Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [158]-172).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Also available in print.

M.Sc. (Chemistry) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Ph.D. / This study comprises the preparation and characterization of new carbene complexes of iron, molybdenum, gold, copper and silver from azolyl and thienyl precursors. In addition, the syntheses of aminoacyl chelate and metallacyclic iron compounds as well as unique 6-membered dimeric and 18-membered trimeric thienyl gold compounds are reported. Furthermore, di(vinyl)carbene complexes, which are not yet known for gold and which are very rare for most other metals, are also described. In contrast to most other carbene complexes that result from precursors in which the heteroatom is situated a or y to the coordinated carbon atom, the new amino(organo)-, organo(thio)- and di(organo) carbene complexes are unique in that they have been prepared from azolyl or thienyl precursors in which the nucleophilic heteroatom is located outside the coordinated ring system and is separated from the coordinated carbon by several bonds. The complex [CpFe(CO)2C1] reacts with lithiated pyrazole, (thienyl)oxazoline or (thienyl)pyridine to form precursor pyrazolyl and thienyl iron(II) compounds which upon alkylation or protonation with CF3SO3Me or CF3SO3H afford amino(organo)-, organo(thio)- or heterometallacyclic alkoxy(amino)- and hydroxy(amino)carbene complexes as well as compounds which show pyridinium character. The heterometallacyclic complexes incorporate unusual ferropyridine or ferropyrole rings. ' 3C-{'}I} NAIR data of the above compounds show that the coordinated carbons of the azolyl and thienyl ligands are significantly affected upon carbene formation, although an X-ray crystallographic investigation indicates that carbene formation has little if any effect on bond distances in the azolyl ligand when it becomes a coordinated azolinylidene. The molecular structures of the pyrazolyl complex [CpFe(C0) 2{C=CHCH=NNPh}], the pyrazolinylidene complex [CPFe(C0) 2{CCHHNHI4P11}1[CF3S03], the 2-(2'-oxazolinyl)thien- 5-ylidene complex [CpFe(C0)2{CCHHC(1\1HCMe2CH26)}1[CF3S03] and the heterometallacyclic complex [CpFe(C0){CC(=&CMe 2CH2(5)SCH---9-1)] indicate small variations in iron-carbon distances of 1.981(2), 1.969(5), 1.99(1) and 1.959(7) A. Four equivalents of 2-(4',5'-dihydro-4',4'-dimethy1-2'-oxazolinyl)thien-3-yllithium reacts with the acetate [Mo2(O2CMe)4] to form the stable, neutral, quadruply bonded dimolybdenum complex [Mo2{C=C(6=NCMe2CH26)SCH2CH2} 2(02CMe)2], while 4-methylthiazoly1 lithium reacts with the same acetate to form the unstable, thiazolyl molybdate [Mo 2{6=NCMe—Cfg} 8]4". Reaction of [AuCI(tht)] (tetrahydrothiophene) with 2-(4',5'-dihydro-4',4'-dimethy1-2'-oxazoliny1)- thien-3-yllithium or 2-(4',5'-dihydro-4',4'-dimethy1-2'-oxazolinyl)thien-5-yllithium afforded dimeric and trimeric thienyl oligomers of gold(I). The molecular structure of the six-membered dimeric compound [Au{C=C(=NCMe 2CH2O)SCH=CH}li shows a Au...Au separation of 2.8450(6)A, while such interactions are absent in the trimeric compound [Au{C=C(C=NCMe2CH2O)SCH=CH}] 3 . Protonation of the former compound as well as the stable monomers obtained from [Au(tht)C 6F5] or [Au(Cl)PPh 3J afforded unique di(vinyl)carbene as well as imine complexes. Reaction of 2-(2'-pyridyl)thien-5-yllithium with [Au(COPPh 3] and subsequent alkylation yields an organo(thio)carbene compound. Finally, a series of cationic copper(I) bis(carbene) complexes were formed upon sequential treatment of copper(I) trifluoromethanesulfonate with thiazolyl- or pyrazolyllithium and CF3SO3Me. A similar reaction with 4-methylthiazol-2-yllithium and silver triflate produced the first amino(thio)carbene complex of silver.

M.Sc. / Please refer to full text to view abstract.

