We have isolated and structurally characterized a terminal iron nitrido complex supported by a bulky tris(carbene)borate ligand. The electronic structure of this complex reveals that the a1 LUMO (formerly Fe(dz2)) is strongly stabilized by reduced antibonding interactions with the carbene sigma-donor ligands and configurational mixing (hybridization) with higher lying Fe 4s and 4p atomic orbitals. This unusual bonding interaction results in a low-lying Fe nitrido acceptor orbital (LUMO) that possesses electrophilic character. Reaction with PPh3 results in nitrogen atom transfer to the phosphine, supporting a reaction mechanism involving nucleophilic attack of the triphenylphosphine HOMO at the electrophilic LUMO of the iron nitrido complex.

Integrated paramagnetic resonance, utilizing EPR, NMR and ENDOR, of a series of cobalt bis-trispyrazolylborates, Co(Tpx)2, are reported. Systematic substitutions at the ring carbons and on the apical boron provide a unique opportunity to separate through-bond and through-space contributions to the NMR hyperfine shifts for the parent, unsubstituted Tp complex. A simple relationship between the chemical shift difference (δH − δMe) and the contact shift of the proton in that position is developed. This approach allows independent extraction of the isotropic hyperfine coupling, Aiso, for each proton in the molecule. The Co··H contact coupling energies derived from the NMR, together with the known metrics of the compounds, were used to predict the ENDOR couplings at gζ. Proton ENDOR data is presented that shows good agreement with the NMR-derived model. ENDOR signals from all other magnetic nuclei in the complex (14N, coordinating and non-coordinating, 11B and 13C) are also reported.

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Low-temperature deprotonation of the phenylborane dications, PhB(RIm)3OTf2 (R = tBu, Mes), followed by in situ reaction with CoCl2(thf)1.5, results in the formation of the four-coordinate complexes, kappa3-PhB(RIm)3CoCl, in which the metal is supported by tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene-based ligands. The chloride complexes are exceptionally sensitive to acid and can be reversibly protonated to form the zwitterions kappa2-{PhB(RIm)2(RIm.H)}CoCl2. This unexpected reactivity is attributed to the highly basic nature of the tris(carbene)borate ligands. Reaction of the chloride complexes with methylating reagents results in products that depend on the N-heterocyclic carbene substituent. For R = tBu, the four-coordinate high-spin complex, kappa3-PhB(tBuIm)3CoMe, is formed, while for R = Mes, reduction to a multitude of complexes occurs.

The syntheses and full characterization of nickel hydrides containing the PCP "pincer"-type ligand, where PCP = 2,6-C(6)H(3)(CH(2)PR(2))(2) (R = tBu, cHex, and iPr), are reported. These Ni-H complexes are prepared by the conversion of ((R)PCP)NiCl precursors into the corresponding nickel hydrides by use of appropriate hydride donors. Surprisingly, although the ((R)PCP)NiCl precursors are quite similar chemically, the conversions to the hydrides were not straightforward and required different hydride reagents to provide analytically pure products. While NaBH(4) was effective in the preparation of pure ((tBu)PCP)NiH, Super-Hydride solution (LiEt(3)BH in THF) was required to prepare either ((cHex)PCP)NiH or ((iPr)PCP)NiH. Attempts to prepare a Ni-H from ((Ph)PCP)NiCl with a variety of hydride reagents yielded only the free ligand as an identifiable product. Two of the derivatives, tBu and cHex, have also been subjected to single crystal X-ray analysis. The solid-state structures each showed a classic, near-square planar arrangement for Ni in which the PCP ligand occupied three meridional ligand points with the Ni-H trans to the Ni-C bond. The resulting Ni-H bond lengths were 1.42(3) and 1.55(2) A for the tBu and cHex derivatives, respectively.

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In a search for more hydrocarbon solvent soluble derivatives of the parent ligand, 2,6-[Ph(2)P(O)CH(2)](2)C(5)H(3)NO (1a), a series of new ligands, 2,6-[R(2)P(O)CH(2)](2)C(5)H(3)NO [R = Bz (1b); Tol (1c); Et (1d); Pr (1e); Bu (1f); Pn (1g); Hx (1h); Hp (1i); and Oct (1j)] and 2,6-[RR'P(O)CH(2)](2)C(5)H(3)NO [R = Ph, R' = Bz (2a); R = Ph, R' = Me (2b); R = Ph, R' = Hx (2c); R = Ph, R' = Oct (2d)], have been prepared by either Arbusov or Grignard substitutions on 2,6-bis(chloromethyl)pyridine followed by N-oxidation. The new ligands have been characterized by spectroscopic methods, and their coordination chemistry with selected lanthanide ions has been surveyed. Several 1:1 and 2:1 ligand/metal complexes have been isolated, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses for Nd(2a)(NO(3))(3), Er(2a)(NO(3))(3), Yb(1d)(NO(3))(3), and [Nd(1c)(2)](NO(3))(3) are described. The new structural data are discussed in relation to the structures of complexes formed by 1a.

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