Low temperature IR spectroscopy and photochemistry of matrix-isolated α-pyridil

α-Pyridil [(C₆H₄NO)₂] has been isolated in low temperature argon and xenon matrices and studied by FTIR spectroscopy, supported by DFT(B3LYP)/6–311++G(d,p) calculations. Calculations predicted the existence of three different conformers exhibiting skewed conformations around the intercarbonyl bond and the two C₅H₄NC(O) fragments nearly planar. The two higher energy forms, TCG and CCSk were estimated theoretically to be, respectively, 21.0 and 35.1 kJ mol⁻¹ higher in energy than the most stable form, TTG. In consonance with the relatively high energies predicted by the calculations for the two less stable conformers of α-pyridil, only the most stable conformer was found spectroscopically to be present in the studied matrices. Infrared spectra obtained for the neat low temperature amorphous and crystalline states reveals that the TTG conformer is also the sole conformer present in these phases. UV irradiation (λ > 235 nm) of matrix-isolated α-pyridil led to its isomerization into unusual molecular species bearing Hückel-type pyridine (aza-benzvalene) rings.     

Quantum chemical study of the coordination of glycolic acid conformers and their conjugate bases to [Ca(OH2)n] (n=0–4) ions

A detailed exploration of the configurational and conformational space of glycolic acid and their conjugate bases has been carried out with the aid of first principles quantum chemical techniques at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory. The most stable configuration among the eight possible glycolic acid conformers corresponds to the E-s-cis, s-trans configuration, while the highest energy E-s-trans, s-cis conformer was found at 10.88 and 12.17 kcal mol⁻¹ higher in energy at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory, respectively. Upon dissociation of glycolic acid the s-cis(syn), and s-trans(anti) configurations of the glycolate anion can be formed. The anti conformer was found to be less stable than the syn one by 14.20 and 16.87 kcal mol⁻¹ at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p)) levels of theory, respectively. The computed B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) proton affinity of the syn conformer for the protonation process affording the more stable E-s-cis, s-trans conformer, in vacuum was found to be 325.35 kcal mol⁻¹ (ΔG⁰ value). From a methodological point of view, our results confirm the reliability of the integrated computational tool formed by the B3LYP density functional model. This model has subsequently been used to investigate the interaction of Ca²⁺ ions with the glycolic acid conformers and their conjugate bases in vacuum and in the presence of extra water ligands. For the complexes of glycolic acid conformers the η²–O,O–(COOH) coordination, that is the structure that arises from the coordination of the Ca²⁺ to the carboxylic group, is the global minimum of the PES, while the η²–O(OH),O–(COOH) coordination is a local minimum found at only 1.0 and 1.3 kcal mol⁻¹ higher in energy at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory, respectively. Moreover, the two isomers exhibit nearly the same binding affinities, which are predicted to be 89 and 85 kcal mol⁻¹ at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory, respectively. The same holds also true for the complexes of the glycolate anion. The η²–O,O–(COO⁻) coordination involving the syn conformer of the glycolato ligand, is the global minimum, while the η²–O(OH),O–(COO⁻) one lies at 1.5 and 5.6 kcal mol⁻¹ higher in energy at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory, respectively. The other conformer with an η²–O,O–(COO⁻) coordination involving the anti conformer of the glycolato ligand, is less stable by only 0.2 kcal mol⁻¹ at both levels of theory. Noteworthy is the trend seen for the incremental binding energy due to the successive addition of water molecules to [HOCH₂C(O)O]Ca²⁺ species; the computed values are 30.4, 26.8, 22.9 and 16.2 kcal mol⁻¹ at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory for the mono-, di-, tri- and tetraaqua complexes, respectively. This trend arising from the repulsion of the dipoles between the water ligands and from unfavorable many body interactions is in accordance with those anticipated from electrostatic considerations. The Ca(II)-water interaction weakens with increasing coordination of the metal. Obviously, it is the electrostatic nature of the Ca(II)-water interactions that accounts well for the computed coordination geometries of the cationic (aqua)(glycolato)calcium complexes. Calculated structures, relative stability and bonding properties of the conformers and their complexes with [Ca(OH₂)_n]²⁺ (n=0–4) ions are discussed with respect to computed electronic and spectroscopic properties, such as charge density distribution, harmonic vibrational frequencies and NMR chemical shifts.     

