Synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical cyclic diborenes NHC-directed C-H borylation.

Cyclic diborenes are recognized for their diverse reactivity and properties arising partly due to their ring strain. However, progress in this field has been relatively slow due to the unavailability of suitable synthons for their synthesis. In this study, we describe the synthesis of both symmetrical and unsymmetrical cyclic diborenes using an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) as a chelating agent.

Synthesis of base-free boriranes and their conversion to borirenes using strong reductant.

Boriranes, highly strained three-membered cyclic organoboron heterocycles, have emerged as potential synthons for the synthesis of many organoboron species. However, the synthesis of boriranes with tricoordinate, sp-hybridised boron and tetracoordinate, sp-hybridised carbon atoms is very challenging owing to their high Lewis acidity. Herein we describe the isolation of base-free triaminoboriranes from the room-temperature reaction of diaminoalkynes with an aminodistannylborane.

A Discrete Trialane with a Near-Linear Al Axis.

The presence of inherent electronic unsaturation in aluminum predominantly results in the formation of aluminum clusters, with very few examples of compounds containing discrete chains of aluminum atoms in existence. In this work, we present the successful synthesis and structural authentication of a highly unusual trialane species with a near-linear chain of three Al atoms, alongside a carbene-stabilized aluminyl anion ([LAlR]), an alternative product produced by varying the reaction conditions. Quantum-chemical calculations have been applied to elucidate the electronic structure and bonding of these novel compounds.

Construction of a Boron Chain on a Single Metal by Dehydrocoupling of Borane Ligands.

Borane coordination, B-H borane bond activation, and borane catenation via metal-mediated dehydrocoupling to form electron-precise B-B bonds are reported. The reaction of -[M(IMes)Cl] (M = W, Mo) (IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) with borates Li[BHR] (R = Mes, Dur; Mes = 2,4,6-MeCH and Dur = 2,3,5,6-MeCH) afforded the complexes [M(IMes)(η-HBR)(η-HBR)] (M = W: R = Mes , R = Dur ; M = Mo: R = Mes , R = Dur ). Three borane ligands are coordinated in to the group 6 metal atom via five (σ-B-H) bonds.

Transition-metal-like coordination chemistry of dicoordinate borylenes with organic azides.

The photolytic or oxidative liberation of a cyclic (amino)(alkyl)carbene (CAAC)-stabilized arylborylene in the presence of organoazides yielded borylene-organoazide complexes (4a,b) has been achieved in a manner akin to the first step of the Staudinger reaction. Similarly, a CAAC-stabilized aminoborylene also afforded borylene-organoazide complexes (6a-c), which further undergo rearrangement to produce aminoborane triazene species (7a,b).

All-Inorganic sp-Chain Ligands: Isoelectronic B/N Analogues of E. O. Fischer's Alkynylcarbynes.

Borylation of a tungsten-bound N ligand and halide abstraction provides access to a cationic complex with an unprecedented linear NNBR ligand. This complex undergoes [3+2] cycloaddition with azides, and an unexpected chain-extension reaction with an iminoborane, leading to a complex with a five-atom B/N chain. These two [NNBR]-containing complexes, inorganic analogues of E.

Trapping of a Terminal Intermediate in the Boron-Mediated Dinitrogen Reduction: Mono-, Tri-, and Tetrafunctionalized Hydrazines in Two Steps from N.

The addition of chlorotrimethylsilane to a boron-mediated, transition-metal-free N activation reaction leads to the isolation of multiple potassium boryl(silyl)hydrazido species, likely trapping products of a terminal dinitrogen complex of boron. One of these silylated N species can be protonated or methylated, providing access to mono- to tetrafunctionalized hydrazines in two steps from N and in the absence of transition metals.

Bypassing Ammonia: From N to Nitrogen Heterocycles without N Intermediates or Transition Metals.

