Reactivity of vanadocene with a nitrile -C identical to N bond activated by a tris(fluorophenyl)borane as Lewis acid: formation of borane adducts of vanada(IV)azirine complexes--EPR evidence for an intramolecular C-F...V interaction

Reaction of vanadocene V(Cp)2] with "activated" nitrile R1CN.L (L: Lewis acid), obtained by the reaction of borane adducts (L = BR3; R = C6F5, 2,6-F2C6H3, 3,4,5-F3C6H2) with nitriles (CH3CN, F3CC6H4CN), yields the borane adduct of vanada(IV)azirine complexes V(Cp)2(eta 2-R1C = N.L)]. EPR studies of a fluid solution were conducted on these complexes. A doublet of octets due to the coupling of one unpaired electron of the vanadium with the 51V (I = 7/2) nucleus and to an additional hyperfine coupling to the ortho-F atom borne by the phenyl ring of the borane was elucidated by means of the different Lewis acids used in this work. This EPR behaviour gives evidence for the presence of a C-F...V interaction in a fluid solution with L = B(C6F5)3 and B(2,6-F2C6H3)3. In contrast, the expected eight line EPR pattern is observed with L = B(3,4,5-F3C6H2)3, in which no ortho-F atoms are present in the phenyl ring. A model can be drawn to take into account this flexibility and V...F distances between V and ortho-F atoms are in the expected range for such an interaction.