We present the up to now strongest chelating neutral pincer ligand for the simplest electrophile of chemistry, the proton. Two novel bisphosphazene proton sponges, 1,8-bis(trispyrrolidinophosphazenyl)naphthalene (TPPN) and its higher homologue P2-TPPN, were obtained via a Staudinger reaction and investigated concerning their structural features and basic properties by experimental and computational means. They exhibit experimental pK(BH)(+) values in acetonitrile of 32.3 and 42.1, respectively, exceeding the existing basicitiy record for proton sponges by more than 10 orders of magnitude. We show that Schwesinger's concept of homologization of phosphazene bases and Alder's concept of proton chelation in a constrained geometry regime of basic centers can be combined in the design of highly basic nonionic superbases of pincer type.
Metal-metal bonding in heterobimetallic complexes is of fundamental interest due to its implications to both bonding theory and new reactivities. In this Concept, structurally authenticated molecular compounds with direct bonds between rare-earth metals or actinoids and transition or main group metals are summarized. Special attention is given to the use of bond polarity as a tool for designing molecular intermetalloids incorporating rare-earth atoms and transition metals.
Herein we describe an easily accessible class of superbasic proton sponges based on the 1,8-bisphosphazenylnaphthalene (PN) proton pincer motif and P-alkyl substituents ranging from methyl (TMPN) to n-butyl (TBPN), isopropyl (TiPrPN) and cyclopentyl (TcyPPN). These neutral bases with a pK(BH)(+) value (MeCN) of ~30 were accessible via a Kirsanov condensation using commercially available 1,8-diaminonaphthalene, and in case of TMPN and TBPN, simple one-pot procedures starting from trisalkylphosphanes can be performed. Furthermore, the known pyrrolidinyl-substituted superbase TPPN previously synthesized via a Staudinger reaction could also be prepared by the Kirsanov strategy allowing its preparation in a larger scale. The four alkyl-substituted proton sponges were structurally characterized in their protonated form; molecular XRD structures were also obtained for unprotonated TiPrPN and TcyPPN. Moreover, we present a detailed description of spectroscopic features of chelating bisphosphazenes including TPPN and its hyperbasic homologue P2-TPPN on which we reported recently. The four alkyl-substituted superbases were investigated with respect to their basic features by computational means and by NMR titration experiments revealing unexpectedly high experimental pK(BH)(+) values in acetonitrile between 29.3 for TMPN and 30.9 for TBPN. Besides their thermodynamic basicity, we exemplarily studied the kinetic basicity of TMPN and TPPN by means of NMR-spectroscopic methods. Furthermore, the competing nucleophilic versus basic properties were examined by reacting the proton sponges with ethyl iodide. Insight into the coordination chemistry of chelating superbases was provided by reacting TMPN with trimethylaluminum and trimethylgallium to give cationic complexes of Group XIII metal alkyls that were structurally characterized.
New salts based on imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, phosphonium, guanidinium, and ammonium cations together with the 5-cyanotetrazolide anion [C2 N5 ](-) are reported. Depending on the nature of cation-anion interactions, characterized by XRD, the ionic liquids (ILs) have a low viscosity and are liquid at room temperature or have higher melting temperatures. Thermogravimetric analysis, cyclic voltammetry, viscosimetry, and impedance spectroscopy display a thermal stability up to 230 °C, an electrochemical window of 4.5 V, a viscosity of 25 mPa s at 20 °C, and an ionic conductivity of 5.4 mS cm(-1) at 20 °C for the IL 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium 5-cyanotetrazolide [BMPyr][C2 N5 ]. On the basis of these results, the synthesized compounds are promising electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.
The chemistry of coinage metal bis(triflyl)imides of technological interest, CuNTf(2) and AgNTf(2), their synthesis and complexes with excess of comparatively weakly coordinating NTf(2)(-) as well as with ether, olefins, and the arene mesitylene are described. The existence of the solvent-free pure phase [CuNTf(2)](∞) has not been evidenced so far. Contrary to the literature, in which the preparation of [CuNTf(2)](∞) is supposed to be carried out by reacting mesityl copper, [Cu(Mes)](5), and HNTf(2), we found that in fact this reaction leads reproducibly to the interesting copper diarene sandwich complex [Cu(η(3)-MesH)(2)][Cu(NTf(2))(2)] (1) (MesH = 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene). The unexpectedly stable molecular etherate [Cu(Et(2)O)(NTf(2))] (2) turned out to be the best precursor for CuNTf(2) having only an inert and easily exchangeable solvent ligand. The coordination mode of NTf(2)(-) in 1 and 2 as well as in the hitherto unknown crystalline phase of [AgNTf(2)](∞) (3) is described. The complex formation, which takes place when dissolving 2 or 3 in the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) [emim]NTf(2) ([emim](+) = 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium), has been studied. Furthermore, the reaction of 1-3 towards the diolefins 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD), 2,5-norbornadiene (NBD) and isoprene (2-methylbuta-1,3-diene) and towards ethylene has been investigated. The products 4-13 of these conversions have been isolated and fully characterized by NMR- and IR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry, and elemental- and XRD analyses. The potential of [Cu(η(3)-MesH)(2)][Cu(NTf(2))(2)] (1), [Cu(Et(2)O)(NTf(2))] (2) and [AgNTf(2)](∞) (3) as well as of [emim][M(NTf(2))(2)] (M = Cu 4, Ag 5) as chemisorbers for ethylene was studied by NMR spectroscopy.
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