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.     

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.     

Synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene rhenium(I) carbonyl complexes

Reaction of aminophosphinimine [RHN(CH(2))(2)N[double bond, length as m-dash]PPh(3)] (R = H, Et) with Re(2)(CO)(10) provided the NH-functionalized carbene rhenium complex [Re(2)(CNHCH(2)CH(2)NR)(CO)(9)] (3a, R = H, 3b, R = Et). Treatment of 3 with Br(2) provided the mono nuclear [Re(CNHCH(2)CH(2)NR)(CO)(4)Br] (1, R = H, 2, R = Et). However, NH-functionalized carbene complexes 1-3 did not undergo N-alkylation with alkyl halides to yield the N-substituted NHC complexes. The direct ligand substitution of [Re(CO)(5)Br] with a carbene donor was employed to prepare [Re(IMes(2))(CO)(4)Br] (6a, IMes(2) = 1,3-di-mesitylimidazol-2-ylidene; 6b, IMes(2) = 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene). Analyses of spectroscopic and crystal data of 6a and 6b show similar corresponding data among these complexes, suggesting the saturated and unsaturated NHCs have similar bonding with Re(I) metal centers. Reduction of 6a and 6b with LiEt(3)BH yielded the corresponding hydrido complexes 7a-b [ReH(CO)(4)(IMes(2))], but not 1 and 2. Ligand substitution of 1, 6a and 6b toward 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) was investigated. Crystal structures of 1, 3a-b, 6a-b and 7b were determined for characterization and comparison.     

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.     

Stable nitridorhenium(V) complexes with an N-heterocyclic carbene

Nitridorhenium(V) complexes with the nucleophilic cyclocarbene 1,3,4-triphenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene have been synthesised and are the first representatives of a new class of high-valent metallocarbenes.     

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.     

Preparation and characterization of the first pyrazole-based remote N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of palladium(II)

The first pyrazolin-4-ylidene complexes of palladium(II) have been synthesized by oxidative addition of 4-iodopyrazolium salts to Pd(2)(dba)3/PPh(3) and were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopies, ESI mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction studies.     

Titanium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes incorporating an imidazolium-linked bis(phenol)

The synthesis and characterization of titanium complexes of the aryloxido-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (L) is reported, in which the tridentate L ligand meridionally coordinates to the metal center.     

Rhodium(I) complexes containing a bulky pyridinyl N-heterocyclic carbene ligand: Preparation and reactivity

Coordination chemistry of a new pyridine imidazole-2-ylidene ligand (pyN^∧C) system with sterically hindered substituents toward rhodium(I) metal ions has been investigated. The rhodium complex [(pyN^∧C)RhCl(COD)] (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) was prepared via the transmetallation from the silver complex [(C-pyN^∧C)₂Ag]AgI₂. Upon the abstraction of chloride, the pyridinyl nitrogen coordinated to the metal center and formed [(C,N-pyN^∧C)Rh(COD)]BF₄ with the chelation of pyN^∧C. The pyridinyl nitrogen donor was found to be labile and could be replaced by various donors such as phosphine, azide and halides. Substitution of COD by various donors does not proceed except strong π-acid ligands such as CO and P(OCH₃)₃. However, the chelation of pyN^∧C was replaced by the bisphosphine (P∼P) to form [(P∼P)₂Rh]BF₄, which was subsequently oxidized to yield [(P∼P)₂Rh(O₂)]BF₄.     

Synthesis and characterization of N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of uranium(III)

Reaction of [(((Ad)ArO)(3)tacn)U(III)] (1) or [((Me(3)Si)(2)N)(3)U(III)] (3) with tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene (Me(4)IMC:) yields novel N-heterocyclic carbene complexes [(((Ad)ArO)(3)tacn)U(III)(Me(4)IMC:)] (2) and [((Me(3)Si)(2)N)(3)U(III)(Me(4)IMC:)] (4). Uranium complexes 2 and 4 represent the first examples of compounds with an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand coordinated to a low-valent uranium center. The paramagnetic complexes 1, 2, and 4 were characterized by (1)H NMR, UV-vis-NIR, and EPR spectroscopy as well as SQUID magnetization measurements and X-ray diffraction analyses. DFT studies indicate a significant degree of pi-bonding in the U(III)-carbene entity.     

