Protonation versus Oxonium Salt Formation: Basicity and Stability Tuning of Cyanoborate Anions.

Anhydrous H[BH2 (CN)2 ] crystallizes from acidic aqueous solutions of the dicyanodihydridoborate anion. The formation of H[BH2 (CN)2 ] is surprising as the protonation of nitriles requires strongly acidic and anhydrous conditions but it can be rationalized based on theoretical data. In contrast, [BX(CN)3 ]- (X=H, F) gives the expected oxonium salts (H3 O)[BX(CN)3 ] while (H3 O)[BF2 (CN)2 ]/H[BF2 (CN)2 ] is unstable. H[BH2 (CN)2 ] forms chains via N-H⋅⋅⋅N bonds in the solid state and melts at 54 °C. Solutions of H[BH2 (CN)2 ] in the room-temperature ionic liquid [EMIm][BH2 (CN)2 ] contain the [(NC)H2 BCN-H⋅⋅⋅NCBH2 (CN)]- anion and are unusually stable, which enabled the study of selected spectroscopic and physical properties. [(NC)H2 BCN-H⋅⋅⋅NCBH2 (CN)]- slowly gives H2 and [(NC)H2 BCN-BH(CN)2 ]- . The latter compound is a source of the free Lewis acid BH(CN)2 , as shown by the generation of [BHF(CN)2 ]- and BH(CN)2 ⋅py.

Mechanochemical and thermal formation of 1H-benzotriazole coordination polymers and complexes of 3d-transition metals with intriguing dielectric properties.

Liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) reactions have been successfully applied to achieve a series of complexes and coordination polymers based on divalent 3d-transition metal chlorides (TM chlorides) and the aromatic ligand 1H-benzotriazole (BtzH). The obtained substances were investigated via single crystal X-ray, powder X-ray determination and simultaneous DTA/TG analysis as model compounds for structural and chemical influences on their dielectric properties. Depending on the synthesis method, different constitutions and structures are observed. Two polymorphous forms of the 1D polymer [MnCl2(BtzH)2] (1 and 2) as well as the complexes [ZnCl2(BtzH)2]·BtzH (3) and [CoCl2(BtzH)2]·BtzH (4) have been obtained as phase-pure bulk substances via the mechanochemical LAG route, and even single crystals are available. For comparison, thermal reactions were also carried out and have led to the formation of the neutral complexes: [CoCl2(BtzH)2] (5) and [CoCl2(BtzH)4]·4BtzH (6), [ZnCl2(BtzH)2] (7) and the anionic complex BtzH2[CoCl3BtzH] (8). In addition, thermal treatment of 3 yields the benzotriazolium salt {(BtzH)2H}Cl (9). The transition metal compounds were additionally analysed regarding their dielectric properties by frequency-dependent as well as temperature-dependent permittivity investigations. It is intriguing that compounds 1 and 3 show remarkably low dielectric constants and loss factors up to 50 °C highlighting them as potential "low-k materials".

Mechanochemical Synthesis of 3d Transition-Metal-1,2,4-Triazole Complexes as Precursors for Microwave-Assisted and Thermal Conversion to Coordination Polymers with a High Influence on the Dielectric Properties.

The complexes [MCl2 (TzH)4] (M=Mn (1), Fe (2); TzH=1,2,4-1H-triazole) and [ZnCl2 (TzH)2] (3) have been obtained by mechanochemical reactions of the corresponding divalent metal chloride and 1,2,4-1H-triazole. They were successfully used as precursors for the formation of coordination polymers either by a microwave-assisted reaction or by thermal conversion. For manganese, the conversion directly yielded 1∞ [MnCl2 TzH] (4), whereas for the iron-containing precursor, 1∞ [FeCl2 TzH] (6), was formed via the intermediate coordination polymer 1∞ [FeCl(TzH)2]Cl (5). For cobalt, the isotypic polymer 1∞ [CoCl(TzH)2]Cl (7) was obtained, but exclusively by a microwave-induced reaction directly from CoCl2 . The crystal structures were resolved from single crystals and powders. The dielectric properties were determined and revealed large differences in permittivity between the precursor complexes and the rigid chain-like coordination polymers. Whereas the monomeric complexes exhibit very different dielectric behaviour, depending on the transition metal, from "low-k" to "high-k" with the permittivity ranging from 4.3 to >100 for frequencies of up to 1000 Hz, the coordination polymers and complexes with strong intermolecular interactions are all close to "low-k" materials with very low dielectric constants up to 50 °C. Therefore, the conversion procedures can be used to deliberately influence the dielectric properties from complex to polymer and for different 3d transition-metal ions.