The monomeric Cu(I) complexes (IPr)Cu(Z) (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, Z = NHPh, OEt, or OPh) react with YH (Y = PhNH, PhCH2NH, EtO, or PhO) to catalytically add Y-H bonds across the C=C bond of electron-deficient olefins to yield anti-Markovnikov organic products. Catalytic activity has been observed for olefins CH2C(H)(X) with X = CN, C(O)Me, or CO2Me as well as crotononitrile. Preliminary studies implicate an intermediate in which the C-Y bond forms through a nucleophilic addition pathway.

Monomeric copper(I) alkyl complexes that possess the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands IPr, SIPr, and IMes [IPr ) 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, SIPr ) 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene, IMes ) 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene] react with amines or alcohols to release alkane and form the corresponding monomeric copper(I) amido, alkoxide, or aryloxide complexes. Thermal decomposition reactions of (NHC)Cu I methyl complexes at temperatures between 100 and 130°C produce methane, ethane, and ethylene. The reactions of (NHC)Cu(NHPh) complexes with bromoethane reveal increasing nucleophilic reactivity at the anilido ligand in the order (SIPr)Cu(NHPh) < (IPr)Cu(NHPh) < (IMes)Cu(NHPh) < (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) [dtbpe ) 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethane]. DFT calculations suggest that the HOMO for the series of Cu anilido complexes is localized primarily on the amido nitrogen with some pπ anilido −dπ Cu π*-character. [(IPr)Cu(µ-H)] 2 and (IPr)Cu(Ph) react with aniline to quantitatively produce (IPr)Cu(NHPh)/dihydrogen and (IPr)Cu(NHPh)/benzene, respectively. Analysis of the DFT calculations reveals that the conversion of [(IPr)Cu(µ-H)] 2 and aniline to (IPr)Cu(NHPh) and dihydrogen is favorable with ∆H ≈ −7 kcal/mol and ∆G ≈ −9 kcal/mol.

Synthesis and isolation of the Cu(I) amido complex (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) (dtbpe = 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethane) is accomplished upon reaction of [(dtbpe)Cu(mu-Cl)](2) with LiNHPh. The anilido complex has been fully characterized by IR spectroscopy and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy as well as by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Salient features of the solid-state structure include an amido orientation that allows pi-interaction of the nitrogen-based lone pair with both the empty copper p-orbital and the pi-system of the phenyl substituent. A solid-state X-ray diffraction study of [(dtbpe)Cu(NH(2)Ph)][BF(4)] has allowed a direct comparison of the structural features upon conversion of the amine ligand to an amido. The reactivity of the amido ligand of (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) is consistent with nucleophilic character. For example, the formation of Ph(3)CNHPh is observed upon treatment with [Ph(3)C][BF(4)], and reaction at room temperature with EtX (X = Br or I) yields N-ethylaniline. The reactivity of (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) is compared to that of the octahedral and d(6) complex TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NHPh) (Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate).