Alex R. Petrov

The use of 1,2-dipiperidinoacetylene for the preparation of monometallic diaminoacetylene and homo- or heterobimetallic diaminodicarbene ruthenium(II) complexes

The reaction of the ynediamine 1,2-dipiperidinoacetylene (1) with [(η(2)-COE)Cr(CO)(5)], [(THF)W(CO)(5)] and [RuCl(2)(η(6)-cymene)](2) afforded homobimetallic complexes 2a, 2b and 3, in which the diaminoacetylene 1 acts as a bis(aminocarbene) ligand by bridging two complex fragments Cr(CO)(5) (in 2a), W(CO)(5) (in 2b) and RuCl(2)(η(6)-cymene) (in 3). The reaction of 1 with [RuCl(2)(PPh(3))(3)] gave trans-[(1)RuCl(PPh(3))(2)]Cl, [4]Cl, in which the alkyne 1 coordinates as a 4-electron donor ligand. The cation 4 represents a rare example of a square-planar Ru(II) complex with a low-spin ground state (S = 0), and its stability can be ascribed to the strong alkyne-metal π-interaction as confirmed by DFT calculations. Treatment with one or two equivalents of NaBPh(4) in acetonitrile gave [4]BPh(4) and the dicationic [(1)Ru(PPh(3))(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)](BPh(4))(2), [5](BPh(4))(2). [4]Cl can be used for the preparation of heterobimetallic Ru-Pd bis(aminocarbene) complexes by reaction with [(MeCN)(2)PdCl(2)], resulting in the formation of bimetallic 6 and tetrametallic 7.

Elucidating the Reactivity of Vicinal Dicarbenoids: From Lewis Adduct Formation to B-C Bond Activation.

The reactivity of the diaminoacetylene Pip-C≡C-Pip (Pip=piperidyl=NC5 H10 ) towards phenyldichloro- and triphenylborane is presented. In the case of the less Lewis acidic PhBCl2 , the first example of a double Lewis adduct of a vicinal dicarbenoid is reported. For the more Lewis acidic triphenylborane, coordination to the bifunctional carbene leads to a mild B-C bond activation, resulting in a syn-1,2-carboboration. Ensuing cis/trans isomerization yields a novel ethylene-bridged frustrated Lewis pair (FLP). The compounds were characterized using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, structural analysis, and mass spectrometry. Reactivity studies of both isomers with the N-heterocyclic carbene 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene (IMe) aided in elucidating the proposed isomerization pathway. DFT calculations were carried out to elucidate the reaction mechanism. The rather low free energy of activation is consistent with the observation that the reaction proceeds smoothly at room temperature.