Redox-active tetrahydrosalen (salan) complexes of titanium

A diarylamino-substituted N-methyl tetrahydrosalen (salan) ligand, (An2N)LH(2), is prepared in four steps and overall 53% yield from 5-bromosalicylaldehyde, with the key step a palladium-catalysed Hartwig-Buchwald amination of the tert-butyldimethylsilyl-protected 5-bromo-N-methylsalan ligand. Reaction of (An2N)LH(2) or its bromo analogue with Ti(O(i)Pr)(4) or TiF(4) results in metalation of the ligand. The isopropoxide groups are readily exchanged with α- or β-hydroxyacids to form chelated complexes. X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy indicate that the salan ligands are quite flexible, with (An2N)LTiF(2), for example, showing four stereoisomers in its (19)F NMR spectrum. The major stereoisomer of (salan)Ti(X)(Y) depends principally on the trans influence of the X and Y groups. Complexes of (An2N)L show two reversible, closely spaced redox couples at approximately + 0.1 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium, and a second set of two closely spaced redox couples at ~ + 0.8 V vs. Fc/Fc(+).