Recent theoretical studies are reviewed which show that the naked group 14 atoms E = C-Pb in the singlet (1)D state behave as bidentate Lewis acids that strongly bind two σ donor ligands L in the donor-acceptor complexes L→E←L. Tetrylones EL2 are divalent E(0) compounds which possess two lone pairs at E. The unique electronic structure of tetrylones (carbones, silylones, germylones, stannylones, plumbylones) clearly distinguishes them from tetrylenes ER2 (carbenes, silylenes, germylenes, stannylenes, plumbylenes) which have electron-sharing bonds R-E-R and only one lone pair at atom E. The different electronic structures of tetrylones and tetrylenes are revealed by charge- and energy decomposition analyses and they become obvious experimentally by a distinctively different chemical reactivity. The unusual structures and chemical behaviour of tetrylones EL2 can be understood in terms of the donor-acceptor interactions L→E←L. Tetrylones are potential donor ligands in main group compounds and transition metal complexes which are experimentally not yet known. The review also introduces theoretical studies of transition metal complexes [TM]-E which carry naked tetrele atoms E = C-Sn as ligands. The bonding analyses suggest that the group-14 atoms bind in the (3)P reference state to the transition metal in a combination of σ and π∥ electron-sharing bonds TM-E and π⊥ backdonation TM→E. The unique bonding situation of the tetrele complexes [TM]-E makes them suitable ligands in adducts with Lewis acids. Theoretical studies of [TM]-E→W(CO)5 predict that such species may becomes synthesized.

Synthesis and isolation of the stable diaryldibromodisilene, Bbt(Br)SiSi(Br)Bbt, has been accomplished for the first time. The dibromodisilene underwent substitution reactions with organometallic reagents on the low-coordinated silicon atom to afford the corresponding substituted disilenes. Furthermore, the reaction of 1 with t-BuLi afforded the corresponding 1,2-diaryldisilyne, BbtSi[triple bond]SiBbt, the characters of which were revealed by spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses.

A series of symmetric divalent Sn(II) hydrides of the general form [(4-X-Ar')Sn(mu-H)]2 (4-X-Ar' = C6H2-4-X-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2; X = H, MeO, tBu, and SiMe3; 2, 6, 10, and 14), along with the more hindered asymmetric tin hydride (3,5-iPr2-Ar*)SnSn(H)2(3,5-iPr2-Ar*) (16) (3,5-iPr2-Ar* = 3,5-iPr2-C6H-2,6-(C6H2-2,4,6-iPr3)2), have been isolated and characterized. They were prepared either by direct reduction of the corresponding aryltin(II) chloride precursors, ArSnCl, with LiBH4 or iBu2AlH (DIBAL), or via a transmetallation reaction between an aryltin(II) amide, ArSnNMe2, and BH3.THF. Compounds 2, 6, 10, and 14 were obtained as orange solids and have centrosymmetric dimeric structures in the solid state with long Sn...Sn separations of 3.05 to 3.13 A. The more hindered tin(II) hydride 16 crystallized as a deep-blue solid with an unusual, formally mixed-valent structure wherein a long Sn-Sn bond is present [Sn-Sn = 2.9157(10) A] and two hydrogen atoms are bound to one of the tin atoms. The Sn-H hydrogen atoms in 16 could not be located by X-ray crystallography, but complementary Mössbauer studies established the presence of divalent and tetravalent tin centers in 16. Spectroscopic studies (IR, UV-vis, and NMR) show that, in solution, compounds 2, 6, 10, and 14 are predominantly dimeric with Sn-H-Sn bridges. In contrast, the more hindered hydrides 16 and previously reported (Ar*SnH)2 (17) (Ar* = C6H3-2,6-(C6H2-2,4,6-iPr3)2) adopt primarily the unsymmetric structure ArSnSn(H)2Ar in solution. Detailed theoretical calculations have been performed which include calculated UV-vis and IR spectra of various possible isomers of the reported hydrides and relevant model species. These showed that increased steric hindrance favors the asymmetric form ArSnSn(H)2Ar relative to the centrosymmetric isomer [ArSn(mu-H)]2 as a result of the widening of the interligand angles at tin, which lowers steric repulsion between the terphenyl ligands.

