Experimental and computational studies of anti-Bredt amidinium salts.

Experimental and computational investigations of anti-Bredt amidinium salts are presented. Calculations show that the pyramidalization of an amino group can significantly destabilize the formal carbocation center of amidiniums, due to the decreased π donation. In some cases, the unfavorable -I effect of nitrogen surpasses its beneficial +M effect, and amidiniums become less stable than iminiums. It is shown that although 1-aza-3-azonia[3.3.1]bicyclo-non-2-enes can be isolated, they feature a nonclassical reactivity, which is more typical for iminium than amidinium salts, such as pronounced electrophilicity and azomethineylide instead of carbene formation.

Activation of a σ-SnSn bond at copper, followed by double addition to an alkyne.

Many synthetically useful copper-catalyzed transformations involve the activation of apolar or weakly polar σ-bonds (E-H and E-E' bonds, with E = C, B, Si, Sn, etc.). Yet, little is known so far about the associated elementary steps, and it is highly desirable to gain better knowledge regarding the way σ-bonds can be activated by copper to help further development in this area. To this end, we became interested in investigating the coordination and activation of apolar or weakly polar σ-bonds at copper using chelating assistance. Here we report investigations of gold and copper complexes deriving from the diphosphine-stannane [Ph2P(o-C6H4)Me2Sn-SnMe2(o-C6H4)PPh2] 1. The σ-SnSn bond of 1 readily undergoes oxidative addition at both gold and copper, giving bis(stannyl) Au(+) and Cu(+) complexes 2 and 3. Coordination of 1 to CuBr leads to the neutral complex 4 which features more σ-SnSn complex character. The ability of complex 3 to undergo insertion reactions with alkynes was then examined. With methyl propiolate, a clean reaction occurred, and the bis-stannylated alkene copper complex 5 was isolated. The structures of ligand 1 and complexes 2-5 have been unambiguously determined by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and crystallography. These results substantiate the ability of copper to promote the addition of apolar σ-bonds to CC multiple bonds via a 2e redox sequence and draw thereby an unprecedented parallel with the group 10 metals.

Direct involvement of the acetato ligand in the reductive elimination step of rhodium-catalyzed methanol carbonylation.

For the last step of rhodium-catalyzed methanol carbonylation, high-pressure NMR, and kinetic and experimental data supported by density functional theory calculations are consistent with substitution of I(-) by an AcO(-) ligand on the [RhI(3)(COCH(3))(CO)(2)](-) species followed by reductive elimination of acetic anhydride, which immediately reacts with water to afford acetic acid.