Donor- and acceptor-substituted alkynylated chromium carbonyl arene complexes Cr(CO)2L(η
6-R1-C6H4)(C⋮C)
n
R2 (1, n = 1, L = CO, PPh3, R1 = H, o-formyl, R2 = p-C6H4-NMe2, p-C6H4-NO2, ferrocenyl; 3, n = 2, L = CO, R1 = H, R2 = p-C6H4-NMe2, p-C6H4-NO2, ferrocenyl) are
easily accessible by Sonogashira alkynylations of chloroarene complexes and Cadiot−Chodkiewicz couplings of bromoalkynes with the complexed phenyl acetylene 1a (n = 1, L
= CO, R1 = R2 = H), respectively. The Horner−Emmons−Wadsworth olefinations of the
Cr(CO)3-complexed benzylphosphonate and (hetero)aromatic aldehydes give rise to numerous
alkenylated chromium carbonyl arene complexes (E)
n
-Cr(CO)3(η
6-C6H5)(CHCH)
n
R1 (6, n
= 1−3, R1 = p-C6H4-NMe2, p-C6H4-NO2, 2-(4-nitrothienyl)). The linear (UV/vis spectra) and
the nonlinear optical properties (hyper Rayleigh scattering measurements) of the complexes
1, 3, and 6 reveal that the chromium carbonyl arene fragment behaves electronically
amphoteric, i.e., as an electron donor or electron acceptor depending on the substituent on
the far end of the conjugating bridge. The first hyperpolarizability β-values (
= (8−41)
× 10-30 esu) are found to be similar to those of related ferrocenyl compounds.