Optimizing the Synthesis of Tetratellurafulvalene

A systematic synthetic study of the pi-donor tetratellurafulvalene (TTeF, 6) has resulted in an optimized preparation producing repeatable yields of over 20%. The use of a "one-step" Li/Sn metal exchange/Te(0) insertion procedure and freshly prepared microcrystalline Te(0) serve to drive toward products, the equilibria converting (Z)-1,2-bis(trimethylstannyl)ethylene (1) to its corresponding metal-exchanged vinyllithium species and subsequently to lithium ditellurolate 5. Furthermore, the use of LiCl as an additive to enhance the reactivity of n-BuLi in these metal exchange reactions also increases yields and reproducibility. The slow addition of 1 equiv of tetrahaloethylene during the final cyclization step favors intramolecular reactions which produce TTeF vs intermolecular reactions that lead to oligomeric byproducts. The use of tetrabromoethylene in place of tetrachloroethylene in this step also reduces byproduct formation.     

Silylene hydride complexes of molybdenum with silicon-hydrogen interactions: neutron structure of (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(Me(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PMe(2))Mo(H)(SiEt(2))

Reduction of CpMoCl(4) with 3.1 equiv of Na/Hg amalgam (1.0% w/w) in the presence of 1 equiv of dmpe and 1 equiv of trimethylphosphine afforded the molybdenum(II) chloride complex Cp(dmpe)(PMe(3))MoCl (1) (Cp = 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane). Alkylation of 1 with PhCH(2)MgCl proceeded in high yield to liberate PMe(3) and give the 18-electron pi-benzyl complex Cp(dmpe)Mo(eta(3)-CH(2)Ph) (2). Variable temperature NMR experiments provided evidence that 2 is in equilibrium with its 16-electron eta(1)-benzyl isomer [Cp(dmpe)Mo(eta(1)-CH(2)Ph)]. This was further supported by reaction of 2 with CO to yield the carbonyl benzyl complex Cp(dmpe)(CO)Mo(eta(1)-CH(2)Ph) (3). Complex 2 was found to react with disubstituted silanes H(2)SiRR' (RR' = Me(2), Et(2), MePh, and Ph(2)) to form toluene and the silylene complexes Cp(dmpe)Mo(H)(SiRR') (4a: RR' = Me(2); 4b: RR' = Et(2); 4c: RR' = MePh; 4d: RR' = Ph(2)). Reactions of 2 with monosubstituted silanes H(3)SiR (R = Ph, Mes, Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) produced rare examples of hydrosilylene complexes Cp(dmpe)Mo(H)Si(H)R (5a: R = Ph; 5b: R = Mes; 5c: R = CH(2)Ph). Reactivity of complexes 4a-c and 5a-d is dominated by 1,2-hydride migration from metal to silicon, and these complexes possess H.Si bonding interactions, as supported by spectroscopic and structural data. For example, the J(HSi) coupling constants in these species range in value from 30 to 48 Hz and are larger than would be expected in the absence of H.Si bonding. A neutron diffraction study on a single crystal of diethylsilylene complex 4b unequivocally determined the hydride ligand to be in a bridging position across the molybdenum-silicon bond (Mo-H 1.85(1) A, Si-H 1.68(1) A). The synthesis and reactivity properties of these complexes are described in detail.     

Nanoscale characterization of redox and acid properties of keggin-type heteropolyacids by scanning tunneling microscopy and tunneling spectroscopy: effect of heteroatom substitution

Nanoscale characterization of acid and redox properties of Keggin-type heteropolyacids (HPAs) with different heteroatoms, H(n)MW(12)O(40) (M = P, Si, B, Co), was carried out by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and tunneling spectroscopy (TS) in this study. HPA samples were deposited on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces to obtain images and tunneling spectra by STM before and after pyridine adsorption. All HPA samples formed well-ordered 2-dimensional arrays on graphite before and after pyridine exposure. NDR (negative differential resistance) peaks were observed in the tunneling spectra. Those measured for fresh HPA samples appeared at less negative voltages with increasing reduction potential of the HPAs and with increases in the electronegativity of the heteroatom, but with decreases in the overall negative charge of the heteropolyanions. These results support the conclusion that more reducible HPA samples show NDR behavior at less negative applied voltages in their tunneling spectra. Introduction of pyridine into the HPA arrays increased the lattice constants of the 2-dimensional HPA arrays by ca. 6 A. Exposure to pyridine also shifted NDR peak voltages of H(n)MW(12)O(40) (M = P, Si, B, Co) samples to less negative values in the TS measurements. The NDR shifts of HPAs obtained before and after pyridine adsorption were correlated with the acid strengths of the HPAs, suggesting that tunneling spectra measured by STM could serve to probe acid properties of HPAs. These results show how one can relate the bulk acid and redox properties of HPAs to surface properties of nanostructured HPA monolayers determined by STM.     

Observation of a Ξ*(2370) produced in 8.25 GeV/c K−p interactions

We observe production of a Ξ^*(2370) in the reactions K^?p→$[Y\overline{K}\pi ]$K, $[Y\overline{K}\pi ]$Kπ and [ΩK] (K or Kπ) at 8.25 GeV/c in a high statistics bubble chamber experiment. The mass and width are determined to be 2373 ± 8 MeV and 80 ± 25 MeV, respectively. The I = 1/2 assignment is strongly favoured.