Raúl García-Rodríguez

Molybdenum carbonyl complexes with pyridylimino acidato ligands

Reactions of [Mo(CO)4(pip)2] with pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and the appropriate amino ester or amino acid produce complexes with chelated pyridylimino ligands bearing, respectively, an ester (1) or carboxylate (2a,b, 4, 5a,b) pendant arm, the structures of which have been determined by X-ray crystallography. In the case of alpha-amino acids, the resulting imino carboxylate complexes are unstable towards decarboxylation, this being complete for (R)-2-phenylglycine. The products of decarboxylation 3a-c were isolated and characterized, including X-ray structure determinations for and . In contrast, the derivatives of beta-alanine (4) and 3- and 4-aminobenzoic acids (5a,b) are stable towards decarboxylation. The structure determinations show that the pyridyliminocarboxylate complexes crystallize as salts with piperidinium cations, forming hydrogen-bonded ion-pair dimers featuring twelve- or eight-membered rings. Protonation of carboxylate complexes with 2 M HCl in CH2Cl2/water yields the corresponding neutral complexes 6a,b containing a free carboxylic acid functionality.

Stereoselective Aldol Addition to Rhenium(I) Complexes and Reversible Dimerization with Epimerization of the Metal Center

Herein, we report several examples of stereoselective aldol additions of aldehydes or ketones to ReI tricarbonyl complexes to form monomeric derivatives in good yields. The metal-centered chirality defines the final stereochemistry of the carbon atom of the monomeric ReI complex after the addition. However, it cannot control the resulting stereochemistry of the enolate part, and thus, if the α-carbon atom of the reagent is prochiral, a mixture of diastereoisomers is obtained. On the other hand, all of the monomeric complexes can be reversibly dimerized in basic media to form cis dimers, for which an epimerization of the metal-centered chirality is required in order to avoid steric congestion. All of these results are supported by exhaustive crystallographic analysis.

Macrocycle formation by proton-template-induced dimerization of complexes with (alkoxoimino)pyridine.

The existence of a strong hydrogen bond between two molecules of an (alkoxoimino)pyridinemanganese(I) complex induces their dimerization and the formation of a metallamacrocycle. The expected intramolecular attack of the alkoxo moiety is disfavored.

Designing the Macrocyclic Dimension in Main Group Chemistry.

Outside the confines and well-established domain of organic chemistry, the systematic building of large macromolecular arrangements based on non-carbon elements represents a significant and exciting challenge. Our aim in the past two decades has been to develop robust synthetic methods to construct new types of main group architectures in a methodical way, principles of design that parallel those used in the organic arena. This Concept article addresses the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic problems involved in the design and synthesis of main group macrocycles and looks to future developments of macromolecules in this area, as well as new applications in coordination chemistry.

Flexible Bonding of the Phosph(V)azane Dianions [S(E)P(µ-NtBu)]22-

Oxidation of the PIII dianion [S-P(μ-NtBu)]22- (1) with elemental sulphur, selenium and tellurium gives the PV dianions [(S)(E)P(μ-NtBu)]22- (E = S (6 a), Se (6 b), Te (6 c)). Although 6 c proves to be too unstable, the S,S-dianion 6 a and ambidentate S,Se-dianion 6 b are readily transferred intact to main group and transition metal elements, producing a range of new cage and coordination compounds. While their coordination characteristics are in many ways similar to closely-related isoelectronic phosph(V)azane anions [(E)(RN=)P(μ-NtBu)]22- , the sterically unhindered nature of 6 introduces an expanded range of coordination modes, that is, facial S,S- and Se,Se-bonding as well as side-on S,Se-coordination. All of these bonding modes are observed for the amibidentate S,Se dianion 6 b.

How Changing the Bridgehead Can Affect the Properties of Tripodal Ligands.