Diboradiazene compounds, derived in one step from the boron-mediated reduction of dinitrogen (N), were treated separately with sulfur and acetic anhydride, providing heterocyclic compounds that are BN isosteres of thiophene and 1,3-oxazole, respectively. These simple reactions represent the final steps in two-step routes to complex heterocycles from N that both circumvent the need for transition metal reagents and completely bypass the traditional intermediate ammonia.

Synthesis and Reactivity of a Dialane-Bridged Diradical.

Radicals of the lightest group 13 element, boron, are well established and observed in numerous forms. In contrast to boron, radical chemistry involving the heavier group 13 elements (aluminum, gallium, indium, and thallium) remains largely underexplored, primarily attributed to the formidable synthetic challenges associated with these elements. Herein, we report the synthesis and isolation of planar and twisted conformers of a doubly CAAC (cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene)-radical-substituted dialane.

Hydrosilylation of BB triple bonds: catalyst- and reductant-free construction of B-Si bonds and BSi heterocycles.

Hydrosilanes undergo mild, uncatalyzed single and double 1,2-addition across the B-B triple bonds of diborynes, leading to an unsymmetrical silyldiborene and compounds with novel non-cluster three-membered BSi rings. The reactions are a new addition to the very few catalyst- and alkali-metal-free methods available for the construction of B-Si bonds.

Stepwise and selective synthesis of chelating, multimetallic and mixed-metal π-diborene complexes.

The reaction of a pyridyl-substituted, doubly Lewis base-stabilised diborene with different amounts of copper(I) precursors led to the formation of the first chelating π-diborene complexes, the first π-diborene complexes in which metals are bound to both faces of the BB bond, and the first mixed-metal π-diborene species.

Electron-Precise Dicationic Tetraboranes: Syntheses, Structures and Rearrangement to an Alkylidene Borate-Borenium Zwitterion and a 1,3-Azaborinine.

Carbene-stabilized symmetrical and unsymmetrical dicationic tetraboranes, featuring an electron-precise tetraborane chain, were synthesized and fully characterized. Reactions of these tetraboranes with reductants/bases give rise to different outcomes according to the conditions employed, including: 1) reduction and rearrangement of the tetraborane chain to give a zwitterionic alkylidene borate-borenium species; 2) cleavage of the tetraborane chain to afford a 1,3-azaborinine; and 3) reduction of the supporting ligands to provide a diamino dipotassium salt. The zwitterionic alkylidene borate-borenium species can be viewed as an analogue of the base-stabilized diborenes.

A step-for-step main-group replica of the Fischer carbene synthesis at a borylene carbonyl.

The Fischer carbene synthesis, involving the conversion of a transition metal (TM)-bound CO ligand to a carbene ligand of the form [=C(OR')R] (R, R' = organyl groups), is one of the seminal reactions in the history of organometallic chemistry. Carbonyl complexes of p-block elements, of the form [E(CO)] (E = main-group fragment), are much less abundant than their TM cousins; this scarcity and the general instability of low-valent p-block species means that replicating the historical reactions of TM carbonyls is often very difficult. Here we present a step-for-step replica of the Fischer carbene synthesis at a borylene carbonyl involving nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl carbon followed by electrophilic quenching at the resultant acylate oxygen atom.

Thienyl-Substituted Diboranes(4): Electronic Stabilization of Radicals Versus Increased Reactivity towards Bond Activation.

Low-valent main group chemistry involves a balancing act between steric and electronic stabilization of the electron-rich low oxidation state main group centers and their desired reactivity. Herein we show that the combination of sterically shielding mesityl and rotationally flexible 2-thienyl groups, the latter having the potential to be either electronically stabilizing or activating, at a diborane(4) provides a platform for both radical anion stabilization and unusual bond activation and rearrangement reactions. The addition of a Lewis base to a 1,2-dimesityl-1,2-dithienyldiborane(4) (1) results in direct and unprecedented C-H borylation of one thienyl substituent with cleavage of the B-B bond.

