Two different hydrogen bond donor ligands together: a selectivity improvement in organometallic {Re(CO)3} anion hosts

Rhenium(I) compounds [Re(CO)(3)(Hdmpz)(2)(ampy)]BAr'(4) and [Re(CO)(3)(N-MeIm)(2)(ampy)]BAr'(4) (Hdmpz = 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, N-MeIm = N-methylimidazole, ampy = 2-aminopyridine or 3-aminopyridine) have been prepared stepwise as the sole reaction products in good yields. The cationic complexes feature two different types of hydrogen bond donor ligands, and their anion binding behavior has been studied both in solution and in the solid state. Compounds with 2-ampy ligands are labile in the presence of nearly all of the anions tested. The X-ray structure of the complex [Re(CO)(3)(Hdmpz)(2)(ampy)](+) (2) shows that the 2-ampy ligand is metal-coordinated through the amino group, a fact that can be responsible for its labile character. The 3-ampy derivatives (coordinated through the pyridinic nitrogen atom) are stable toward the addition of several anions and are more selective anion hosts than their tris(pyrazole) or tris(imidazole) counterparts. This selectivity is higher for compound [Re(CO)(3)(N-MeIm)(2)(MeNA)]BAr'(4) (5·BAr'(4), MeNA = N-methylnicotinamide) that features an amido moiety, which is a better hydrogen bond donor than the amino group. Some of the receptor-anion adducts have been characterized in the solid state by X-ray diffraction, showing that both types of hydrogen bond donor ligands of the cationic receptor participate in the interaction with the anion hosts. DFT calculations suggest that coordination of the ampy ligands is more favorable through the amino group only for the cationic complex 2, as a consequence of the existence of a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond. In all other cases, the pyridinic coordination is clearly favored.     

Second-sphere interaction of anions with a weakly binding metal complex host: probing the effect of counteranions

The reaction of [Re(OTf)(CO)5] with N-methylimidazole (MeIm) afforded [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3]OTf (1). The reactions of 1 with KPF6, NaBPh4 and NaBAr'4 (Ar' = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) afforded [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3]PF6 (2) [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3]BPh4 (3) and [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3]BAr'4 (4) respectively. An analogous reaction using N-phenylimidazole (PhIm) yielded [Re(CO)3(PhIm)3]BAr'4 (7). These new compounds were characterized by IR and NMR, and the structures of 1 and 2 were determined by X-ray diffraction. Compounds [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3]2[PtCl6] (5), [Re(CO)3(MeIm)3][HSO4] (6), [Re(CO)3(PhIm)3][Br] (8) and [Re(CO)3(PhIm)3][NO3] (9) were crystallized from equimolar mixtures of either 4 or 7 and the tetrabutylammonium salt of the corresponding anion, and their structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. The solution behavior of 1-4, 7 toward several anions was studied spectroscopically, including the quantitative determination of binding constants by 1H NMR. The cationic tris(imidazole)complexes are stable against imidazole-by-anion substitution, and the main hydrogen bonding interactions involve the imidazole NC(H)N groups. The binding constants for compounds 1-4 with several external anions follow the order 1<2<3<4, indicating that the strength of the cationic complex-counteranion interaction follows the order OTf(-) > PF6(-) > BPh4(-) > BAr'4(-).     

Solid state and solution structures of rhodium and iridium poly(pyrazolyl)borate diene complexes

The structures adopted by a range of poly(pyrazolyl)borate complexes [ML2Tp(x)] [M = Rh, Ir; L2 = diene; Tp(x) = Bp' {dihydrobis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate}, Tp' {hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate}, Tp {hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate}, B(pz)4 {tetrakis(pyrazolyl)borate}] have been investigated. Low steric hindrance between ligands in [Rh(eta-nbd)Tp] (nbd = norbornadiene), [Rh(eta-cod)Tp] (cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene) and [Rh(eta-nbd)Tp'] results in K3 coordination of the pyrazolylborate but [M(eta-cod)Tp'] (M = Rh, Ir) are kappa2 coordinated with the free pyrazolyl ring positioned above and approximately parallel to the square plane about the metal. All but the most sterically hindered Tp(x) complexes undergo fast exchange of the coordinated and uncoordinated pyrazolyl rings on the NMR spectroscopic timescale. For [Rh(eta-cod){B(pz)4}], [Rh(eta-dmbd)Tp'] (dmbd = 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene) and [Rh(eta-cod)Tp(Ph)] {Tp(Ph) = hydrotris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)borate} the fluxional process is slowed at low temperatures so that inequivalent pyrazolyl rings are observed. The bonding modes of the Tp' ligand (but not of other pyrazolylborate ligands) can be determined by 11B NMR and IR spectroscopy. The 11B chemical shifts (for a series of Tp' complexes) show the general pattern, kappa3 < -7.5 ppm < kappa2 and the nu(BH) stretch kappa3 > 2500 cm(-1) > kappa2. The electrochemical behaviour of the pyrazolylborate complexes is related to the degree of structural change which occurs on electron transfer. One-electron oxidation of complexes with Tp', Tp and B(pz)4 ligands is generally reversible although that of [Ir(etacod)Tp] is only reversible at higher scan rates and that of [Ir(eta-cod){B(pz)4}] is irreversible. Of the complexes with the more sterically hindered Tp(Ph) ligand, only [Rh(eta-nbd)Tp(Ph)] shows any degree of reversible oxidation. The ESR spectra of a range of Rh(II) complexes show coupling to both 14N and 103Rh nuclei in most cases but what appears to be coupling to rhodium and one hydrogen atom, possibly a hydride ligand, for the oxidation product of [Rh(eta-nbd)Tp(Ph)].