Conformations of dibenzylideneacetone: An IR spectroscopic study

The conformational analysis of dibenzylideneacetone has been carried out using IR spectroscopy. Appearance of a triplet C=O band is attributed to the coexistence of three conformers viz s-cis, cis, s-cis, trans and nonplanar s-trans, trans in contrast to the earlier findings which showed the existence of only two conformers. The relative proportions of the conformers are in the order s-cis, trans> nonplanar s-trans, trans> s-cis, cis in less polar solvents and nonplanar s-trans, trans> s-cis, trans> s-cis, cis in more polar solvents.     

Electronic spectra of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds—II : An evaluation of increments characteristic of structural features of β-oxy-α,β-unsaturated ketones

By comparing UV spectra of β-alkoxy-α,β-unsaturated ketones of established steric structure, spectral constants characteristic of the cis/trans configuration change and s-cis/s-trans and O-s-cis/O-s-trans conformation changes have been evaluated. These are: Δλ^cis_trans = 0, Δλ^s-cis_s-trans = 8 nm and Δλ^O-s-trans_O-s-cis = 6 nm. A comparison of cis-s-cis enol ethers with the parent enols yielded the increment for the intramolecular (“chelating”) H-bond, Δγ_chel = 24 nm. The methanol-induced bathochromic shift has been found to depend strongly on s-cis/s-trans isomerism. The substituent increments have been shown to be dependent on the degree of substitution in the reference molecule. The results obtained have been summarized in a set of spectral increments complementing the basic system of Woodward and the Fiesers.     

Ionization Energies and Dyson Orbials of Allyl Alcohol and Allyl Mercaptan Conformers

The conformers of allyl alcohol and allyl mercaptan were studied with B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ method. Their relative energies were calculated at MP3, MP4(SDQ), and CCSD(T) levels. The most stable conformers for these two molecules are Gauche-gauche' (Gg'). The theo-retical photoelectron spectra simulated with the calculated ionization energies demonstrate that there are at least four conformers in allyl alcohol and four conformers in allyl mercaptan in the gas-phase experiments. The Dyson orbitals of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the next HOMO (HOMO-1) of allyl mercaptan Gg' conformer show strongly mixing n_S and π_C=C characteristics, which may be due to the resonance and inductive effects between π_C=C and n_S in HOMO-1 and HOMO.     

Conformations and vibrational spectra of allyl isocyanate and allyl isothiocyanate

The infrared spectra of allyl isocyanate and allyl isothiocyanate as vapours and liquids were recorded in the region 4000-50 cm^?1. Additional spectra of the amorphous and crystalline solids at ?180°C were recorded between 4000 and 400 cm^?1. p]Raman spectra, including semiquantitative polarization measurements were obtained of the liquids, and spectra of the unannealed as well as of the crystalline solids at ?180°C were recorded.A considerable simplification of the vibrational spectra of the crystals compared to the liquids was observed as a consequence of the conformational equilibria in these compounds. It can be concluded with confidence that a cis conformation of the allyl group was present in the crystals of both compounds with additional gauche conformers in the liquids. No definite conclusions can be reached regarding the conformational arrangement of the -NCX groups. A remarkable similarity was observed between the spectra of the two compounds, and all the fundamental frequencies except the lowest C-N torsion have been assigned for the cis conformers. More than ten fundamentals for the gauche conformers have also been assigned.     