Metal-Free Intermolecular C-H Borylation of N-Heterocycles at B-B Multiple Bonds.

Carbene-stabilized diborynes of the form LBBL (L=N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene (CAAC)) induce rapid, high yielding, intermolecular ortho-C-H borylation at N-heterocycles at room temperature. A simple pyridyldiborene is formed when an NHC-stabilized diboryne is combined with pyridine, while a CAAC-stabilized diboryne leads to activation of two pyridine molecules to give a tricyclic alkylideneborane, which can be forced to undergo a further H-shift resulting in a zwitterionic, doubly benzo-fused 1,3,2,5-diazadiborinine by heating. Use of the extended N-heteroaromatic quinoline leads to a borylmethyleneborane under mild conditions via an unprecedented boron-carbon exchange process.

A rigid redox-active-ligand-supported bis(germylene) as a two-centre six-electron donor.

A naphthyridine diimine (NDI) supported bis(germylene) NDI-Ge containing two dicoordinate, coplanar Ge(II) atoms has been synthesised. Computational investigations on NDI-Ge indicated the two Ge(II) atoms are nearly independent. The EDA-NOCV analysis of the [NDI-Ge][Fe(CO)] complex revealed the six-electron donor behavior of NDI-Ge, the first example for group-14-element-based bidentate ligands.

Stepwise reduction of a base-stabilised ferrocenyl aluminium(iii) dihalide for the synthesis of structurally-diverse dialane species.

We report the reduction of bulky ferrocenyl-based NHC-stabilised aluminium(iii) diiodide [Fc*(NHC)AlI] (Fc* = 2,5-bis(3,5-di--butylphenyl)-1-ferrocenyl) in different hydrocarbon solvents (hexane, benzene, toluene, and -xylene), which results in different outcomes. Reduction in hexane with an equivalent amount of KC generates the diiododialane [(Fc*(NHC)AlI)], whereas complete reduction in hexane leads to an unusual C-H activation at an N-Me group of one NHC unit. In contrast, reaction in aromatic solvents result in hitherto unknown Birch-type reductions of the corresponding solvent molecules by transient aluminium radicals of the type [LAlR]˙, which is ultimately bound to two aluminium centers.

Structure and bonding of proximity-enforced main-group dimers stabilized by a rigid naphthyridine diimine ligand.

The development of ligands capable of effectively stabilizing highly reactive main-group species has led to the experimental realization of a variety of systems with fascinating properties. In this work, we computationally investigate the electronic, structural, energetic, and bonding features of proximity-enforced group 13-15 homodimers stabilized by a rigid expanded pincer ligand based on the 1,8-naphthyridine (napy) core. We show that the redox-active naphthyridine diimine (NDI) ligand enables a wide variety of structural motifs and element-element interaction modes, the latter ranging from isolated, element-centered lone pairs (e.

Heterobimetallic μ-halocarbyne complexes.

The halocarbyne complexes [M(CX)(CO)(Tp*)] (M = Mo, W; X = Cl, Br; Tp* = hydrotris(dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) react with [AuCl(SMe)], [Pt(η-HCCH)(PPh)] or [Pt(η-nbe)] (nbe = norbornene) to furnish rare examples of μ-halocarbyne complexes [MAu(μ-CX)Cl(CO)(Tp*)], [MPt(μ-CCl)(CO)(PPh)(Tp*)] and [WPt(μ-CCl)(CO)(Tp*)]. The complex [WPt(μ-CCl)(CO)(PPh)(Tp*)] spontaneously rearranges to the μ-carbido complex [WPt(μ-C)Cl(CO)(PPh)(Tp*)] during silica-gel chromatography. One phosphine ligand of [WPt(μ-CCl)(CO)(PPh)(Tp*)] is readily substituted by CO to afford [WPt(μ-CCl)(CO)(PPh)(Tp*)].

