The reversibility of the concerted metalation− deprotonation exchange of eight para-substituted phenylpyridines is examined with the parent Cp*RhCl(κ-C,N-NC 5 H 4 −C 6 H 4 ). Equilibrium constants are determined, and the free energies are used to extract the most important parameters that control the thermodynamics. K eq values are found to correlate best with heterolytic C−H bond strengths but in a way that is not obvious considering the electrophilic nature of these activations.

In this comprehensive study, we report the syntheses and crystal structures of 6 fused oxazolidine (FOX) bicycles and 22 complexes with FOX ligands. The structures are compared to the few FOX complexes found in literature. For our investigations, we developed synthetic strategies to selectively synthesize chiral or achiral FOX bicycles with pyridyl substituents. The coordination chemistry of the chiral and achiral FOX compounds with first‐row transition metals is discussed in an in‐depth analysis of the crystal structures. We found that the binding modes of the ligands are dependent on the configuration of the FOX backbone and on the steric demand of the substituents which were introduced to the pyridyl groups. The configuration of the FOX ligands is retained during the coordination of metal(II) ions such as Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+. Reactions of these metal ions with chiral FOX ligands lead to the formation of chiral complexes. In contrast, stronger Lewis acidic metal(III) ions, such as Fe3+ or Al3+, induce an isomerization of the chiral FOX ligands to their achiral diastereomers.

We report the synthesis and crystal structure of [Fe(OTf) 2 (FOX)] (A). This robust iron(II) complex was successfully applied as a homogeneous catalyst for the dehydration of 1-phenylethanol to styrene. Even at low catalyst loadings and moderate reaction temperatures, A showed a high catalytic efficiency. It was found to selectively activate the benzylic alcohol group of 1-phenylethanol. This is challenging since the vinyl system of styrene is highly reactive. In contrast to most of the other dehydration processes, the use of a Brønsted acid was not necessary. Furthermore, mechanistic insights into this E 1 -type transformation and its competing S N 1-type side reactions are reported. [Fe( c HexOH)(OTf)(FOX)][OTf] (B), an alcohol adduct of A, [Fe(H 2 O) 2 (FOX)][OTf] 2 (C), the completely hydrated derivative of A, and [μ-O{Fe(OTf)(FOX)} 2 ][OTf] 2 (D), a dinuclear oxidation product of A, were also characterized and are discussed.

Two bis-carbamoylmethylphosphine oxide compounds, namely {[(3-{[2-(diphenylphosphinoyl)ethanamido]methyl}benzyl)carbamoyl]methyl}diphenylphosphine oxide, C36H34N2O4P2, (I), and diethyl [({2-[2-(diethoxyphosphinoyl)ethanamido]ethyl}carbamoyl)methyl]phosphonate, C14H30N2O8P2, (II), were synthesized via nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions between an ester and a primary amine. Hydrogen-bonding interactions are present in both crystals, but these interactions are intramolecular in the case of compound (I) and intermolecular in compound (II). Intramolecular π–π stacking interactions are also present in the crystal of compound (I) with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.9479 (12) Å and a dihedral angle of 9.56 (12)°. Intermolecular C—H...π interactions [C...centroid distance of 3.622 (2) Å, C—H...centroid angle of 146°] give rise to supramolecular sheets that lie in the ab plane. Key geometric features for compound (I) involve a nearly planar, trans-amide group with a C—N—C—C torsion angle of 169.12 (17)°, and a torsion angle of −108.39 (15)° between the phosphine oxide phosphorus atom and the amide nitrogen atom. For compound (II), the electron density corresponding to the phosphoryl group was disordered, and was modeled as two parts with a 0.7387 (19):0.2613 (19) occupancy ratio. Compound (II) also boasts a trans-amide group that approaches planarity with a C—N—C—C torsion angle of −176.50 (16)°. The hydrogen bonds in this structure are intermolecular, with a D...A distance of 2.883 (2) Å and a D—H...A angle of 175.0 (18)° between the amide hydrogen atom and the P=O oxygen atom. These non-covalent interactions create ribbons that run along the b-axis direction.

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