IRMPD Spectra of Protonated Hydroxybenzaldehydes: Evidence of Torsional Barriers in Carboxonium Ions

Protonation at the formyl oxygen atom of benzaldehydes leading to the formation of carboxonium ions yields two distinct isomers, depending on the relative orientation of the proton either cis or trans with respect to the hydrogen atom on the adjacent carbon. In this context, the IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of protonated ortho, meta, and para-hydroxybenzaldehydes ( OH−BZH⁺ ), delivered into the gas phase by electrospray ionization of hydro-alcoholic solutions, are reported in the 3200–3700 cm⁻¹ spectral range. This range is characteristic of O−H stretching modes and thus able to differentiate cis and trans carboxonium isomers. Comparison between IRMPD spectra and DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2df2p) level suggests that for both p- OH−BZH⁺ and m- OH−BZH⁺ only cis conformers are present in the ion population analyzed. For o- OH−BZH⁺ , IRMPD spectroscopy points to a mixture comprising one trans and more than one cis conformers. The energy barrier for cis–trans isomerization calculated for each OH−BZH⁺ isomer is a measure of the degree of π-electron delocalization. Furthermore, IRMPD spectra of p- OH−BZH⁺ , m- OH−BZH⁺ and protonated phenol (this last used as reference) were recorded also in the fingerprint range. Both the observed C−O and O−H stretching vibrations appear to be a measure of π-electron delocalization in the ions.     

Application of the Seth-Paul-Van Duyse equation—II : Transmission of polar effects by the CHCH group

The use of the improved Seth-Paul-Van Duyse equation (SPVDE) provides a new statistically significant method for determination of transmissive factors of polar effects for various bridge groups. The method was applied to the CO stretching frequencies of s-cis and s-trans conformers of 98 R₁CHCHCOR₂ compounds. The transmissive factors for CHCH group in both conformations s-cis and s-trans have been calculated with an accuracy about of one order higher than found by using the methods described earlier. The applicability of the improved SPVDE to the 137 CO stretching frequencies of various R₁CHCHCOR₂ compounds has been proved.     

Vibrational spectra and structure of methoxysilanes and products of their hydrolysis

Equilibrium geometries and force fields for the series of molecules (MeO)_nSiMe_4−n(I), (OH)_nSiMe_4−n(II), and (MeO)_nSi(OH)_4−n(III) with n = 1–4 are obtained at the DFT/B3LYP level of theory with 6-31G^* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets in order to predict the structural parameters and vibrational spectra of these molecules, the larger part of which was not characterized experimentally. The performance of these theoretical methods was assessed on the existing spectral data for series I. The B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ method, firstly applied to this class of molecules, demonstrates a fair agreement with experimental vibrational frequencies even without empirical scaling. For molecules of series II and III vibrational spectra are predicted in order to supply spectral data for monitoring the sol–gel processes at the hydrolysis stage. The hyperconjugative strengthening of SiO bonds with the number of oxygen atoms coordinated to silicon leads to the growth of their frequencies, but the larger increase of νSiO (due to kinematic factors) occurs at the SiOMe/SiOH substitution. The predicted distinctive feature of series II and III is the appearance of bands with high IR intensity in the 1000–900 cm⁻¹ spectral region that increase their frequencies with n. In series III it is accompanied with the steady increase of the ν_sSiO₄ frequency in the 700–600 cm⁻¹ range.     

Heterobimetallic aluminium and zinc complex with N-arylanilido-imine ligand: Synthesis, structure and catalytic property for ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone

Treatment of a N-arylanilido-imine ligand [ortho-C₆H₄(NHAr)CHN]₂CH₂CH₂ (Ar = 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃) (LH₂) with one equiv. of AlMe₃ affords a monometallic complex [C₆H₄(NHAr)–CHN)]CH₂CH₂(C₆H₄(NAr)CHNAlMe₂) (1). The monometallic complex 1 reacts with one equiv. of ZnEt₂ to give a heterobimetallic complex [C₆H₄(NAr)–CHNZnEt]CH₂CH₂[C₆H₄(NAr)–CHNAlMe₂] (2). Both complexes were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses, and the molecular structures of 1 and 2 were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The complexes 1 and 2 both are efficient catalysts for ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of benzyl alcohol yielding polymers with narrow polydispersity values and complex 2 initiates the polymerization in a controllable manner.     

