Metal complexes of anionic 3-borane-1-alkylimidazol-2-ylidene derivatives

Addition of BH₃·thf to 1-alkylimidazoles (alkyl=methyl, butyl) and 1-methylbenzimidazole leads to BH₃ adducts, which are deprotonated by BuLi to yield the organolithium compounds (L)Li⁺(1b–d)⁻. In the solid state (thf)Li⁺1b⁻ is dimeric. The acyl–iron complexes (thf)₃Li⁺(3b,d)⁻ are formed from (thf)Li⁺(1b,d)⁻ and Fe(CO)₅. (L)Li⁺(1a–c)⁻ react with [CpFe(CO)₂X], however, the only complex obtained is [CpFe(CO)₂1a] (5a). The analogous reaction of (L)Li⁺1a⁻ with the pentadienyl complex [(C₇H₁₁)Fe(CO)₂Br] yields the corresponding iron compound 6a. Their compositions follow from spectroscopic data. Treatment of Cp₂TiCl with (L)Li⁺1a⁻ leads to [Cp₂Ti1a] (7a), which could not be oxidized with PbCl₂ to give the corresponding Ti(IV) complex. The compounds [Li(py)₄]⁺9a⁻ and [Li(L)₄]⁺(10b–d)⁻ are obtained when (L)Li⁺1⁻ are reacted with VCl₃ and ScCl₃. The X-ray structure analysis of the vanadium complex reveals a distorted tetrahedron of the anion [V(1a)₄]⁻ with two smaller and four larger CVC angles. The scandium compound [Li(dme)₂⁺10c⁻] has a different structure: the distorted tetrahedron of the anion [Sc(1c)₄]⁻ contains two larger (140.2 and 142.9°) and four smaller CScC angles (93.9–98.7°). This arrangement allows the formation of four bridging BHSc 3c,2e bonds to give an eight-fold coordination. The anion 10c⁻ is formally a 16e complex.