The present study involves the use of main group organometallics: organostannanes and organolithiums as precursors to chromium Fischer carbene complexes. Fischer carbenes are well stabilized by the π‐donor substituents such as alkoxy and amino groups and low oxidation state metals such as Group 6 (Chromium, Molybdenum or Tungsten). Carbenes are an important intermediate in the synthesis of a range of compounds through cyclopropanations, insertions, coupling and photochemical reactions. Synthesis and successful characterisation of three α‐alkoxystannanes was achieved via nucleophilic addition of tributylstannyllithium to the respective aldehydes, followed by an immediate MOM protection of the resulting alcohol. Six α‐aminostanannes were synthesised, consisting of N‐BOC, N‐acetyl and N‐ethyl derivatives of pyrrolidine and piperidine, via α‐lithiation and subsequent tinlithium transmetallation in the presence of TMEDA. The ¹³C NMR analysis highlighted an interesting phenomenon of tin‐carbon coupling that revealed unique structural information of both types of stannanes. DFT analysis was completed on the series of stannanes; a predicted frequency analysis was obtained which complemented the experimental Infra‐red data in elucidation of the compounds. The α‐alkoxy and α‐aminostannanes provided stable precursors to the organolithiums required for the synthesis of the novel Fischer chromium carbenes. The organolithiums were obtained via tinlithium exchange at low temperatures, followed by the addition of chromium hexacarbonyl to form the acylpentacarbonyl‐chromate salt. Alkylation of this intermediate using a Meerwein salt, Me₃OBF₄, gave rise to the novel Fischer chromium carbene complexes. Fischer chromium carbenes derived from the two isomeric butyl and isobutyl stannanes and the two N‐ethyl α‐aminostannanes were successfully synthesised. The difficulty encountered in the purification of the Fischer carbene complexes hindered the full characterisation, due to the presence of a by‐product, tetrabutyltin.

This study has focused on the design and preparation of bi– and tridentate N–Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) ligands in order to investigate the effect of a multidentate approach to the formation, stability and catalytic activity of coordination complexes. Chapters 1 – 3 provide background information of relevant catalysis, carbene and coordination chemistry, followed by previous work performed within our research group. In Chapter 4 attention is given to the synthetic aspects of the research conducted, comprising two distinct approaches to the preparation of unsymmetrical saturated and unsaturated NHCs. Firstly, an investigation of the saturated NHC ligands yielded three novel, unsymmetrical pro–ligands, viz., two halopropyl imidazolinium salts and a bidentate hydroxypropyl imidazolinium salt. Secondly, eight imidazolium salts have been generated, including a hydroxypropyl analogue and novel decyl and tridentate malonyl derivatives. These compounds were prepared using microwave–assisted methodology for the alkylation of N– mesitylimidazole – an approach that drastically reduced reaction times (from 8 hours – 7 days to ca. 0.5 – 2 hours) and facilitated isolation of the imidazolium salts. Many of the compounds prepared in this study are novel and were fully characterized using HRMS and 1– and 2–D NMR analysis. Coordination studies using a selection of the prepared pro–ligands afforded an alkoxy–NHC silver derivative and four novel Ru–complexes, viz., Grubbs II–type Ru–complexes containing:– chloropropyl imidazolinylidene; propenyl imidazolylidene; and bidentate alkoxypropyl imidazolylidene ligands. Furthermore, a well–defined benzyl mesitylimidazolylidene Ru–complex has been isolated, which exhibited good stability in air. DFT–level geometry–optimization studies, using the Accelrys DMol3 package have given valuable insights into the likely geometries of the prepared and putative catalysts.

This organometallic study involves the use organostannanes and organolithiums as precursors to chromium Fischer carbene complexes. Fischer carbenes are typically electrophilic and are stabilized by a single π-donor substituent, and contain low oxidation state metals (often but not always from Group 6). They are highly reactive and can give access to a range of biologically active compounds through cyclopropanations, insertions, coupling and photochemical reactions. Synthesis and characterization of three MOM-protected α-alkoxy organostannanes was successfully carried out via a nucleophilic addition of tributylstannyllithium to suitable aldehydes, and immediate protection of the alcohol with MOM. Two N-BOC protected α-amino organostannanes were successfully synthesized and characterized via α-lithiation and tin-lithium exchange in the presence of TMEDA. Tin-lithium transmetallation of the organostannanes allowed access to the organolithiums required for the synthesis of novel Fischer carbenes. Addition of chromium hexacarbonyl to the organolithiums formed the acylpentacarbonyl chromate salt which was alkylated with Meerwein salt, resulting in the Fischer carbene and a by-product, tetrabutyltin, which proved difficult to remove. Several Fischer carbenes were synthesized and characterized, some simple and known and some novel. In silico work explored the reaction coordinate of the [2+2] cycloaddition towards the formation of β-lactams, and the photoactivation cycle that precedes this process. Computational work also showed the effect of the ligand on the stability and reactivity of the carbene. It was found that in some cases the oxygen on the ligand could negatively influence the stability of the carbene (when compared to a simple methyl carbene). A link between bond orders and back donation in Fischer carbenes was explored in an attempt to theoretically predict the stability of a range of carbenes. / Microsoft� Office Word 2007

