Previous efforts to prepare tetraazafulvalenes derived from imidazolium salt precursors have met with little success (one anomalously favourable example is known), and this is in line with the predicted reactivity of these compounds. However, we now report the preparation of a series of these tetraazafulvalenes formed either by deprotonation of 1,3-dialkylimidazolium salts or by Birch reduction of biimidazolium salts. The tetraazafulvalenes are highly reactive; for example, they act as Super-Electron-Donors towards iodoarenes. The two most reactive examples are formed more efficiently by Birch reduction than by the deprotonation route. Nevertheless, even in cases where the deprotonation approach affords a low stationary concentration, the mixture of precursor salt and base still produces the same powerful reductive chemistry that is the hallmark of tetraazafulvalene electron donors

The bis-pyridinylidene 13 converts aliphatic and aryl triflate esters to the corresponding alcohols and phenols respectively, using DMF as solvent, generally in excellent yields. While the deprotection of aryl triflates has been seen with other reagents and by more than one mechanism, the deprotection of alkyl triflates is a new reaction. Studies with (18)O labelled DMF indicate that the C-O bond stays intact and hence it is the S-O bond that cleaves, underlining that the cleavage results from the extraordinary electron donor capability of 13. Trifluoromethanesulfonamides are converted to the parent amines in like manner, representing the first cleavage of such substrates by a ground-state organic reducing reagent.

SummaryNeutral organic electron donors, featuring pyridinylidene–imidazolylidene, pyridinylidene–benzimidazolylidene and imidazolylidene–benzimidazolylidene linkages are reported. The pyridinylidene–benzimidazolylidene and imidazolylidene–benzimidazolylidene hybrid systems were designed to be the first super electron donors to convert iodoarenes to aryl radicals at room temperature, and indeed both show evidence for significant aryl radical formation at room temperature. The stronger pyridinylidene–imidazolylidene donor converts iodoarenes to aryl anions efficiently under appropriate conditions (3 equiv of donor). The presence of excess sodium hydride base has a very important and selective effect on some of these electron-transfer reactions, and a rationale for this is proposed.

The dimerization of a saturated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) to tricyclic piperazine in preference to the commonly observed Wanzlick dimerization is presented. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the N-fluorene substituent of the heterocycle is implicated in both ring opening of corresponding carbene dimer and tautomerization of NHC to an azomethine ylide. This has consequences for the fate of the NHC when generated from either an azolinium salt or a pentafluorophenyl adduct. The insights gained permitted the synthesis of a new indenylidene metathesis precatalyst, which exhibits exceptional selectivity and high TONS in self-metathesis of 1-octene.

The metal-free reduction of a range of phosphine(V) oxides employing oxalyl chloride as an activating agent and hexachlorodisilane as reducing reagent has been achieved under mild reaction conditions. The method was successfully applied to the reduction of industrial waste byproduct triphenylphosphine(V) oxide, closing the phosphorus cycle to cleanly regenerate triphenylphosphine(III). Mechanistic studies and quantum chemical calculations support the attack of the dissociated chloride anion of intermediated phosphonium salt at the silicon of the disilane as the rate-limiting step for deprotection. The exquisite purity of the resultant phosphine(III) ligands after the simple removal of volatiles under reduced pressure circumvents laborious purification prior to metalation and has permitted the facile formation of important transition metal catalysts.