A spiro to ansa rearrangement in cyclotriphosphazene derivatives

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyclotriphosphazene derivatives having five-membered spiro rings, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(2)X] (X = NH or O) with alkoxides (of tetraethylene glycol and some mono-functional alcohols) give unexpected rearrangements to form stable seven-membered ring ansa compounds, even though crystallographic evidence shows ring distortion and compression of the cyclophosphazene ring. With weaker nucleophiles such as sodium phenoxide and pyrrolidine substitution at a PCl2 group is preferred and no rearrangement takes place. In contrast, reactions of the analogous phosphazenes containing six-membered spiro rings, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(3)X], with all of the above reagents give only normal substitution reactions at the PCl2 moieties and no rearrangement products. The spiro to ansa rearrangements in cyclophosphazenes are remarkable as the reported primary reaction products with the same difunctional reagents HO(CH(2))(2)XH are predominantly spiro, with some dangling and bridging derivatives, but no ansa compounds.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Bismuth(II) Radical

More than 80 years after Paneth’s report of dimethyl bismuth, the first monomeric Bi^II radical that is stable in the solid state has been isolated and characterized. Reduction of the diamidobismuth(III) chloride Bi(NON^Ar)Cl (NON^Ar=[O(SiMe₂NAr)₂]²⁻; Ar=2,6‐iPr₂C₆H₃) with magnesium affords the Bi^II radical ^.Bi(NON^Ar). X‐ray crystallographic measurements are consistent with a two‐coordinate bismuth in the +2 oxidation state with no short intermolecular contacts, and solid‐state SQUID magnetic measurements indicate a paramagnetic compound with a single unpaired electron. EPR and density functional calculations show a metal‐centered radical with >90 % spin density in a p‐type orbital on bismuth.     

Carbon–Phosphorus Coupling from C^N Cyclometalated AuIII Complexes

With the aim of exploiting new organometallic species for cross-coupling reactions, we report here on the Au^III-mediated C_aryl−P bond formation occurring upon reaction of C^N cyclometalated Au^III complexes with phosphines. The [Au(C^N)Cl₂] complex 1 featuring the bidentate 2-benzoylpyridine (C^CON) scaffold was found to react with PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) under mild conditions, including in water, to afford the corresponding phosphonium 5 through C−P reductive elimination. A mechanism is proposed for the title reaction based on in situ ³¹P{¹H} NMR and HR-ESI-MS analyses combined with DFT calculations. The C−P coupling has been generalized to other C^N cyclometalated Au^III complexes and other tertiary phosphines. Overall, this work provides new insights into the reactivity of cyclometalated Au^III compounds and establishes initial structure–activity relationships to develop Au^III-mediated C−P cross-coupling reactions.     

A Photophysical Study of Sensitization-Initiated Electron Transfer: Insights into the Mechanism of Photoredox Activity

The development of photocatalytic reactions has provided many novel opportunities to expand the scope of synthetic organic chemistry. In parallel with progress towards uncovering new reactivity, there is consensus that efforts focused on providing detailed mechanistic insight in order to uncover underlying excited-state reactions are essential to maximise formation of desired products. With this in mind, we have investigated the recently reported sensitization-initiated electron transfer (SenI-ET) reaction for the C−H arylation of activated aryl halides. Using a variety of techniques, and in particular nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we are able to distinguish several characteristic signals from the excited-state species involved in the reaction, and subsequent kinetic analysis under various conditions has facilitated a detailed insight into the likely reaction mechanism.     

