Lewis acid-base titrations employing megacycle-frequency oscillators : Titration involving stannic chloride in acetonitrile and benzene solution

By using a megacycle-frequency oscillator to follow the reaction, the Lewis acid, stannic chloride, can be titrated with nitrogen bases in acetonitrile as solvent and with oxygen bases in benzene as solvent with an error of 0.5–4%; reverse-order titrations were equally successful. The characteristic maxima and minima in the titration curves indicate that in acetonitrile stannic chloride probably forms AB, A3B4 and A4B3 adducts with piperidine, and AB and A4B3 adducts with pyridine; no adduct was indicated for diphenylamine. In benzene solution, stannic chloride forms (a) AB2 adducts with MeOH, EtOH, n-PrOH, iso-PrOH, n-BuOH, sec.-BuOH and iso-BuOH, (b) AB and AB2 adducts with acetone and tetrahydrofuran, and (c) an AB adduct with dioxane; the stoichiometry for a group of ethers is less decisive. The presence of the 1:1 tetrahydrofuran-stannic chloride adduct in benzene supports the belief that pentacoordinate tin exists in certain adducts with oxygen bases. The megacycle-frequency oscillator was also applied to the estimation of the relative base strength of Lewis bases toward a given Lewis acid by assuming that the instrument response increase, as an ether or alcohol was added to stannic chloride in benzene, is due to the formation of the new coordinate bond. Agreement of the data obtained with the limited existing data on relative base strengths of ethers is good in those cases where comparable steric factors are involved.     

Reversible binding and reduction of dinitrogen by a uranium(III) pentalene complex

The U(III) mixed-sandwich compound [U(eta-Cp)(eta-C(8)H(4)[Si(i)Pr(3)-1,4](2))] 1 may be prepared by sequential reaction of UI(3) with KCp followed by K(2)[C(8)H(4)[Si(i)Pr(3)-1,4](2)], and has been crystallographically characterized. 1 reacts reversibly with dinitrogen to afford dimeric [[U(eta-Cp)(eta-C(8)H(4)[Si(i)Pr(3)-1,4](2))](2)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-N(2))] 2, whose X-ray crystal structure reveals a sideways-bound, bridging diazenido (N(2)(2-)) ligand.     

Reaction of the silylene Si[(NCH2But)2C6H4-1,2] with the alkali metal silylamides M[N(SiMe3)R](M = Li, Na or K; R = SiMe3 or SiMe2Ph)

The thermally stable silylene Si[(NCH(2)Bu(t))(2)C(6)H(4)-1,2] 1 undergoes oxidative addition reactions with the alkali metal silylamides MN(SiMe(3))(2)(M = Li, Na or K) to afford the new alkali metal amides MN(SiMe(3))[(1)SiMe(3)][M = Li (2), Na (3) or K (4)]. Reaction of two equivalents of 1 with LiN(R)(SiMe(3)) leads in a two-step process to the compound LiN[(1)R][(1)SiMe(3)][R = SiMe(2)Ph (5) or SiMe(3) (6)]. Alternatively, 1 reacts with 3 to afford NaN[(1)SiMe(3)](2) (7). The structures of 2-5 and are presented and the formation of 2-7 is discussed.     

Structural consequences of the prohibition of hydrogen bonding in copper-guanidine systems

The synthesis and structure of copper(I) complexes supported by N-substituted bicyclic guanidines is described. The N-methyl-substituted bicyclic guanidine 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-1-methyl-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine (hppMe) reacted with copper(I) chloride to afford the ion-pair [Cu(hppMe)(2)][CuCl(2)] (1), a rare example of a compound containing an unsupported Cu...Cu interaction. The analogous reaction with CuI, however, afforded the molecular mu,mu-dihalo-bridged dimer [CuI(hppMe)](2) (2). Inclusion of a trimethylsilyl substituent at nitrogen provided a sufficiently sterically encumbered environment to support a two coordinate copper center in CuCl(hppSiMe(3)) (3). Compounds 1-3 have been fully characterized, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.     

Stabilisation of high oxidation-state niobium using ‘electron-rich’ bicyclic-guanidinates

Synthetic procedures to high oxidation-state complexes of niobium incorporating the bicyclic guanidinate 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidinate, [hpp]⁻, are described. The ligand source was either the N-trimethylsilylated guanidine or the lithium guanidinate and the reaction proceeded via elimination of trimethylsilylchloride or transmetallation from NbCl₅, respectively. A 1:1 ratio of reagents afforded the mono-ligand product, Nb(hpp)Cl₄ (1) and crystallisation from acetonitrile afforded the solvated species Nb(hpp)Cl₄(MeCN) (1a), demonstrating the ability of the metal centre in 1 to bind small substrate molecules. A 2:1 ratio of lithium guanidinate to NbCl₅ resulted in formation of the seven-coordinate, bis-ligand compound, Nb(hpp)₂Cl₃ (2). These products represent the first examples of guanidinate compounds in which niobium is stable in the +5 oxidation-state, believed to result from enhanced electron donation caused by the bicyclic framework of the ligand. The molecular structures of 1, 1a and 2 are reported, presenting for the first time an opportunity to describe bonding parameters within compounds of this type.     

Synthesis of N4‐substituted[1,3,4]oxadiazinan‐2‐ones derived from norephedrine

[1,3,4]‐Oxadiazinan‐2‐ones bearing substitution at the N₄‐position have been synthesized from norephedrine in good yield via N‐alkylation, nitrosation, reduction and cyclization.     

Transition-metal complexes of two valence tautomers of a bulky phenoxide, 2,6-Bu-t2-4-MeC6H2O− (ArO−); preparation and crystal and molecular structure of a phenoxytitanium(III) and a cyclohexadienonylrhodium(I) complex, [Ti(η-C5H5)2 OAr] and [Rh(ArO-η5)(PPh3)2]

The 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenoxo ligand (ArO^?) is ambidentate, giving rise to the O-bonded 15-electron d¹ [Ti(η-C₅H₅)₂OAr] and the η⁵ -[C(2)-C(6)]-bonded 18-electron d⁸ complex [Rh(ArO-η⁵)(PPh₃)₂], obtained from [{Ti(η-C₅H₅)₂Cl}₂]-LiO Ar and [Rh{N(SiMe₃)₂}(PPh₃)₂]-ArOH, respectively; the average TiC(η) distance is 2.362(10) Å, TiO 1.892(2) Å, and O:C(of Ar) 1.352(3) Å, and TiOC 142.3(2)°; in the Rh^I complex, C(2)C(6) are coplanar (with CC(av.) 1.38(2) Å). C(1)O 1.28 Å, and Rh to C(2) C(6) bond lengthsare in the range 2.19–2.65 Å.     

Beta-lactams as versatile synthons for homochiral ibotenate analogues with potential for activity at glutamate receptors

The activated beta-lactam aldehydes 37, 41 and 57 were synthesised. Aldehydes 37 and 57 proved to be more versatile substrates for our "ring switching" strategy to homochiral glutamate antagonists than the corresponding compounds in the pyroglutamate or 6-oxopipecolinate series had been. Substantial libraries of homochiral heteroaromatic glycine derivatives with potential for activity at specific glutamate receptor sub-types were prepared from these aldehydes. The aldehyde 41, containing an additional anion stabilising group, underwent a retro-aldol process under "ring switching" conditions.