Although a multitude of studies have explored the coordination chemistry of classical tripodal ligands containing a range of main-group bridgehead atoms or groups, it is not clear how periodic trends affect ligand character and reactivity within a single ligand family. A case in point is the extensive family of neutral tris-2-pyridyl ligands E(2-py)3 (E=C-R, N, P), which are closely related to archetypal tris-pyrazolyl borates. With the 6-methyl substituted ligands E(6-Me-2-py)3 (E=As, Sb, Bi) in hand, the effects of bridgehead modification alone on descending a single group in the periodic table were assessed. The primary influence on coordination behaviour is the increasing Lewis acidity (electropositivity) of the bridgehead atom as Group 15 is descended, which not only modulates the electron density on the pyridyl donor groups but also introduces the potential for anion selective coordination behaviour.

Pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde as ligand: Synthesis and derivatization of carbonyl complexes

Thermally induced carbonyl substitutions on [M(CO)5X] (M=Mn, X=Cl, Br; M=Re, X=Br) or room temperature displacement of acetonitrile from [Mo(eta3-methallyl)Cl(CO)2(NCMe)2] produce stable crystalline complexes containing pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde (pyca) as chelate kappa2(N,O) ligands (). These react with ethylglycine to afford iminopyridine complexes containing an amino ester pendant arm in high-yield. Treatment with silver salts produce halide abstraction affording neutral complexes containing coordinated perchlorate or triflate which can be replaced by triphenyl phosphine to give cationic complexes . As confirmed by spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography the pyca ligand remains bonded as chelate kappa2(N,O) throughout these processes.

Copper Complexes in the Promotion of Aldol Addition to Pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde: Synthesis of Homo- and Heteroleptic Complexes and Stereoselective Double Aldol Addition

CuCl2·2H2O and Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O are able to promote aldol addition of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde (pyca) with acetone, acetophenone, or cyclohexenone under neutral and mild conditions. The general and simple one-pot procedure for the aldol addition to Cu(II) complexes accesses novel Cu complexes with a large variety of different structural motifs, from which the aldol-addition ligand can be liberated by treatment with NH3. Neutral heteroleptic complexes in which the ligand acts as bidentate, or homoleptic cationic complexes in which the ligand acts as tridentate can be obtained depending on the copper salt used. The key step in these reactions is the coordination of pyca to copper, which increases the electrophilic character of the aldehyde, with Cu(ClO4)2 leading to a higher degree of activation than CuCl2, as predicted by DFT calculations. A regio- and stereoselective double aldol addition of pyca in the reaction of Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O with acetone leads to the formation of a dimer copper complex in which the novel double aldol addition product acts as a pentadentate ligand. A possible mechanism is discussed. The work is supported by extensive crystallographic studies.

Postfunctionalization of Tris(pyridyl) Aluminate Ligands: Chirality, Coordination, and Supramolecular Chemistry

Postfunctionalization of the aluminate anion [EtAl(6-Me-2-py)3 ]- (1) (2-py=2-pyridyl) with alkoxide ligands can be achieved by the selective reactions of the lithium salt 1 Li with alcohols in the appropriate stoichiometry. This method can be used to introduce 3- and 4-py functionality in the form of 3- and 4-alkoxymethylpyridyl groups, while maintaining the integrity of the aluminate framework, thereby giving entry to new supramolecular chemistry. Chirality can be introduced either by using a chiral alcohol as a reactant or by the stepwise reaction of 1 Li with two different nonchiral alcohols. The latter route has allowed the synthesis of a rare example of a chiral-at-aluminium aluminate.

Synthesis and extensive characterisation of phosphorus doped graphite

The pyrolysis of 1,2-diphosphinobenzene at 800 °C gives a phosphorus-doped graphite (P-DG) with an unprecedented high phosphorus content, ca. 20 at%. In contrast with previously studied boron and nitrogen doped graphite materials, thorough characterisation and analysis of this material demonstrates that it is extensively disordered and contains substitutional P-atoms along with PO units in the host graphitic lattice, as well as P4 molecules trapped between the graphitic sheets. This represents a stabilised form of P4, which has been shown to covalently bind to lithium as Li3P in this material.