Synthesis and electrochemical studies of heterobinuclear complexes containing copper and molybdenum nitrosyl groups linked by Schiff base ligands

The reaction of [MoCl(NO)T_p ^* = tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolylborate] with copper Schiff base complexes derived by condensation of one mole each of 2,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and salicylaldehyde with α,ω diamines [NH₂(CH₂) _n NH₂, n = 2–4] yields heterobinuclear complexes with two potential redox centres. I.r., electronic and e.s.r. spectroscopic properties of these complexes are described. Cyclic voltammetric data of the base complexes in DMSO reveal that the copper redox centres undergo irreversible one electron reduction at potentials which vary slightly with the polymethylene carbon chain backbone of the Schiff base ligands. Incorporation of [MoCl(NO)T_p ^*]⁺ groups in the copper Schiff base complexes, results to a slight anodic shift (100 mV) in the reduction potential of the copper centre which remains invariant as the polymethylene carbon chain lengthens. Electrochemical data of the heterobinuclear complexes using CH₂Cl₂ and DMSO as solvents indicate the solvent dependence of the reduction potentials of these complexes. In CH₂Cl₂, the reduction potential of the copper centre shifts cathodically by 100 mV, while that of the molybdenum centre shifts anodically by 200 mV. However, accumulated electrochemical data of the heterobinuclear complexes indicate minimal electronic interactions between the copper and molybdenum redox centres. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Soft Scorpionate Anions as Platforms for Novel Heterocycles

Soft scorpionates have thus far been seen mainly as a family of ligands. Their chemistry is extended here to the production of novel cationic macrocycles using dihaloalkanes. By replacing the dihaloalkanes with mild oxidising agents (NO⁺, I₂) we obtain two unique polycyclic heterocycles. The mechanism which leads to the formation of these polycyclic heterocycles is investigated using ab initio DFT calculations.     

Synthesis and electrochemical studies of heterobinuclear zinc and molybdenum mononitrosyl complexes linked by Schiff base ligands

The reaction of 1 mol equivalent of MoCl₂(NO)T^* _p [T^* _p = tris(3,5 dimethylpyrazolyl)borate] with one mole equivalent of the zinc Schiff base complexes obtained from the condensation of 2,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, salicylaldehyde and a series of , diamines [NH₂(CH₂) _n NH₂, n = 2–4] is described, together with the i.r.; u.v.–vis. and ¹H-n.m.r. spectroscopic properties of these products. Cyclic voltammetric data in CH₂Cl₂ reveal that the binuclear complex products undergo reversible one-electron reductions associated with the MoCl(NO)T^* _p centre. No zinc-based redox processes in the new complexes could be detected on the cyclic voltammetry timescale. The behaviour of the MoCl(NO)T^* _p centre in DMSO indicates that the complexes undergo irreversible reductions at anodically shifted potentials (in comparison with the reduction of binuclear complexes in CH₂Cl₂), indicating that reductions of the binuclear complexes are solvent dependent.     

Soft scorpionate coordination at alkali metals

Reported here are the single‐crystal X‐ray structure analyses of bis‐μ‐methanol‐κ⁴O:O‐bis{[hydrotris(3‐phenyl‐2‐sulfanylidene‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐1,3‐imidazol‐1‐yl)borato‐κ³H,S,S′](methanol‐κO)sodium(I)}, [Na₂(C₂₇H₂₂BN₆S₃)₂(CH₄O)₄] (NaTm^Ph), bis‐μ‐methanol‐κ⁴O:O‐bis{[hydrotris(3‐isopropyl‐2‐sulfanylidene‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐1,3‐imidazol‐1‐yl)borato‐κ³H,S,S′](methanol‐κO)sodium(I)}–diethyl ether–methanol (1/0.3333/0.0833), [Na₂(C₁₈H₂₈BN₆S₃)₂(CH₄O)₄]·0.3333C₄H₁₀O·0.0833CH₃OH (NaTm^iPr), and a novel anhydrous form of sodium hydrotris(methylthioimidazolyl)borate, poly[[μ‐hydrotris(3‐methyl‐2‐sulfanylidene‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐1,3‐imidazol‐1‐yl)borato]sodium(I)], [Na(C₁₂H₁₆BN₆S₃)] ([NaTm^Me]_n). NaTm^iPr and NaTm^Ph have similar dimeric molecular structures with κ³H,S,S′‐bonding, but they differ in that NaTm^Ph is crystallographically centrosymmetric (Z′ = 0.5) while NaTm^iPr contains one crystallographically centrosymmetric dimer and one dimer positioned on a general position (Z′ = 1.5). [NaTm^Me]_n is a one‐dimensional coordination polymer that extends along the a direction and which contains a hitherto unseen side‐on η²‐C=S‐to‐Na bond type. An overview of the structural preferences of alkali metal soft scorpionate complexes is presented. This analysis suggests that these thione‐based ligands will continue to be a rich source of interesting alkali metal motifs worthy of isolation and characterization.