Kinetics and mechanisms of halide ion catalysis of CO substitution reactions in Os3(CO)12 and Ru3(CO)12 metal carbonyl clusters

The results of kinetic studies on ligand substitution in [M₃(CO)₁₁X]^– complexes (M = Ru, Os; X = Cl, Br, I) are summarized. The [Os₃(CO)₁₁X]^– complexes react with PPh₃ under mild conditions to initially yield monosubstituted products [Os₃(CO)₁₀(PPh₃)X]^–. The rate of CO substitution obeys a first-order equation with respect to the concentration of the complex and does not depend on the ligand concentration. The rates of the reactions decrease in the order Cl > Br > I withH values increasing from 15 to 18 kcal mol^–1 and S values varying from –19 to –13 cal mol^–1 K^–1. The enhanced reactivities of these complexes as well as the low activation energies and negative activation entropies are discussed in terms of the effects of -X bridge formation on the transition state of the reaction. Reactions of PPN[Ru₃(CO)_11–x (Cl)] (PPN is the bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium cation;x=0, 1) and PPN[Ru₃(CO)₉(₃-I)] with alkynes are also reported. The reactivities of alkynes follow the order BuCCH PhCCH EtCCEt PhCCPh. The higher rates of the reactions of monosubstituted acetylenes compared with those of their disubstituted analogs are explained by agostic interaction between the metal atom and the C-H bond in the reaction transition state and by steric effects. The results obtained attest that the reaction with alkynes occursvia intermediates containing halide bridges and that ₃-halide complexes are more reactive than ₂-halide complexes.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1540–1545, September, 1994.This work was supported by a Presidential Grant from Northwestern University. One of the authors (F. Basolo) wishes to thank Academician M. E. Vol'pin for the invitation to participate in the Workshop The Modern Problems of Organometallic Chemistry (INEOS-94) and Academician O. M. Nefedov for the invitation to publish a review in theRussian Chemical Bulletin.     

Nonequilibrium dynamics of a diffusion-limited reaction driven by a cluster-memory mechanism

The diffusion-limited reaction A+AA+B is studied in general dimension. The asymptotic decay of the system is found to depend nontrivially upon the initial concentration of A particles for certain ranges of the diffusion constant, backward reaction rate, and total concentration of particles. This nonequilibrium behavior is due to the formation of clusters centered about the initial A particles. A perturbative analysis ind=1 shows that the transition to the nonequilibrium dynamics is sharp and is quite similar to another previously studied reaction A+AA. Ford>1, a scaling argument is presented which describes the dependence of the asymptotic decay on the initial concentration of A particles and the equilibrium concentration for large backward reaction rates. Monte Carlo data are shown which confirm the analytic work ind=1, 2, and 3.     

The role of radicals in metal-assisted oxygenation reactions

The oxo-functionalization of organic substrates with the aid of metal oxo moieties is of fundamental importance not only in nature but also in academic and industrial research. Nevertheless the corresponding reaction mechanisms remain among the most enigmatic in chemistry and few of them are understood in detail. Recent research efforts have resulted in significantly improved information: in the cases of many oxygenation reactions evidence has been provided for the occurrence radical intermediates, even though the high selectivity observed suggests to a different mechanism. Examples stem from various areas of chemistry and include processes involving molecular metal oxo complexes, gas-phase and matrix-isolated species, metalloenzymes, and solid-state oxide surfaces. This review treats this seemingly wide variety of systems with the aim of providing an overview of common reactivity patterns and principles, as well as open problems.     

Evolution of the structural stability of large Cu,Ni, Pd,and Ag clusters with size: An analysis within the embedded atom method

A study of the structural stability of clusters made up of a single component has been carried out within the Embedded Atom Method. Perfect icosahedral and cuboctahedral Cu, Ni, Pd, and Ag clusters with up to 5083 atoms have been compared. The icosahedron is found to be the stable structure for small clusters, and a change of structure from icosahedral to cuboctahedral is found as the cluster size increases. A contraction of the interatomic distances results when the cluster size decreases.     

