Trialkylboron/lanthanide metallocene hydride chemistry: polydentate bridging of (HBEt3)- to lanthanum

The reaction of [(C(5)Me(5))(2)LaH](x) with BEt(3) is reported, and the solid-state structures of the lanthanum product (C(5)Me(5))(2)La[(mu-H)(mu-Et)(2)BEt], 1, and its THF adduct (C(5)Me(5))(2)La(THF)[(mu-H)(mu-Et)BEt(2)], 2, are compared with that of the hydride-bridged "tuckover" complex (C(5)Me(5))(2)La(mu-H)(mu-eta(1):eta(5)-CH(2)C(5)Me(4))La(C(5)Me(5)), 3.     

Samarium versus aluminium Lewis acidity in a mixed alkyl carboxylate complex related to alkylaluminium activation in diene polymerization catalysis

[(C5Me5)2Sm(mu-O2CPh)]2 reacts with iBu3Al to form a mixed bridge samarium aluminium complex [(C5Me5)2Sm(mu-O2CPh)(mu-iBu)Al(iBu)2], that displays two different carboxylate orientations toward the metals in a single crystal.     

Geometrically Formal Homogeneous Metrics of Positive Curvature

A Riemannian manifold is called geometrically formal if the wedge product of harmonic forms is again harmonic, which implies in the compact case that the manifold is topologically formal in the sense of rational homotopy theory. A manifold admitting a Riemannian metric of positive sectional curvature is conjectured to be topologically formal. Nonetheless, we show that among the homogeneous Riemannian metrics of positive sectional curvature a geometrically formal metric is either symmetric, or a metric on a rational homology sphere.     

Two-electron reductive reactivity of trivalent uranium tetraphenylborate complexes of (C5Me5) and (C5Me4H)

The reductive reactivity of the (BPh₄)¹⁻ ligand in pentamethylcyclopentadienyl [(C₅Me₅)₂U][(μ-η²:η¹-Ph)₂BPh₂] (1) was compared with that of the tetramethyl analog, [(C₅Me₄H)₂U][(μ-η⁶:η¹-Ph)(μ-η¹:η¹-Ph)BPh₂] (2) using PhSSPh as a probe to determine if the mode of (BPh₄)¹⁻ bonding affected the reduction. Both complexes act as two-electron reductants to form (C₅Me₄R)₂U(SPh)₂ [R = Me, 3; H, 4], but only in the R = H case could the product be crystallographically characterized. An improved synthesis of 1 from [(C₅Me₅)₂UH]₂ (5) and [Et₃NH][BPh₄] is also reported as well as its reaction with MeCN that provides another route to the unusual, parallel-ring, uranium metallocene [(C₅Me₅)₂U(NCMe)₅][BPh₄]₂ (6).     

Insertion, isomerization, and cascade reactivity of the tethered silylalkyl uranium metallocene (η(5)-C5Me4SiMe2CH2-κC)2U

Investigation of the insertion reactivity of the tethered silylalkyl complex (η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)-κC)(2)U (1) has led to a series of new reactions for U-C bonds. Elemental sulfur reacts with 1 by inserting two sulfur atoms into each of the U-C bonds to form the bis(tethered alkyl disulfide) complex (η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)S(2))(2)U (2). The bulky substrate N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide, (i)PrN═C═N(i)Pr, inserts into only one of the U-C bonds of 1 to produce the mixed-tether complex (η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)-κC)U[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C((i)PrN)(2)-κ(2)N,N'] (3). Carbon monoxide did not exclusively undergo a simple insertion into the U-C bond of 3 but instead formed {μ-[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(i)Pr)O-κ(2)O,N]U[OC(C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2))CN((i)Pr)-κ(2)O,N](2) (4) in a cascade of reactions that formally includes U-C bond cleavage, C-N bond cleavage of the amidinate ligand, alkyl or silyl migration, U-O, C-C, and C-N bond formations, and CO insertion. The reaction of 3 with isoelectronic tert-butyl isocyanide led to insertion of the substrate into the U-C bond, but with a rearrangement of the amidinate ligand binding mode from κ(2) to κ(1) to form [η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(t)Bu)]U[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(i)Pr)N((i)Pr)-κN] (5). The product of double insertion of (t)BuN≡C into the U-C bonds of 1, namely [η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(t)Bu)](2)U (6), was found to undergo an unusual thermal rearrangement that formally involves C-H bond activation, C-C bond cleavage, and C-C bond coupling to form the first formimidoyl actinide complex, [η(5):η(5):η(3)-(t)BuNC(CH(2)SiMe(2)C(5)Me(4))(CHSiMe(2)C(5)Me(4))]U(η(2)-HC═N(t)Bu) (7).