The synthesis and single-crystal X-ray structures of palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of the difluorovinyl and 1-chloro-2-fluorovinyl-substituted phosphines, PPh2(Z-CFCFH) and PPh2(E-CClCFH)

The coordination chemistry of the fluorovinyl substituted phosphines PPh₂(Z-CFCFH) and PPh₂(E-CClCFH) with K₂MX₄ (M = Pd, Pt; X = Cl, Br, and I) salts has been investigated resulting in the first reported palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of phosphines containing partially fluorinated vinyl groups. The complexes have been characterised by a combination of multinuclear [¹H, ¹³C{¹H}, ¹⁹F, ³¹P{¹H}] NMR spectroscopy, and IR/Raman spectroscopy. The single-crystal X-ray structures of trans-[PdX₂{PPh₂(CFCFH)}₂], X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3), trans-[PdCl₂{PPh₂(CClCFH)}₂] (4), cis-[PtX₂{PPh₂(CFCFH)}₂], X = Cl (5), Br (6), trans-[PtI₂{PPh₂(CFCFH)}₂] (7), and both cis- and trans-[PtCl₂{PPh₂(CClCFH)}₂] (8), have been determined. Results obtained from spectroscopic and crystallographic data suggest that replacement of a β-fluorine by hydrogen, whilst reducing the steric demand of the ligand, has little effect on the electronic character of the ligand. The presence of a proton in the vinyl group results in short proton-halide secondary interactions in the solid state (d(H?X) = 2.72(3) for 1, and 2.92(5) Å for 2) forming an infinite chain ribbon motif.     

The Role of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds vs. Other Weak Interactions on the Conformation of Hyponitrous Acid and Its Mono- and Dithio-Derivatives

High level ab initio and density functional theory calculations have been carried out to investigate the relative stability of the different conformers of hyponitrous acid and its mono- and dithio-derivatives. Geometries and vibrational frequencies were obtained at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level and final energies through B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) single point calculations. The reliability of this theoretical scheme has been assessed by comparing these DFT results with those obtained at the G3 level of theory, for some suitable cases. The cis conformers of hyponitrous acid and its mono- and dithio-derivatives are systematically more stable than the trans ones because in the cis conformation a dative interaction between the nitrogen-lone pairs and the σ_NX^* antibonding orbital is significantly favored. Quite interestingly, in general, the conformers presenting an intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) are not the global minima of the corresponding potential energy surfaces and only for hyponitrous acid the conformer with a OH ⋅s O IHB is slightly more stable than the cis conformer without IHB. The low stability of the tautomers with IHB is closely related with another weak intramolecular interaction which involves the lone-pairs of the chalcogen atoms and the π_NN^* antibondig orbital, and which is significantly perturbed when the IHB is formed.     

Seeking new metalloligands: Synthesis and reactivity of palladacycles with pyridine and pyrimidine rings

Treatment of the Schiff base ligands 4-(NC₅H₄)C₆H₄C(H)N[2′-(OH)C₆H₄] (a), 3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₄C(H)N[2′-(OH)-C₆H₄] (b) and 3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₄C(H) N[2′-(OH)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃] (c) with palladium (II) acetate in toluene gave the poly-nuclear cyclometallated complexes [Pd{4-(NC₅H₄)C₆H₃C(H)N[2′-(O)C₆H₄]}]₄ (1a), [Pd{3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N[2′-(O)-C₆H₄]}]₄ (1b) and [Pd{3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N[2′-(O)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃]}]₄ (1c) respectively, as air stable solids, with the ligand acting as a terdentate [C,N,O] moiety after deprotonation of the –OH group. Reaction of the cyclometallated complexes with triphenylphosphine gave the mononuclear species [Pd{4-(NC₅H₄)C₆H₃C(H) N[2′-(O)C₆H₄]}(PPh₃)], (2a), [Pd{3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H) N[2′-(O)C₆H₄]}(PPh₃)], (2b) and [Pd{3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N[2′-(O)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃)}(PPh₃)], (2c) in which the polynuclear structure has been cleaved and the coordination of the ligand has not changed [C,N,O]. When the cyclometallated complexes 1b and 1c were treated with the diphosphines Ph₂P(CH₂)₄PPh₂ (dppb), Ph₂PC₅H₄FeC₅H₄PPh₂ (dppf) and Ph₂P(CH₂)₂PPh₂ (t-dppe) in a 1:2 molar ratio the dinuclear cyclometallated complexes [{Pd[3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N{2′-(O)C₆H₄}]}₂(μ-Ph₂P(CH₂)₄PPh₂)], (3b), [{Pd[3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H) N{2′-(O)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃}]}₂(μ-Ph₂P(CH₂)₄PPh₂)], (3c), [{Pd[3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N{2′-(O)C₆H₄}]}₂(μ-Ph₂P(η⁵-C₅H₄)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)PPh₂)], (4b), [{Pd[3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H) N{2′-(O)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃}]}₂(μ-Ph₂P(η⁵C₅H₄)Fe(η⁵C₅H₄)P-Ph₂)], (4c) and [{Pd[3,5-(N₂C₄H₃)C₆H₃C(H)N{2′-(O)-5′-^tBuC₆H₃}]}₂(μ-Ph₂P(CHCH)PPh₂)], (5c) were obtained as air stable solids.     

