New lead(II) catecholate and o-semiquinone complexes

Lead(II) catecholate complexes were prepared by reduction of 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone and its derivatives with lead metal in THF. The molecular structure of the (CatPb)₄·(PbO)₂·6C₃H₆O complex (Cat is the dianion of 3,6-di-tert-butylcatechol), which was synthesized by hydrolysis of lead 3,6-di-tert-butylcatecholate in acetone, was established by X-ray diffraction. A series of lead(II) o-semiquinone complexes, which were prepared by the addition of the phenoxyl radical to lead catecholates or by oxidation of the latter with mercury(II), copper(II), or silver(I) halides, were studied by the ESR method. Lead(II) mono-o-semiquinolate complexes undergo symmetrization to form stable bis-o-semiquinolates, which were isolated and characterized in individual state. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1103–1111, July, 2006.