Ce travail s'inscrit dans le cadre de la chimie des carbènes N-hétérocycliques (NHC) et s'articule autour de la fonctionnalisation directe de l'hétérocycle des l'imidazol-2-ylidènes par substitution formelle d'un ou deux groupements diméthylamino. Deux nouvelles catégories de NHCs ont d'abord été obtenues par cette stratégie, dénommées 4-(diméthylamino)imidazol-2-ylidène IArNMe2 et 4,5-bis(diméthylamino)imidazol-2-ylidène IAr(NMe2)2. Les sels d'imidazolium précurseurs de ces NHCs, à savoir le triflate de 4-(diméthylamino)imidazolium (IArNMe2)·HOTf et le triflate de 4,5-bis(diméthylamino)imidazolium (IAr(NMe2)2)·HOTf, ont été synthétisés en couplant la formamidine disubstituée correspondante avec le N,N-diméthyl-chloroacétamide et le 1,2-dichloro-1,2-bis(diméthylamino)éthylène généré in situ respectivement. La quantification des propriétés électroniques des deux nouveaux NHCs a été réalisée à l'aide des complexes de type [Rh(IMes(NMe2)xCl(CO)2], montrant que la donation électronique des ligands NHCs augmente séquentiellement par la décoration avec un ou deux groupements diméthylamino, tandis que les propriétés de p-rétrodonation des NHCs ne sont que légèrement influencées. Par la suite, les complexes de palladium Pd-PEPPSI-IPrNMe2 et Pd-PEPPSI-IPr(NMe2)2 (PEPPSI : Pyridine Enhanced Preparation Purification Stabilization and Initiation) ont été préparés par des voies de complexation classiques. Les propriétés stériques des ligands a été évaluée par la mesure du pourcentage de volume occupé (%Vbur), et il est apparu que les propriétés stériques de ces deux nouveaux ligands NHCs sont également accrues. Les activités catalytiques des deux pré-catalyseurs ont été évaluées en amination de type Buchwald-Hartwig et comparées avec celle de la référence Pd-PEPPSI-IPr. Le pré-catalyseur Pd-PEPPSI-IPr(NMe2)2 s'est révélé le plus actif en amination des chlorures d'aryle à température ambiante. Il constitue également le catalyseur Pd-NHC le plus efficace et le plus général connu à ce jour en permettant de réaliser l'amination des chlorures d'aryle avec une charge de catalyseur très faible (jusqu'à 50 ppm), ou à l'aide d'une base faible telle que le carbonate de césium, et même d'activer les tosylates d'aryle, substrats beaucoup plus difficiles que les chlorures d'aryle . Afin de rationaliser au mieux les effets observés en catalyse en termes de propriétés stéréoélectroniques des ligands NHCs, le squelette arrière aminé des imidazol-2-ylidènes a été dérivatisé plus avant, soit en augmentant la contrainte stérique du groupe NMe2 dans IAr(NMe2) en ciblant le ligand IAr(NiPr2), soit en remplaçant formellement un des groupes amino par un groupe éléctro-attracteur tel un halogène dans le ligand IAr(NMe2)2. Alors que le sel d'imidazolium (IArNiPr2)·HOTf a été synthétisé suivant la même méthode que (IArNMe2)·HOTf, l'halogénation oxydante du squelette d'arrière de (IArNMe2)·HOTf par du NCS ou du NBS a donné les sels (IArNMe2, X)·HOTf avec de très bons rendements dans des conditions très douces. Il convient de noter que cette réactivité originale a été également observée sur les complexes de rhodium(I) et le palladium(II) du ligand IAr(NMe2). Les influences électroniques et catalytiques de ces modifications ont été étudiées de la même façon. / This work is incorporated within the framework of the chemistry of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs) and aims at functionalizing the skeleton of imidazol-2-ylidenes by attachment of one or two amino groups. Two new NHC classes were first obtained by this strategy, namely the 4-(dimethylamino)imidazol-2-ylidene IArNMe2 and the 4,5-bis(dimethylamino)imidazol-2-ylidene IAr(NMe2)2. The synthesis of the precursors of these NHCs, the 4-(dimethylamino)imidazolium triflates (IArNMe2)·HOTf and the 4,5-bis(dimethylamino)imidazolium triflates (IAr(NMe2)2)·HOTf is based on the coupling between the corresponding disubstituted formamidine and either an a-chloroacetamide for the mono-amino derivative or a reactive dichlorodiaminoethene for the bis-amino analogue. The electronic properties of the resulting new NHCs ligands have been studied by measurement of their Tolman Electronic Parameter (TEP) values obtained from the IR spectra of the complexes [Rh(IMesXY)Cl(CO)2] and by 77Se NMR spectroscopy of their corresponding selenoureas [(IMesXY)=Se]. It was shown that the electronic donation of the carbenic carbon sequentially increases by decoration with one or two amino groups respectively whereas the p-accepting properties of the NHC are only slightly or even not affected by the adjunction of the NMe2 groups on the imidazolyl backbone. Later, the synthesis of the two new PEPPSI-type palladium pre-catalysts PEPPSI-Pd-IPrNMe2 and Pd-PEPPSI-IPr(NMe2)2 were successfully achieved. From the calculated the percent buried volume %Vbur which is related to the steric properties of the two supporting NHC ligands, it appeared that grafting one amino group onto the backbone already leads to significant improvement of steric congestion while the second amino only results in a slight increase of the steric issue. The catalytic efficiencies of both pre-catalysts were evaluated in the benchmark Buchwald-Hartwig amination and compared with this of the reference PEPPSI-Pd-IPr. The bis-aminated pre-catalyst Pd-PEPPSI-IPr(NMe2)2 was shown to be the most active and stable pre-catalyst, and it was shown to be also highly efficient in more challenging amination reaction. It indeed allows to carry out the amination of aryl chlorides at low catalyst loadings or by using a mild base such as cesium carbonate, and even to activate the aryl tosylates, which are more difficult substrates than aryl chlorides. In order to study the critical stereoelectronic properties of the NHC ligands for the efficiency of the corresponding catalysts, further derivatization of the heterocyclic backbone was carried out, either by increasing the bulkiness of the mono-amino group from dimethylamino to diisopropylamino group to generate the carbene IArNiPr2, or by formally replacing one dimethylamino group by an halogen X in the bis-aminoimidazo-2-ylidene to give the carbenes IArNMe2,X. While the imidazolium salts (IArNiPr2)·HOTf was synthesized following the same method as (IArNMe2)·HOTf, the oxidative halogenation of the backbone of (IArNMe2)·HOTf with a N-halosuccinimide afforded (IArNMe2,X)·HOTf in good yields under very mild conditions. Noteworthy, this original reactivity was also observed on the rhodium and palladium complexes of this ligand.