Defect clusters and precipitation/oxidation of MgO-Co1−xO solid solution

MgO and Co_1−xO powders in 9:1 and 1:9 molar ratio (denoted as M₉C₁ and M₁C₉, respectively) were sintered and homogenized at 1600°C followed by annealing at 850°C and 800°C, respectively to form defect clusters and precipitates. Analytical electron microscopic observations indicated the protoxide remained as rock salt structure with complicated planar diffraction contrast for M₉C₁ sample, however with spinel paracrystal precipitated from the M₁C₉ sample due to the assembly of charge- and volume-compensating defects of the 4:1 type, i.e., four octahedral vacant sites surrounding one Co³⁺-filled tetrahedral interstitial site. The spacing of such defect clusters is 4.5 times the lattice spacing of the average spinel structure of Mg-doped Co_3−δO₄, indicating a higher defect cluster concentration than undoped Co_3−δO₄. The {111} faulting of Mg-doped Co_3−δO₄/Co_1−xO in the annealed M₁C₉ sample implies the possible presence of zinc blend-type defect clusters with cation vacancies assembled along oxygen close packed (111) plane.     

Synthesis and reactivity of metal-containing monomers. 21. Synthesis of TiCl4 and VCl4 complexes with azobisisobutyronitrile and studies of their thermal decomposition

Complexes of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) with titanium tetrachloride and vanadium tetrachloride have been synthesized and characterized. It was demonstrated that Ti(IV) and V(IV) form equimolar complexes with AIBN, with nitrile ligands located incis positions in the coordination spheres of metal atoms. Kinetics of thermal decomposition of free and complexed AIBN were studied and compared. The gas evolution rate was measured in the presence of tetrabutoxytitanium, which does not react with AIBN. It was demonstrated that complexing leads to a marked increase of the rate constant of AIBN thermal decomposition.Institute of Chemical Physics, Chernogolovka, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432 Chernogolovka. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1746–1754, August, 1992.     

Products of lithium interaction with nanostructured oxides SnO2-TiO2 and mechanism of charge-discharge of electrodes in a lithium-ion battery

Products of lithium interaction with thin-film nanostructured SnO₂-TiO₂ (ST) oxides are studied with the aid of x-ray diffraction analysis and Moessbauer spectroscopy on the ¹¹⁹Sn nuclei. Electrochemical properties of a series of the ST electrodes with different concentrations of TiO₂ varied from 0 to 20 mol % are also examined. It is concluded that the specific feature of the charge-discharge mechanism of the ST electrodes is a significant participation of oxygen in reversible reactions during insertion and extraction of lithium as compared with an alloying mechanism of operation of tin-containing anodes. The leading role in this is played by titanium oxide. Remaining stable towards reduction by lithium, it facilitates the holding of the neighboring layers of SnO₂ in a nanodisperse state and in an oxidized state. The effect of a decrease in the capacity degradation in modified TiO₂ electrodes, which is discovered in this work, is attributed to the hampering of the growth of nanocrystallites of β-Sn by interlayers of tin and titanium oxides mentioned above.     

Modellbetrachtungen zum Verständnis unerwarteter Eigenschaften der metalloiden Clusterverbindung [Ga84(N(SiMe3)2)20][Li6Br2(THF)20]·2Toluol

Towards the Understanding of the Unexpected Properties of the Metalloid Cluster Compound [Ga₈₄(N(SiMe₃)₂)₂₀][Li₆Br₂(THF)₂₀]·2Toluol In several short communications we have recently reported on the electrical and superconducting properties of the crystalline title compound 1 which contains anionic Ga₈₄R₂₀‐moieties. Here we present a collection of these results, complemented and interpreted by using DFT‐calculations on model clusters (Ga₈₄(NH₂)₂₀^?). These calculations allow a) a first insight into the dynamics of the Ga₈₄‐moieties (e.g. a rotation of the central Ga₂‐dumbbell) and thus an explanation of the temperature‐dependent Ga‐NMR‐spectra described recently, and b) estimations on the lattice energy of 1 and its resulting unexpected energetic stabilization compared to metallic gallium. A possible contribution of the cations in the electrical conduction mechanism of 1 can also be made feasible with model calculations. The basis for all the results presented is to be found in the “perfect” arrangement of nanoscopic Ga₈₄‐clusters in the crystal. This theoretically predicted condition for superconductivity in a “chain” of identical metal cluster molecules is a requirement which can hardly be realized by means of physical fabrication methods. Therefore, on the one hand the results presented here make for some disillusionment in the field of nanoscience, but on the other hand, especially in the field of synthetic chemistry, they present rewarding challenges for fundamental work in the future.