Alexander G. Morozov

Addition of Alkynes to a Gallium Bis‐Amido Complex: Imitation of Transition‐Metal‐Based Catalytic Systems

Acetylene, phenylacetylene, and alkylbutynoates add reversibly to (dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian) (dpp-bian=1,2-bis[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imino]acenaphthene) to give addition products [dpp-bian(R(1)C=CR(2))]Ga-Ga[(R(2)C=CR(1))dpp-bian]. The alkyne adds across the Ga-N-C section, which results in new carbon-carbon and carbon-gallium bonds. The adducts were characterized by electron absorption, IR, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy and their molecular structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. According to the X-ray data, a change in the coordination number of gallium from three [in (dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian)] to four (in the adducts) results in elongation of the metal-metal bond by approximately 0.13 Å. The adducts undergo a facile alkynes elimination at elevated temperatures. The equilibrium between [dpp-bian(PhC=CH)]Ga-Ga[(HC=CPh)dpp-bian] and [(dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian) + 2 PhC≡CH] in toluene solution was studied by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The equilibrium constants at various temperatures (298≤T≤323 K) were determined, from which the thermodynamic parameters for the phenylacetylene elimination were calculated (ΔG°=2.4 kJ mol(-1), ΔH°=46.0 kJ mol(-1), ΔS°=146.0 J K(-1) mol(-1)). The reactivity of (dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian) towards alkynes permits use as a catalyst for carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. The bisgallium complex was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the hydroamination of phenylacetylene with anilines. For instance, with [(dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian)] (2 mol%) in benzene more than 99% conversion of PhNH(2) and PhC≡CH into PhN=C(Ph)CH(3) was achieved in 16 h at 90 °C. Under similar conditions, the reaction of 1-aminoanthracene with PhC≡CH catalyzed by (dpp-bian)Ga-Ga(dpp-bian) formed a carbon-carbon bond to afford 1-amino-2-(1-phenylvinyl)anthracene in 99% yield.

Genuine Redox Isomerism in a Rare‐Earth‐Metal Complex

Redox isomerism is observed for a lanthanide complex for the first time. Upon lowering the temperature, an electron of [{(dpp-bian)Yb(μ-Cl)(dme)}(2)] (1) is transferred from the metal to the ligand (see picture), giving rise to marked shortening of Yb-N bonds and a hysteretic jump in the magnetic moment. The crystal packing is of a crucial importance, as two other crystal modifications of 1 do not undergo this effect.

Hydroamination of alkynes with aromatic amines catalyzed by digallane (dpp-bian)Ga—Ga(dpp-bian)

Digallane (dpp-bian)Ga—Ga(dpp-bian) (1) (dpp-bian is the 1,2-bis[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene) catalyzes the addition of 4-chloroaniline to some terminal alkynes RC≡CH (R = Bun, Ph, 4-MeC6H4). The reaction orders in each of the substrates were found for the reaction of phenylacetylene with 4-chloroaniline catalyzed by compound 1. The reaction of compound 1 with phenylacetylene in a molar ratio of 1: 10 led to 1-[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]-2-(1-phenylethylidene)acenaphthene (5) and the compound [C12H6(NC6H3Pr2i)(PhC=CH2)(PhC=CH)]Ga(C≡CPh)2 (6). The reaction of digallane 1 with phenylacetylene and aniline in a stoichiometric ratio of 1: 2: 2 gave bis-anilide (dpp-bian)-Ga[N(H)Ph]2 (7) in 40% yield. The compound (PhC≡C)3Ga·THF (9) was obtained by the reaction of three equivalents of sodium phenylacetylide (prepared in situ from phenylacetylene and sodium) with one equivalent of GaCl3 in tetrahydrofuran. Compounds 5—7 and 9 were characterized by IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize products 5, 6, and 9, whereas EPR spectroscopy was used for amide 7. The structures of compounds 5—7 and 9 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.