Iron(II) template synthesis of benzannulated triphospha- and triarsamacrocycles

Nine-membered 1,4,7-triphospha- and triarsamacrocycles with unsaturated benzo-backbones have been prepared using the [Cp(R)Fe](+) unit as a template. The cyclisation involves the attack of a coordinated phosphide (or arsenide) nucleophile at an activated, electrophilic ortho-fluorophenyl substituent on a neighbouring pnictide donor. The macrocycle assembly is of the 2 + 1 type where two new chelate rings are formed from appropriately derivatised bidentate and monodentate phosphines/arsines. Both [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe](+) and [(η(5)-C(5)Me(5))Fe](+) may be employed for the cyclisation with higher yields generally being observed with the unsubstituted Cp. All new compounds have been characterised by spectroscopic and analytical methods including the single-crystal X-ray structure determination of [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(tribenzo-9aneP(3)-Ph,Ph(F)(2))](+), 3a, and [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(tribenzo-9aneAs(3)-Ph,Ph(F)(2))](+), 5, as the tetraphenylborate salts. The crystal structures are isomorphous and show the unique conformation of these new macrocycles with a 'cup shaped' cavity formed by the rigid benzo-backbones. The 9aneAs(3) derivative is the first example of a nine-membered triarsamacrocycle.     

Bridged cyclophosphazenes resulting from deprotonation reactions of cyclotriphophazenes bearing a P-NH group

Cyclotriphosphazene derivatives containing a P-NHR group in the side-chain react in the presence of a strong base to form stable intermolecular bridged products. Reaction of sodium hydride with mono-spiro cyclophosphazene derivatives having a P-NH group, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(3)NH], (1a) or N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[CH(3)N(CH(2))(3)NH], (1b) leads to formation of bis-cyclophosphazenes bridged with an eight-membered cyclophosphazene ring in an ansa arrangement (2a, 2b) whereas reaction of sodium hydride with mono-amino cyclophosphazene derivatives [N(3)P(3)Cl(5)(NHR), R = n-hexyl, 3a; i-Pr, 3b; Ph, 3c] give bis-cyclophosphazenes bridged with a four-membered cyclophosphazane ring in a spiro arrangement (4a-c). In the latter reaction P-O-P bridged compounds (5a-c) were also obtained as a result of hydrolysis reactions associated with the amount of moisture in the solvent tetrahydrofuran. In addition, it was found that reaction of a mixture of cyclotriphosphazene with either mono spiro compound, (1a) or (1b), in the presence of sodium hydride lead to formation of the first examples of asymmetrically-bridged cyclophosphazenes (6a-b).     

Synthesis and structures of the [benzamidinato]3- complexes Li3(tmeda)(L1)]2 and [Li(thf)4][Li5(L2)(OEt2)2] [L1 = N(SiMe3)C(Ph)N(SiMe3) and L2 = N(SiMe3)C(C6H4-4)NPh

Reduction at ambient temperature of each of the lithium benzamidinates [Li(L(1))(tmeda)] or [{Li(L(2))(OEt(2))(2)}(2)] with four equivalents of lithium metal in diethyl ether or thf furnished the brown crystalline [Li(3)(L(1))(tmeda)] (1) or [Li(thf)(4)][Li(5)(L(2))(2)(OEt(2))(2)] (2), respectively. Their structures show that in each the [N(R(1))C(R(3))NR(2)](3-) moiety has the three negative charges largely localised on each of N, N' and R = Aryl); a consequence is that the "aromatic" 2,3- and 5,6-CC bonds of R(3) approximate to being double bonds. Multinuclear NMR spectra in C(6)D(6) and C(7)D(8) show that 1 and 2 exhibit dynamic behaviour. [The following abbreviations are used: L(1) = N(SiMe(3))C(Ph)N(SiMe(3)); L(2) = N(SiMe(3))C(C(6)H(4)Me-4)N(Ph); tmeda = (Me(2)NCH(2)-)(2); thf = tetrahydrofuran.] This reduction is further supported by a DFT analysis.     