A theoretical study of keto-enol isomerism and internal rotation in the H<Subscript>2</Subscript>Salen molecule,N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylidenimine) — schiff base

Geometric parameters, vibrational spectra, and the energies of isomerization of seven keto-enol isomeric forms of the H₂Salen molecule (N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylidenimine)) are calculated using electron density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) and correlation consistent valence triple-zeta Gaussian basis sets (cc-pvtz). The isomer with two enol groups (EE₁) and C ₂ symmetry configuration is most energetically favorable. Calculations of the keto-enol equilibrium show that at T ≥ 250 K the H₂Salen gas phase is a mixture of four conformers (rotamers of the main isomer EE₁). The contribution of other isomers does not exceed a few percent. The NBO analysis reveals that the system of π-conjugated bonds involves not only the atoms of the benzene moiety, but also the O, C, and N atoms nearest to the benzene ring. The energy stabilization of the isomer EE₁ is shown to be due to the presence of two strong intramolecular N...H hydrogen bonds. Intramolecular N...H and O...H hydrogen bonds are observed in all other isomers. The bathochromic shift of O-H and N-H vibrational frequencies, caused by the effect of hydrogen bonds, is 520–790 cm⁻¹.     

Conformational analysis. Part 40: a theoretical and NMR investigation of the conformations of cis‐ and trans‐cyclopentane‐1,3‐diol

The conformations of cis‐ ( 1 ) and trans‐cyclopentane‐1,3‐diol ( 2 ) have been studied by ab initio (Gaussian 98) and molecular mechanics (PCMODEL) calculations and by NMR spectroscopy. The calculations gave two low‐energy conformations for ( 1 ), 1A and 1B , both with axial hydroxyl groups. Two conformations with equatorial hydroxyl groups ( 1C and 1D ) were found but with much higher energy (ca 4.0 kcal mol^?1). Five low‐energy conformers were found for 2 . Four were envelope conformations and one a half‐chair. The complete analysis of the 400 MHz ¹H NMR spectra of 1 in a variety of solvents and 2 in chloroform was performed by extensive decoupling experiments, iterative computer analysis and spectral simulation. This gave all the H,H couplings in the molecule, including in 1 a long‐range ⁴J(H,H) coupling between H‐2cis and H‐4,5cis. The ³J(H,H) couplings were used to determine the conformer populations in these molecules. This was initially achieved using the Haasnoot, de Leeuw and Altona equation. to obtain the conformer couplings. It was found that this equation was not accurate for the C·CH₂·CH₂·C fragment in these molecules and the following equation was derived for this fragment from five‐ and six‐ membered cyclic compounds in fixed conformations: (1) The conformer populations were obtained by calculating the conformer couplings which were then compared with the observed couplings. Compound 1 in benzene solution is an approximately equal mixture of conformers 1A and 1B with small (<4%) amounts of 1C and 1D . In the polar solvents acetone and acetonitrile the populations of 1A and 1B are again equal, with 20% of 1C and <2% of 1D . In 2 the major conformers are 2B and 2D with small amounts of 2C , 2E and 2A . These novel findings are considered with previous data on cyclopentanol and cis‐ and trans‐cyclopentane‐1,2‐diol and it is shown that the axial hydroxyl substituent at the fold of the envelope appears to be a major factor in determining the conformational energies of these compounds. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Additions and intramolecular migrations of nucleophiles in cationic diruthenium μ-allenyl complexes

