The reactions of CpZr(CH(3))(3), 1, and Cp(2)Zr(CH(3))(2), 2, with partially dehydroxylated silica, silica-alumina, and alumina surfaces have been carried out with careful identification of the resulting surface organometallic complexes in order to probe the relationship between catalyst structure and polymerization activity. The characterization of the supported complexes has been achieved in most cases by in situ infrared spectroscopy, surface microanalysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis of evolved gases during surface reactions with labeled surface, solid state (1)H and (13)C NMR using (13)C-enriched compounds, and EXAFS. 1 and 2 react with silica(500) and silica-alumina(500) by simple protonolysis of one Zr-Me bond by surface silanols with formation of a single well-defined neutral compound. In the case of silica-alumina, a fraction of the supported complexes exhibits some interactions with electronically unsaturated surface aluminum sites. 1 and 2 also react with the hydroxyl groups of gamma-alumina(500), leading to several surface structures. Correlation between EXAFS and (13)C NMR data suggests, in short, two main surface structures having different environments for the methyl group: [Al](3)-OZrCp(CH(3))(2) and [Al](2)-OZrCp(CH(3))(mu-CH(3))-[Al] for the monoCp series and [Al](2)-OZrCp(2)(CH(3)) and [Al]-OZrCp(2)(mu-CH(3))-[Al] for the bisCp series. Ethylene polymerization has been carried out with all the supported complexes under various reaction conditions. Silica-supported catalysts in the absence of any cocatalyst exhibited no activity whatsoever for ethylene polymerization. When the oxide contained Lewis acidic sites, the resulting surface species were active. The activity, although improved by the presence of additional cocatalysts, remained very low by comparison with that of the homogeneous metallocene systems. This trend has been interpreted on the basis of various possible parameters, including the (p-pi)-(d-pi) back-donation of surface oxygen atoms to the zirconium center.

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From organosuperbases capable of base-catalyzing organic reactions, through versatile 'ligand-sets' for use in coordination chemistry, to fundamental entities in medicinal chemistry, guanidines are amongst the most interesting, attractive, valuable, and versatile organic molecules. Since the discovery of these compounds, synthetic chemists have developed new methodologies that are mainly based on multi-step and stoichiometric reactions. Despite the fact that these methodologies are still being used by the interested scientific and industrial communities, drawbacks such as the poor availability of precursors, low yields, and use and production of undesirable substances highlight the need for safe, simple and efficient syntheses of these entities. This review focuses on the metal-mediated catalytic addition of amines to carbodiimides as an atom-economical alternative to the classical synthesis.

The preparation of new "scorpionate" ligands in the form of the lithium derivatives [(Li(bdmpzdta)(H(2)O))(4)] (1) [bdmpzdta = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate], [Li(bdphpza)(H(2)O)(THF)] (2) [bdphpza = bis(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate], and [Li(bdphpzdta)(H(2)O)(THF)] (3) [bdphpzdta = bis(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate] has been carried out. Furthermore, a series of titanium complexes has been prepared by reaction of TiCl(4)(THF)(2) with the lithium reagents [(Li(bdmpza)(H(2)O))(4)] (4) [bdmpza = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate] and 1. Under the appropriate experimental conditions neutral complexes, namely [TiCl(3)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)] (5), [TiCl(3)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)] (6), and [TiCl(2)(kappa(2)-bdmpzdta)(2)] (7), and cationic complexes, namely [TiCl(2)(THF)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)]Cl (8) and [TiCl(2)(THF)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)]Cl (9), were isolated. Complexes 8 and 9 undergo an interesting nucleophilic THF ring-opening reaction to give the corresponding alkoxide-containing species [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)(O(CH(2))(4)Cl)] (10) and [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)(O(CH(2))(4)Cl)] (11). A family of alkoxide-containing complexes of general formulas [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)(OR)] [R = Me (12); R = Et (14); R = (i)Pr (16); R = (t)Bu (18)] and [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)(OR)] [R = Me (13); R = Et (15); R = (i)Pr (17)] was also prepared. The structures of these complexes have been determined by spectroscopic methods, and in addition, the X-ray crystal structures of 3, 7, 10, and 11 were also established.

Commercially available products such as ZnEt2 (1), MgBu2 (2), and n-BuLi (3) can act as excellent catalytic precursors for the catalytic addition of amines to carbodiimides. Aromatic primary amines bearing different substituents, secondary amines, and heterocyclic amines can undergo this reaction. The synthesis and structural characterization of the zinc guanidinate complex [Zn(Et){(4-t-BuC6H4)NC(N-i-Pr)(NH-i-Pr)}]2 (15) and the synthesis and characterization of the lithium guanidinate complex [Li{(2,4,6-Me3C6H4)NC(N-i-Pr)(NH-i-Pr)}(THF)] (16), both of which act as catalysts in the guanylation reaction, allowed us to propose a mechanism involving the formation of amido intermediates. These amido compounds subsequently react with the carbodiimide in an insertion process.

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Synthesis of stable hydride isocyanide derivatives Nb(η5-C5H4SiMe3)2(H)(CNR) has been achieved through the formation of coordinatively unsaturated 16-electron species Nb(η5-C5H4SiMe3)2H by thermolytic loss of H2 followed by the coordination of an isocyanide ligand. Low-temperature protonation with a slight excess of CF3COOH leads to the η2-dihydrogen complexes [Nb(η5-C5H4SiMe3)2(η2-H2)(CNR)]+. NMR spectra of these H−H complexes and their monodeuterated H−D isotopomers present a single high-field resonance at room temperature. By lowering the temperature to 178 K, decoalescence of the signal was observed for the H−D complexes but not for the H−H ones. By combining DFT electronic structure calculations with a monodimensional rotational tunneling model, it has been shown that the absence of decoalescence of the H−H signal is due to the existence of a very large exchange coupling. Conversely, for the H−D isotopomer, the difference in zero point energy corresponding to two nonequivalent (H−D and D-H) positions leads to a slight asymmetry which dramatically reduces the exchange coupling, allowing decoalescence to be observed. Therefore, the H−D classical rotation and the quantum exchange processes will not be practically observed for this complex, whereas only the classical process for the H−H species is quenched out on the NMR time scale.

A 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane dimer is used as the first example of metal-free catalysts for the monohydroboration of carbodiimides with pinacol borane.