Hydroboration of Alkenes Catalysed by a Nickel N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex: Reaction and Mechanistic Aspects

The pentamethylcyclopentadienyl N-heterocyclic carbene nickel complex [Ni(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Cl(IMes)] (IMes=1,3-dimesitylimidazol-2-ylidene) efficiently catalyses the anti-Markovnikov hydroboration of alkenes with catecholborane in the presence of a catalytic amount of potassium tert-butoxide, and joins the very exclusive club of nickel catalysts for this important transformation. Interestingly, the regioselectivity can be reversed in some cases by using pinacolborane instead of catecholborane. Mechanistic investigations involving control experiments, ¹H and ¹¹B NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, piezometric measurements and DFT calculations suggest an initial reduction of the Ni^II precursor to a Ni^I active species with the concomitant release of H₂. The crucial role of the alkoxo-catecholato-borohydride species resulting from the reaction of potassium tert-butoxide with catecholborane in the formation of an intermediate nickel-hydride species that would then be reduced to the Ni^I active species, is highlighted.     

Aromatic foldamers as scaffolds for metal second coordination sphere design

As metalloproteins exemplify, the chemical and physical properties of metal centers depend not only on their first but also on their second coordination sphere. Installing arrays of functional groups around the first coordination sphere of synthetic metal complexes is thus highly desirable, but it remains a challenging objective. Here we introduce a novel approach to produce tailored second coordination spheres. We used bioinspired artificial architectures based on aromatic oligoamide foldamers to construct a rigid, modular and well-defined environment around a metal complex. Specifically, aza-aromatic monomers having a tethered [2Fe–2S] cluster have been synthesized and incorporated in conical helical foldamer sequences. Exploiting the modularity and predictability of aromatic oligoamide structures allowed for the straightforward design of a conical architecture able to sequester the metal complex in a confined environment. Even though no direct metal complex–foldamer interactions were purposely designed in this first generation model, crystallography, NMR and IR spectroscopy concurred to show that the aromatic oligoamide backbone alters the structure and fluxional processes of the metal cluster.

Wrapping a [2Fe–2S] metal complex in an aromatic foldamer helix is introduced as a new approach to tailor a second coordination sphere.     

Synthesis of new perylene imide dyes and their photovoltaic performances in nanocrystalline TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells

Eight novel perylene imide derivatives were synthesized to determine the effect of the nature of electron donating substituents on the perylene core (ether or N-amino), the position of the carboxylic acid anchoring group and the presence of a fused benzimidazole moiety on the performances of dye-sensitized solar cells. The photovoltaic efficiency under AM1.5 of these new dyes, although not optimized, ranges from 0.2% until 2.3%. We note the importance of the position-anchoring group, which controls the electron injection efficiency. With respect to the excited-state electron donor strength, four O-aryl substituents at the bay position lead to similar effect as two N-piperidinyl groups but with a lower propensity to aggregation and give slightly higher photovoltaic performance than the latter. The benzimidazole unit extends the absorbance of the perylene imide to longer wavelengths, but this effect is lower than introducing charge transfer transition with N-amino substituents. Overall, this work shows that perylene imide remains a promising molecular basis for the future design of new fully organic sensitizers for nanostructured TiO₂ solar cells.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of [C6H5Hg(H2NSiMe3)][H2N{B(C6F5)3}2], a phenyl-mercury(II) cation stabilised by a non-coordinating counter-anion

The new heteroleptic mercury(II) complex PhHgN(SiMe₃)₂(1) reacts with the strong Brønsted acid [H(OEt₂)₂][H₂N{B(C₆F₅)₃}₂] with cleavage of a N-Si bond to give [C₆H₅Hg(H₂NSiMe₃)][H₂N{B(C₆F₅)₃}₂] (2), a phenyl-mercury(II) cation stabilised by a primary amine and a non-coordinating counter-anion. Attempts to generate donor-free aryl mercury cations were not successful. The crystal structure of 2 · CH₂Cl₂ shows short π-bonding interactions between the metal and the phenyl ring of a neighbouring cation; the geometry about the mercury(II) atom is nearly linear. The X-ray structures of the new salts [H₂N(SiMe₃)₂ · H₃NSiMe₃][B(C₆F₅)₄]₂ and [Et₃O][H₂N{B(C₆F₅)₃}₂] · CH₂Cl₂ are also presented.     

Design of robust binary film onto carbon surface using diazonium electrochemistry

The electroreduction of functionalized aryldiazonium salts combined with a protection-deprotection method was evaluated for the fabrication of organized mixed layers covalently bound onto carbon substrates. The first modification consists of the grafting of a protected 4-((triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl)benzene layer onto the carbon surface on which the introduction of a second functional group is possible without altering the first grafted functional group. After deprotection, we obtained an ultrathin robust layer presenting high densities of both active ethynylbenzene groups (available for "click" chemistry) and the second functional group. The strategy was successfully demonstrated using azidomethylferrocene to react with ethynyl moieties in the binary film by "click" chemistry, and NO(2)-phenyl as the second functional group. Two possible modification pathways with different orderings of the various steps were considered to show the influence and importance of the protection-deprotection process on the final surface obtained. Using mild conditions for the grafting of the second layer maintains a concentration of active ethynyl groups similar to that obtained for a one-component monolayer while achieving a high surface concentration of the second modifier. Considering the wide range of functional aryldiazonium salts that could be electrodeposited onto carbon surfaces and the versatility and specificity of the "click" chemistry, this approach appears very promising for the preparation of mixed layers in well-controlled conditions without altering the reactivity of either functional group.     

Multiplexed binding determination of seven glycoconjugates for Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin I (PA-IL) using a DNA-based carbohydrate microarray

The binding of seven multivalent glycoconjugates displaying linear or antenna-like structures and different electronic environments were evaluated towards PA-IL on a DNA-based carbohydrate microarray. The affinity can be modulated by the charge and the topology of the galactosylated derivatives.     

Ferromagnetic versus antiferromagnetic exchange interactions in tetrathiafulvalene-based 3d/4f heterobimetallic complexes

(TTF-salphen)M compounds (TTF-salphen(2-)=4,5-bis(propylthio)tetrathiafulvalene-N,N'-phenylenebis(salicylideneimine) dianion; M=Cu(II) and Ni(II)) have been treated with Ln(hfac)(3)·2H(2)O precursors (hfac(-)=1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate anion; Ln=Gd(III), Tb(III), and Dy(III)) to elaborate unprecedented 3d/4f TTF-based heterobimetallic complexes of formula [(TTF-salphen)MLn(hfac)(3)]. All the structures of these compounds have been resolved by X-ray diffraction on single crystals. The structures of these complexes are formed by a TTF-salphen(2-) ligand coordinated to the 3d metal ions in the inert tetradentate N(2)O(2) site. The Ln(hfac)(3) fragment is coordinated to the (TTF-salphen)M one through the two phenolate bridges. Even if the complexes are similar in both Cu(II) and Ni(II) families, the crystal packing is different. In the first case, dimers of TTF-salphen(2-) donors constitute the organic network. In the other case, a reminiscent organic network is observed with S···S contacts. The photophysical properties of [(TTF-salphen)CuDy(hfac)(3)] (3) in chloroform solution highlight the redshift of the TTF→salphen charge transfer (400 cm(-1)) relative to the analogue excitations in (TTF-salphen)Cu, which attest to the stability of these structures in solution. Static magnetic measurements have allowed us to quantify the ferromagnetic interactions (J=+1.29 cm(-1)) between Cu(II) and Gd(III) in the [(TTF-salphen)CuGd(hfac)(3)] complex. Finally, an empirical method that consists of the comparisons of the magnetic properties of [(TTF-salphen)CuTb(hfac)(3)] with [(TTF-salphen)NiTb(hfac)(3)] and [(TTF-salphen)CuDy(hfac)(3)] with [(TTF-salphen)NiDy(hfac)(3)] has established that ferromagnetic interactions take place between Cu(II) and Tb(III) ions, whereas unusual antiferromagnetic interactions have been identified between Cu(II) and Dy(III) ions.     

Cooperative spin transition in a lipid layer like system

A novel iron(II) mononuclear spin transition complex [FeL(py)(2)] displays an abrupt spin transition around 225 K accompanied by a very wide thermal hysteresis loop (～50 K) that spreads out over 100 K. Crystal structure analysis in both low-spin and high-spin states reveals a lipid layer-like arrangement of the complex molecules and provides insights into the spin switching mechanism.     

Metal-free halonium mediated acetate shifts of ynamides to access α-halo acrylamides/acrylimides

A metal-free acetate shift of 3-acetoxy ynamides to access α-iodo, bromo, and chloro acrylamides/acrylimides under very mild conditions is demonstrated. The inherent alkyne activation of ynamides is sufficient to ensure the α-halo acrylamides/acrylimides in high yields without the addition of a catalyst. In all cases high Z-stereoselectivity is observed.