The diruthenium μ-allenyl complex [Ru₂(CO)(NCMe)(μ-CO){μ-η¹:η²-C(H)CC(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂][BF₄], 3b, reacts with halide anions to yield the neutral derivatives [Ru₂(CO)₂(X){μ-η¹:η²-C(H)CC(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂] [X = Cl, 4b; X = Br, 4c; X = I, 4d]. Complex 4b undergoes isomerization to the unprecedented bridging vinyl-chlorocarbene species [Ru₂(CO)(μ-CO){μ-η¹:η³- C(Cl)C(H)C(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂], 10, upon filtration of a CH₂Cl₂ solution through an alumina column.Complex 3b reacts with an excess of NaBH₄ to give five products: the allene complex [Ru₂(CO)₂{μ-η²:η²- CH₂CC(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂], 5; the hydride species trans-[Ru₂(CO)₂(μ-H){μ-η¹:η²-CHCC(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂], 6, and cis-[Ru₂(CO)₂(μ-H){μ-η¹:η²-CHCC(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂], 8; the vinyl-alkylidene [Ru₂(CO)(μ-CO){μ-η¹:η³- C(H)C(H)C(Me)(Ph)}(Cp)₂], 9; and the cluster [Ru₃(CO)₃(μ-H)₃(Cp)₃], 7.Studies on the thermal stabilities of 5, 6, 8 and 9 have suggested a plausible mechanism for the formation of these complexes and for the synthesis of 10.     

Structural Study of Methyl Acrylate in a Nematic Liquid Crystal by 1H NMR with 13C Satellites

The molecular structure and conformation of methyl acrylate have been determined by analyzing the ¹H NMR spectrum with ¹³C satellites of the molecules dissolved in the liquid crystal ZLI 1132. In the structural analysis, direct coupling constants have been corrected for molecular vibrations and converted to those in the r structure. The correlation between reorientational motion and internal rotation has been taken into account by using the mean external potential described in terms of bond interaction tensors. The potential for the internal rotation about the bond has been represented as V() = (V ₁/2) (1 – cos ) + (V ₂/2)(1 – cos 2), where is zero for the s-cis configuration, and the determined values of V ₁ and V ₂ are 2.7(1) and 8.4(13) kJ mol^–1, respectively. The relative abundance of the s-cis conformer, 76(1)%, agrees with a gas-phase value, 67(11)%, determined by electron diffraction within experimental errors.     

Vibrational spectra and molecular conformation of diethyl fumarate and especially the maleate

Infrared and Raman spectra of diethyl maleate and diethyl fumarate were recorded in the liquid and solid states. From the spectral changes on phase transition the known conformational equilibrium s-trans/s-cis ? s-trans/s-trans in the case of dialkyl fumarates is confirmed, and the view that dialkyl maleates exist only in a single conformation is corrected. The observation of several bands in the vCC region of IR and Raman spectra of diethyl maleate, and significant intensity shifts in this region with phase transition prove the existence of at least two conformers in liquid dialkyl maleates.     

Assembly and incorporation of a CO2Me group into a bridging vinyliminium ligand in a diiron complex

The diiron complex [Fe₂{μ-к¹(O):η¹(C):η³(C)-C(N(Me)(Xyl))C(H)C(Me)C(O)OMe}(μ-CO)(Cp)₂] (2) has been obtained from the diiron bridging vinyliminium [Fe₂{μ-η¹:η³-C(Me)C(H)CN(Me)(Xyl)}(μ-CO)(CO)(Cp)₂][SO₃CF₃] (1; Xyl = 2,5-C₆H₃Me₂) upon treatment with NaH in the presence of CH₂CCMe₂, followed by chromatography on alumina with MeOH as eluent. The reaction consists in the incorporation of a methylcarboxylate unit, assembled from CO and MeO⁻, into the bridging vinyliminium ligand. The resulting complex 2 exhibits a C₄ fragment bridging the two iron centres through the carbonyl oxygen atom and the allylidene moiety.The X-ray molecular structure of 2 has been determined.