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.     

Bicyclic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand precursors and their palladium complexes

Eight bicyclic amidinium precursors (3), prepared from R,S-tmcp (R,S-tmcp: (1R,3S)-diamino-1,2,2-trimethylcyclopentane) were described. Only five of the precursors (3a–e) could be converted to palladium complexes, (PdX₂(6,7-NHC)PEPPSI) (4) by treatment with PdCl₂, K₂CO₃, and pyridine (additional KBr was used for (PdBr₂(6,7-NHC)PEPPSI)). The salts and complexes were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallography.     

Tridentate, anionic tethered N-heterocyclic carbene of Pd(II) complexes

The synthesis of a series of azolium salts such as azolium iodides and chlorides having both N-anionic functional group and N-alkyl group have been developed. Reaction of azolium iodides or chlorides with Ag₂O gave the corresponding NHC-Ag complexes. It was found that the resulting NHC-Ag complexes derived from azolium iodides or chlorides differ in their physical properties. The azolium chlorides as well as azolium iodides were successfully converted into the NHC-Ag complexes, which subsequently reacted with PdCl₂(CH₃CN)₂ to give the anionic amidate/NHC-Pd complexes. Thus, a variety of the NHC-Pd complexes could be obtained from benzimidazolium and imidazolium salts.     

Structural motifs of Au(I)-Cu(I) N-heterocyclic carbene halide complexes

A series of Au(I)–Cu(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) halide complexes [AuCu₂(im(CH₂py)₂)₂X]²⁺ where X?=?Cl (1), Br (2), I (3) was prepared by refluxing [AuCu₂(im(CH₂py)₂)₂(NCCH₃)₄]³⁺ with the appropriate halide in acetonitrile. The compounds were characterized by NMR, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. They feature similar solution behavior and solid-state photoemissions. The solid-state structures feature a rhomboidal [AuCu₂X]²⁺ core which is influenced by the type of halide. Compared to other Au(I)–Cu(I) NHC complexes, 1–3 comprise a new structural motif containing a bridging halide. The benzimidazolium analog of 1 was also characterized crystallographically. The structure of [AuCu₂(benzim(CH₂py)₂)₂Cl]²⁺(4) features different coordination modes of the NHC ligands with the carbenic carbon bonded to both gold and copper and the pyridyl groups bonded to the same copper(I) ion.     

Probing intermetallic coupling in dinuclear N-heterocyclic carbene ruthenium(II) complexes

A series of bimetallic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ruthenium(II) complexes were synthesized, which comprise two [RuCl(2)(cymene)(NHC)] units that are interlinked via the NHC nitrogens by alkyl chains of different length. Electrochemical characterization revealed two mutually dependent oxidation processes for the complex with a methylene linker, indicating moderate intramolecular electronic coupling of the two metal centers (class II system). The degree of coupling decreases rapidly upon increasing the number of CH(2) units in the linker and provides essentially decoupled class I species when propylene or butylene linkers are used. Electrochemical analyses combined with structural investigations suggest a through-bond electronic coupling. Replacement of the alkyl linker with a p-phenylene group afforded cyclometalated complexes, which were considerably less stable. The electronic coupling in the methylene-linked complex and the relatively robust NHC-ruthenium bond may provide access to species that are switchable on the molecular scale.     

Dendrimer N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with rhodium(I) at the core

Novel dendrimer N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with rhodium(I) located at the core were synthesized, and a positive dendrimer effect was found in the hydrosilylation of ketones catalyzed by them.     

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.     

Unusual reactivity of molecular oxygen with pi-allylnickel(N-heterocyclic carbene) chloride complexes

One-pot preparation and characterization of the first reported nickel(II) complexes containing a single imidazol-2-ylidene ligand are reported. Subsequent treatment of these complexes with molecular oxygen at room temperature results in rapid formation of a mu-hydroxo dimer and alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Mechanistic investigations indicate that this reaction proceeds via reversible oxygen binding followed by rate-limiting decomposition of the resulting metal-oxygen species.