No abstract

An abnormal or mesoionic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), namely 1,4-diphenyl-3-methyl-1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene (Tz), formed from 1,4-diphenyl-3-methyl-1,2,3triazolium iodide and silver oxide, gave the corresponding silver carbene complex. The transmetalation reaction of the silver carbene complex with PdCl 2 (CH 3 CN) 2 gave a trans mononuclear complex, [(Tz) 2 PdCl 2 ]. Reaction of the silver carbene complex with Pd(OAc) 2 gave an acetate-bridged binuclear complex in which the palladium had undergone a C-H insertion at the ortho position of the phenyl group attached to the triazole nitrogen (1-position). The structures of these two complexes were established by single-crystal XRD data and spectroscopic data. The acetate complex was used as a catalyst for the stereoselective hydroarylation of alkynes.

Reaction of [Cp(n)MCl(4-x)] (M=V: n=x=2; M=Nb: n=1, x=0) or [Cp*TaCl(4)] (Cp=eta(5)-C(5)H(5), Cp*=eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)), with [LiBH(4).thf] at -70 degrees C followed by thermolysis at 85 degrees C in the presence of [BH(3).thf] yielded the hydrogen-rich metallaboranes [(CpM)(2)(B(2)H(6))(2)] (1: M=V; 2: M=Nb) and [(Cp*Ta)(2)(B(2)H(6))(2)] (3) in modest to high yields. Complexes 1 and 3 are the first structurally characterized compounds with a metal-metal bond bridged by two hexahydroborate (B(2)H(6)) groups forming a symmetrical complex. Addition of [BH(3).thf] to 3 results in formation of a metallaborane [(Cp*Ta)(2)B(4)H(8)(mu-BH(4))] (4) containing a tetrahydroborate ligand, [BH(4)](-), bound exo to the bicapped tetrahedral cage [(Cp*Ta)(2)B(4)H(8)] by two Ta-H-B bridge bonds. The interesting structural feature of 4 is the coordination of the bridging tetrahydroborate group, which has two B-H bonds coordinated to the tantalum atoms. All these new metallaboranes have been characterized by mass, (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis and the structural types were established unequivocally by crystallographic analysis of 1-4.

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes with phosphine-functionalized PNS type thiosemicarbazone ligands [RuCl(CO)(EPh3)(L)] (1-6) (E = P or As, L = 2-(2-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene) thiosemicarbazone (PNS-H), 2-(2-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene)-N-methylthiosemicarbazone (PNS-Me), 2-(2-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene)-N-phenylthiosemicarbazone (PNS-Ph)) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopy (IR, UV-Vis, (1)H, (13)C, (31)P-NMR) as well as ESI mass spectrometry. The molecular structures of complexes 1, 2 and 6 were identified by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The analysis revealed that all the complexes possess a distorted octahedral geometry with the ligand coordinating in a uni-negative tridentate PNS fashion. All the ruthenium complexes (1-6) were tested as catalyst for N-alkylation of heteroaromatic amines with alcohols. Notably, complex 2 was found to be a very efficient and versatile catalyst towards N-alkylation of a wide range of heterocyclic amines with alcohols. Complex 2 can also catalyze the direct amination of 2-nitropyridine with benzyl alcohol to the corresponding secondary amine. Furthermore, a preliminary examination of performance for N,N-dialkylation of diamine showed promising results, giving good conversion and high selectivity. In addition, N-alkylation of ortho-substituted anilines (-NH2, -OH and -SH) led to the one-pot synthesis of 2-aryl substituted benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles and benzothiazoles, also revealing the catalytic activity of complex 2.

Dinuclear salen compounds of zirconium and hafnium are efficient initiators for the solvent-free ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ester monomers and lactides. There is a correlation between the theoretical and experimental number-average molecular weights (M(n)'s) in these polymerizations. Polymerization of β-butyrolactone gives poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) with a good M(n) and molecular weight distribution.