This dissertation summarizes my research in the Nuckolls group on two projects, with a central theme of achieving control of electronic coupling in various nanoscale systems. The two studies of interest aim at the study of emerging properties from alkali-doping of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and the synthesis of novel metal chalcogen molecular clusters. Chapter 1 is divided into two parts. Part one provides a brief history of the forces we associate with bond formation. We will learn that although defining a “chemical bond” is helpful, it is limited to our incomplete understanding of what forces contribute to its existence. The behavior of an electron in externally applied magnetic fields will be discussed, where the collective behavior of electrons in a material can be measured, showing a myriad of emerging properties. The known superconducting alkali-doped PAHs are introduced, followed by the unresolved problems of reproducibility and lack of structural data to accompany superconducting samples. Finally, the proximity of AFM to superconductivity is discussed, which could give us insights on further exploration of hight temperature organic superconductors. Part two introduces atomically precise clusters of atoms, also knows as superatoms. Various synthetic approaches to create metal chalcogenide superatoms are introduced. Next, a closer look into the cobalt selenide core, [Co6Se8], is presented. The ability to selectively substitute the ligands on this superatom, achieves dimensional control. The subunit can be seen as a 0-dimensional subunit, where it readily gives away its electrons. Furthermore, assembly of the clusters into 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional structures is described. Chapter 2 introduces a novel approach to acquire phase pure alkali-doped PAHs, p-terphenyl specifically. Previous reports of solution-processed doping of PAH have inspired highly reliable synthesis of these salts, by employing a chelating agent to stabilize the alkali metal. The first half of chapter 2 analyzes one such crystal in detail, describing emerging AFM fluctuations. The AFM coupling between nearest neighboring p-terphenyls occurs in all three crystallographic directions. Interestingly, this coupling can be seen as an unconventional bond between two terphenyl units along the hard axis, and resembles resonance structures seen in polyacetylene. The second half of the chapter further investigates the novel method, obtaining a library of alkali-doped p-terphenyls. This approach allows for selective variation of either the alkali-metal, the chelating agent, or the electronic structure of p-terphenyl. Obtaining nearly a dozen structures allows for a study of trends of doping level and accompanied magnetic properties. Lastly, Chapter 3 proves a new mechanism for ligand substitution of cobalt selenide superatomic clusters, using an easily removable carbene as the ligand. This approach grants access to new surface ligands and core shapes to expand the properties of these superatoms. Through this approach, larger atomically precise materials can be targeted, giving rise to new types of electronic properties.