]‐sigmatropic rearrangement leading to tertiary phosphine oxides directly linked to triglyceride in a one‐pot two‐step reaction. The obtained phosphorus‐containing triglycerides with different hydroxyl content were activated to polymerization by acrylation and these acrylate triglycerides were radically crosslinked in presence of different amounts of pentaerythritol tetra‐acrylate. The thermal, dynamic‐mechanical, and flame retardancy properties of the final materials were evaluated. Thermal and thermo‐oxidative degradation was studied by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, ³¹P HR‐MAS NMR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4051–4063, 2009     

Effect of solvent on the dehydrogenation of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene): Formation and characteristics of benzoquinone–aromatic hydrocarbon charge‐transfer complexes

The effect of solvent on the dehydrogenation of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) with 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (DDQ) [or 2,3,5,6‐tetrachloro‐1,4‐(p‐)‐benzoquinone (TCQ)] was examined to improve the reactivity of benzoquinones for this dehydrogenation reaction. The dehydrogenation of PCHD with DDQ (or TCQ) was strongly affected by the type of solvent, and aromatic hydrocarbon based solvents were appropriate for this dehydrogenation reaction. A charge‐transfer complex between DDQ (or TCQ) and aromatic hydrocarbons was formed in the reaction mixture, and the reactivity of the complex was much higher than that of free DDQ (or TCQ). The formation of a DDQ–aromatic hydrocarbon complex, which has a large diamagnetic shift of the ¹³C NMR signals with respect to DDQ, was the primary factor for improvement of the reactivity of DDQ. For the TCQ–aromatic hydrocarbon complex, the existence of an electron‐withdrawing group on the aromatic hydrocarbon was the major factor for improvement of the reactivity of TCQ. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 342–350, 2010     

Dendronized supramolecular polymers self‐assembled from dendritic ionic liquids

The synthesis, structural, and retrostructural analysis of a library of self‐assembling dendrons containing triethyl and tripropyl ammonium, pyridinium and 3‐methylimidazolium chloride, tetrafluoroborate, and hexafluorophosphate at their apex are reported. These dendritic ionic liquids self‐assemble into supramolecular columns or spheres which self‐organize into 2D hexagonal or rectangular and 3D cubic or tetragonal liquid crystalline and crystalline lattices. Structural analysis by X‐ray diffraction experiments demonstrated the self‐assembly of supramolecular dendrimers containing columnar and spherical nanoscale ionic liquid reactors segregated in their core. Both in the supramolecular columns and spheres the noncovalent interactions mediated by the ionic liquid provide a supramolecular polymer and therefore, these assemblies represent a new class of dendronized supramolecular polymers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4165–4193, 2009     

New structural motif of 18 valence electron molecules with a planar tetracoordinate heavier group 14 center: Unique stabilization effect of a π‐type skeleton

Proposing new valence electron counting rules and new structural motifs are both very important in chemistry. In this work, we unexpectedly found that by introducing a π‐type skeleton YCCY (Y = Al/Ga/In/Tl), a total of sixteen novel planar tetracoordinate heavier group 14 species, that is, ptM (M = Si/Ge/Sn/Pb) in neutral, can be designed as global minima. The underlying bonding situation contrasts sharply both with the well‐known 18ve‐ptC and the limited 18ve‐ptM, for which there is little multiple bonding character within the skeleton. The fact that each YCCY (Y = Al/Ga/In/Tl) can stabilize all heavier group 14 atoms in a planar tetracoordinate fashion strongly demonstrates the universality of such a π‐type skeleton. The present work firmly demonstrates that introducing the π‐type ligand skeleton can effectively enrich the planar tetracoordinate chemistry with the heavier group atoms.