Recently, numerous multiple bond species containing heavier group 14 elements have been isolated and characterized. 1 In particular, considerable interest has been focused on the nature of alkene analogues of silicon 2 because of their unusual structures and bonding since the isolation of a stable tetramesityldisilene by West and co-workers. 3 In many cases, the π bond of the disilenes has displayed an increased reactivity toward many reagents, compared with that of alkenes and alkynes, because of the relatively small HOMO-LUMO gap and its biradical character. 4 For example, the π bond of disilenes is known to undergo smooth [2 + 2] cycloadditions toward alkenes and alkynes to give the disilacyclobutane and disilacyclobutene derivatives, respectively. 1,2 On the other hand, much less is known about the π bond nature of disilynes with a silicon-silicon triple bond, which has two distinct π bonds (π in and π out ), 5,6 although a few papers have described the reactivity of alkyne analogues. 7 Now, a comparison of the chemical behavior of heavier group 14 element alkyne analogues with that of alkynes is of special interest. To understand the nature of the π bond of a silicon-silicon triple bond, we have examined the reaction of disilyne 1 5a with alkenes and alkynes. In this paper, we present the results of the stereospecific cycloadditions of 1 to 2-butenes, 8 together with those of the cycloaddition of 1 to phenylacetylene to give an isolable 1,2-disilabenzene derivative. Furthermore, we report theoretical studies on the mechanism of the reactions, showing that these reactions involve in the initial step [1 + 2] cycloaddition (the interaction between the LUMO (π in *) of 1 and the HOMO of 2-butenes or acetylene), instead of a direct [2 + 2] cycloaddition.When a hexane solution of disilyne 1 was treated with an excess of cis-2-butene at room temperature, cis-3,4-dimethyl-1,2-disilacyclobutene 2a was obtained as the sole product in 89% yield (Scheme 1). 9 This reaction proceeded cleanly and was complete within 30 min. On the other hand, the reaction of 1 with trans-2-butene under the same conditions produced trans-3,4-dimethyl-1,2-disilacyclobutene 2b as yellow crystals in 85% yield. 9 In contrast to the reaction with cis-2-butene, it took 1 day to complete this reaction. Most importantly, both reactions proceeded stereospecifically, as was determined by NMR spectra and X-ray analysis (for 2b). 9 Although an excess of 2-butenes was used in both reactions, the subsequent cycloaddition reaction was not observed.To gain a mechanistic insight, we have performed theoretical calculations of the reaction of disilyne 1 with 2-butenes. Figure 1 shows the energy profile along the reaction path calculated at the B3LYP/[Si, 6-311+G(2df); C and H, 6-31G(d)]//B3LYP/3-21G* level. 10 The interaction between the in-plane LUMO (π in *) of 1 and the HOMO of 2-butene, resulting in [1 + 2] cycloaddition, is the first step in both reactions to produce the silacyclopropylsilylene intermediate (Int1). 11 The alternative interaction between...

The reduction of an overcrowded (E)-1,2-dibromodigermene, Bbt(Br)Ge=Ge(Br)Bbt (2) [Bbt = 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl], with KC8 afforded a stable digermyne, BbtGe[triple bond]GeBbt (1). The Ge[triple bond]Ge triple-bond characters of 1 were revealed by the X-ray crystallographic analysis and spectroscopic studies (UV/vis and Raman spectra) together with theoretical calculations. The Ge[triple bond]Ge bond lengths of the two nonidentical molecules of 1 observed in the unit cell were shorter than that of the previously reported digermyne, Ar'Ge[triple bond]GeAr' (Ar' = 2,6-Dip2C6H3, Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl).

Pentacoordinate and tetracoordinate carbon and boron compounds (27, 38, 50-52, 56-61) bearing an anthracene skeleton with two oxygen or nitrogen atoms at the 1,8-positions were synthesized by the use of four newly synthesized tridentate ligand precursors. Several carbon and boron compounds were characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis, showing that compounds 27, 56-59 bearing an oxygen-donating anthracene skeleton had a trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) pentacoordinate structure with relatively long apical distances (ca. 2.38-2.46 A). Despite the relatively long apical distances, DFT calculation of carbon species 27 and boron species 56 and experimental accurate X-ray electron density distribution analysis of 56 supported the existence of the apical hypervalent bond even though the nature of the hypervalent interaction between the central carbon (or boron) and the donating oxygen atom was relatively weak and ionic. On the other hand, X-ray analysis of compounds 50-52 bearing a nitrogen-donating anthracene skeleton showed unsymmetrical tetracoordinate carbon or boron atom with coordination by only one of the two nitrogen-donating groups. It is interesting to note that, with an oxygen-donating skeleton, the compound 61 having two chlorine atoms on the central boron atom showed a tetracoordinate structure, although the corresponding compound 60 with two fluorine atoms showed a pentacoordinate structure. The B-O distances (av 2.29 A) in 60 were relatively short in comparison with those (av 2.44 A) in 59 having two methoxy groups on the central boron atom, indicating that the B-O interaction became stronger due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the fluorine atoms.

The redox behavior of kinetically stabilized dipnictenes, BbtE=EBbt [E = P, Sb, Bi; Bbt = 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl], was systematically disclosed using cyclic voltammetry and theoretical calculations. It was found that they showed reversible one-electron redox couples in the reduction region. The anion radical species of the Bbt-substituted diphosphene and distibene were successfully synthesized by the reduction of the corresponding neutral dipnictenes (BbtP=PBbt and BbtSb=SbBbt). Their structures were reasonably characterized by ESR, UV-vis, and Raman spectroscopy, and the distibene anion radical was structurally characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis.

Quantum-chemical calculations of the geometries and electronic structures of a series of dicoordinated silicon compounds SiL(2), in which L is a five-membered cyclic species suggest that the molecules are divalent silicon(0) compounds that possess two L-->Si donor-acceptor bonds and two lone-pair MOs with pi and sigma symmetry at silicon. The classification as a dicoordinate silicon compound with L-->Si<--L donor-acceptor bonds applies not only to molecules in which L is an N-heterocyclic carbene but also when L is a cyclic silylene. The recently synthesized "trisilaallene" (S. Ishida, T. Iwamoto, C. Kabuto, M. Kira, Nature 2003, 421, 725), which has a bending angle of 136.5(o) for the central moiety, and which was written as Si=Si=Si, is probably better considered as a divalent silicon(0) compound. We suggest the name silylones for the latter species in analogy to silylenes which identify divalent Si(II) compounds. This bonding interpretation explains the theoretically predicted large values for the first and second proton affinities and for the large bond dissociation energies for one and two BH(3) ligands. The calculations predict that the first protonation of the divalent silicon(0) compounds takes place at the pi lone-pair orbital, which yields protonated silylones that have a pyramidal arrangement of the ligands at the central tricoordinate silicon atom. Silylones SiL(2) could be interesting ligands for transition-metal compounds. The calculated structures and bonding situation of the analogous carbon compounds are also reported.