Generation of a transient base-stabilised arylalumylene for the facile deconstruction of aromatic molecules.

While a stable base-free arylalumylene bearing a sterically encumbered terphenyl substituent has been reported previously, we herein report that our attempts to form a base-stabilised arylalumylene bearing a relatively small terphenyl substituent and an -heterocyclic carbene base led instead to a "masked" dialumene (LRAl[double bond, length as m-dash]AlRL), self-stabilised by one peripheral aromatic group. Intriguingly, examining the behavior of this species or its transient dialumene formed from reducing the diiodoarylalane in aromatic solvents under different conditions reveals that they both decouple into the desired base-stabilised arylalumylene. This transient acyclic, dicoordinate alumylene is highly reactive, deconstructing benzene and toluene to furnish dialuminium derivatives of pentalene, providing the first example of a neutral Al compound able to deconstruct these less reactive arenes.

Can a Wanzlick-like equilibrium exist between dicoordinate borylenes and diborenes?

Boron chemistry has experienced tremendous progress in the last few decades, resulting in the isolation of a variety of compounds with remarkable electronic structures and properties. Some examples are the singly Lewis-base-stabilised borylenes, wherein boron has a formal oxidation state of +I, and their dimers featuring a boron-boron double bond, namely diborenes. However, no evidence of a Wanzlick-type equilibrium between borylenes and diborenes, which would open a valuable route to the latter compounds, has been found.

Probing the Potential of Hitherto Unexplored Base-Stabilized Borylenes in Dinitrogen Binding.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Felipe Fantuzzi, Holger Braunschweig, Ashwini K. Phukan and co-workers at the University of Kent, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and Tezpur University. The image depicts a borylene "fishing" for a molecule of nitrogen.

Probing the Potential of Hitherto Unexplored Base-Stabilized Borylenes in Dinitrogen Binding.

Computational investigations were carried out to probe the potential of several dicoordinate, singly base-stabilized borylenes of the form [L→BR] (L=neutral Lewis base) in dinitrogen binding. The calculated reaction free energies and activation barriers associated with the formation of mono- and diborylene-N adducts suggest the presence of thermally surmountable kinetic barriers towards their possible isolation. Our results show that the exergonicity of dinitrogen activation and fixation is linearly dependent on the natural charge at the boron center, which can be tuned to design novel boron-based compounds with potential applications to small-molecule activation.

Evidence for Borylene Carbonyl (LHB═C═O) and Base-Stabilized (LHB═O) and Base-Free Oxoborane (RB≡O) Intermediates in the Reactions of Diborenes with CO.

Doubly N-heterocyclic-carbene-stabilized diborenes undergo facile reactions with CO, initially providing dibora-β-lactones. These lactones convert over time to their 2,4-diboraoxetan-3-one isomers through a presumed dissociative pathway and hypovalent boron species borylene carbonyls (LHB═C═O) and base-stabilized oxoboranes (LHB═O). Repeating these reactions with doubly cyclic(alkyl)(amino)carbene-stabilized diborenes allowed the isolation of a borylene carbonyl intermediate, whereas a base-stabilized oxoborane could be inferred by the isolation of a boroxine from the reaction mixture.

An Unsymmetrical, Cyclic Diborene Based on a Chelating CAAC Ligand and its Small-Molecule Activation and Rearrangement Chemistry.

A one-pot synthesis of a CAAC-stabilized, unsymmetrical, cyclic diborene was achieved via consecutive two-electron reduction steps from an adduct of CAAC and B Br (SMe ) . Theoretical studies revealed that this diborene has a considerably smaller HOMO-LUMO gap than those of reported NHC- and phosphine-supported diborenes. Complexation of the diborene with [AuCl(PCy )] afforded two diborene-Au π complexes, while reaction with DurBH , P and a terminal acetylene led to the cleavage of B-H, P-P, and C-C π bonds, respectively.