Dynamic and static behaviors of N-Z-N σ(3c-4e) (Z = S, Se, and Te) interactions: atoms-in-molecules dual functional analysis with high-resolution X-ray diffraction determination of electron densities for 2-(2-pyridylimino)-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolo[2,3-a]pyridine

The structure of 2-(2-pyridylimino)-2H-1,2,4-thiadiazolo[2,3-a]pyridine (NSN) indicates that the molecule has a planar geometry with a linear N···S···N linkage, creating a tetracyclic structure of the formal C(2v) symmetry. To clarify the nature of the NSN σ(3c-4e) bonding, together with the related NSeN and NTeN, the dynamic and static behaviors are investigated by applying atoms-in-molecules (AIM) dual functional analysis to both the fully optimized and perturbed structures. The structures were optimized computationally, retaining C(2v) symmetry. All bond critical points are detected as expected and exhibited on both sides of the N···Z···N moiety which supports the formation of NZN σ(3c-4e). It is confirmed that N···S···N is of the covalent nature close to Me(2)S(+)-?-Cl or Me(2)Se(+)-?-Br, whereas N···Se···N and N···Te···N have the (regular) CS nature close to the CT adducts of Me(2)S(-?-Cl)(2) (TBP) and Me(2)Se-?-Br(2) (MC), respectively. An experimental high-resolution charge density determination has been performed on NSN, which thoroughly supports the theoretical results. Very similar results are obtained in the analogous pyrimidyl derivatives for N···S···N, N···Se···N, and N···Te···N. AIM dual functional analysis, as validated by experimental high-resolution charge densities, is thus confirmed to be an excellent method to elucidate the nature of these interactions.     

Bicyclic guanidinate compounds of magnesium and their activity as pre-catalysts in the Tishchenko reaction

A synthetic route to magnesium guanidinate compounds that avoids ligand redistribution is reported; selected derivatives are active pre-catalysts in the dimerization of aldehydes.     

Synthesis and Structure of Amido‐ and Imido(pentafluorophenyl)borane Zirconocene and Hafnocene Complexes: N?H and B?H Activation

Treatment of Me₂S ? B(C₆F₅)_nH_3?n (n=1 or 2) with ammonia yields the corresponding adducts. H₃N ? B(C₆F₅)H₂ dimerises in the solid state through N? H???H? B dihydrogen interactions. The adducts can be deprotonated to give lithium amidoboranes Li[NH₂B(C₆F₅)_nH_3?n]. Reaction of the n=2 reagent with [Cp₂ZrCl₂] leads to disubstitution, but [Cp₂Zr{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}₂] is in equilibrium with the product of β‐hydride elimination [Cp₂Zr(H){NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}], which proves to be the major isolated solid. The analogous reaction with [Cp₂HfCl₂] gives a mixture of [Cp₂Hf{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}₂] and the N? H activation product [Cp₂Hf{NHB(C₆F₅)₂H}]. [Cp₂Zr{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}₂] ? PhMe and [Cp₂Hf{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}₂] ? 4(thf) exhibit β‐B‐agostic chelate bonding of one of the two amidoborane ligands in the solid state. The agostic hydride is invariably coordinated to the outside of the metallocene wedge. Exceptionally, [Cp₂Hf{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}₂] ? PhMe has a structure in which the two amidoborane ligands adopt an intermediate coordination mode, in which neither is definitively agostic. [Cp₂Hf{NHB(C₆F₅)₂H}] has a formally dianionic imidoborane ligand chelating through an agostic interaction, but the bond‐length distribution suggests a contribution from a zwitterionic amidoborane resonance structure. Treatment of the zwitterions [Cp₂MMe(μ‐Me)B(C₆F₅)₃] (M=Zr, Hf) with Li[NH₂B(C₆F₅)_nH_3?n] (n=2) results in [Cp₂MMe{NH₂B(C₆F₅)₂H}] complexes, for which the spectroscopic data, particularly ¹J(B,H), again suggest β‐B‐agostic interactions. The reactions proceed similarly for the structurally encumbered [Cp′′₂ZrMe(μ‐Me)B(C₆F₅)₃] precursor (Cp′′=1,3‐C₅H₃(SiMe₃)₂, n=1 or 2) to give [Cp′′₂ZrMe{NH₂B(C₆F₅)_nH_3?n}], both of which have been structurally characterised and show chelating, agostic amidoborane coordination. In contrast, the analogous hafnium chemistry leads to the recovery of [Cp′′₂HfMe₂] and the formation of Li[HB(C₆F₅)₃] through hydride abstraction.