Bidentate forms of ß-triketimines: syntheses, characterization and outstanding performance of enamine-diimine cobalt complexes in isoprene polymerization.

New cationic enamine-ß-diimine cobalt complex [LCoBr·THF][BArF] () and its neutral analogue [LCoBr2] () where L = [(2,4,6-Me3-C6H2)NHCMe[double bond, length as m-dash]C{CMe[double bond, length as m-dash](N-2,4,6-Me3(C6H2))}2] and BArF(-) = [{3,5-(CF3)2C6H3}4B](-), were synthesised and then characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, MALDI-MS, IR and elemental analysis. These complexes, the first examples reported where putatively tridentate ß-triketimines prefer a bidentate coordination mode, were examined as catalysts for the polymerization of isoprene, activated by diethylaluminium chloride (DEAC) or ethylaluminium sesquichloride (EASC). The weakly coordinating BArF anion in strongly improved activity in comparison to . Both and produced polyisoprene of ca. 80% cis-1,4 and 20% 3,4 enchainment, with trace levels of trans-1,4 and no 1, 2 polymer. A kinetic study for both and demonstrated that the polymerization was first-order in monomer and that approximately 46% and 50% of cobalt formed active centres for and respectively. EASC was the most active of a range of organoaluminium compounds screened for both and . The resulting activities of up to 6 × 10(5) mol isoprene per mol Co per h are the highest yet recorded for catalysts selective for cis-1,4 enchained polyisoprene.

Thallophilic Tl(i)-Tl(i) contacts mediated by Tl-aryl interactions. A computational study.

A computational study is presented of a complex of thallium with a neutral ß-triketimine ligand which was found to form dimers with close Tl-Tl interactions. Single point energies, using the crystallographic structures, suggest that the system is bound only when BArF counter ions are included in the calculations. Energy decomposition analysis of the system was carried out in order to investigate the nature of the bonding. Across the methods, calculations show the electrostatic interaction to be repulsive for the dimer with no counter ions, but attractive when BArF counter ions are included. This suggests the metallophilic interaction is counter ion-mediated, requiring the anions to provide favourable electrostatics, even in the case of spatially diffuse and distant counter ions such as the 3,5-bistrifluoromethylphenyl borate ions used here.

Synthesis and characterization of ß-triketimine cobalt complexes and their behaviour in the polymerization of 1,3-butadiene.

Three ß-triketimine ligands, (L(1): [CH{CMeN(2,4,6-Me3-C6H2)}2C(CMe3N(2-MeO-C6H4)], L(2): [CH{CMeN(2,4-Me2-C6H3)}2C(CMe3N(2-MeO-C6H4)] and L(3): [CH{CMeN(2-Me-C6H4)}2C(CMe3N(2-MeO-C6H4)]), were synthesized and then characterized by (1)H and (13)C{(1)H} NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and electrospray (ES) MS. ß-triketimine cobalt(ii) complexes were then prepared by the interaction of cobalt(ii) bromide with L(1-3) in the presence of NaBArF (BArF = [{3,5-(CF3)2-C6H3}4B](-) ). Five-coordinate dimeric bromide-bridged species [(LCoµ-Br)2][BArF]2 were obtained. The geometry of the complexes was found by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to be slightly distorted square-pyramidal. The polymerization of 1,3-butadiene catalysed by these complexes upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO) in chlorobenzene yielded high cis-1,4-polybutadiene (>97% cis). The effect of steric and electronic properties of the ligands on the performance of the catalytic system was investigated: it was found that ligands with fewer methyl substituents gave more active catalytic systems. It was also found that increasing MAO: Co ratio resulted in higher activity. Stereoselectivity of all catalysts slightly decreased at higher temperature, whereas activities were maximised at 20 °C, where very high values of activity were recorded.

Thallophilic interactions and Tl-aryl π-interactions are competitive with cation-cation repulsion: [LTl2L]2+ dications as salts of weakly co-ordinating anions.

The synthesis and characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction of two thallium salts of the non-co-ordinating anion [B{3,5-(CF3)2C6H3}4] are reported. They possess Tl-Tl contacts supported by Tl-aryl interaction. This cation association overcomes both electrostatic repulsion and cation-anion size and charge matching considerations in the [LTl2L](2+) dications so formed.

Light group 13 chloride diazadiene complexes: consequences of varying substituent bulk.

BCl3 cyclizes diazadiene (2,6-Pr(i)2C6H3NCH)2 1 through a dichloroborated intermediate [(2,6-Pr(i)2C6H3NCHCl)2BCl] to give, in polar aprotic solvents, a spontaneously dehyrochlorinated C-chloro diazaborole 4. In contrast, reaction of AlCl3 with 1 forms only acyclic mono- or di-adducts 5a/b and 6. Alkali metal reductions of gave mixtures of 4 and diazaborole [(2,6-Pr(i)2C6H3NCH)2BCl] 7. Pd(0) reduction cleanly gave diazaborole 7. Reduction of 6 gave a low yield of the closed shell C-C coupled dimer 8 of the putative diazadiene radical anion 1.AlCl2 complex monomer. An alternative synthesis for diazadiene (2,6-Pr(i)2C6H4NCPh)2, 2, is reported. Reduction of 2/BCl3, in which additional phenyl groups on the diazadiene C-2 and C-3 atoms hinder the radical coupling observed in , gave predominantly diazaborole .BCl, (9a) contaminated with .BCl2, (9b) the first such stable radical diazadiene complex of boron. All compounds 2-9 were characterized by X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy. Stable radical was additionally characterized by EPR spectroscopy and density functional computation.

A magnesium-bis(diaryldiketiminate) complex.

The 1:1 of reaction of dibutylmagnesium with the ligand 2-[(2-isopropylphenyl)amino]-4-[(2-isopropylphenyl)imino]pent-2-ene gives only the 1:2 metal-ligand compound bis[N,N'-bis(2-isopropylphenyl)pentane-2,4-diiminato]magnesium(II), [Mg(C(23)H(29)N(2))(2)], as an isolated solid. The coordination geometry about the Mg atom is distorted tetrahedral [N-Mg-N angles range from 90.73 (5) to 136.40 (6) degrees ], with the metal lying out of the ligand plane. The ligands themselves have non-crystallographic C(s) geometry. The structure is isotypic with the Zn analogue, and the small differences between these two structures provide evidence for a significant covalent contribution to bonds that are generally described as largely ionic.

Reversible C-C bond formation: solid state structure of the aldol-like addition product of adamantanone to a 1,5-diazapentadienyllithium, and its solution state retro-aldol dissociation.

Analysis of crystals of the lithium complex of the tripodal ligand formed upon addition of adamantanone to a 1,5 diazapentadienyllithium complex reveals a long C-C bond which ruptures upon dissolution in non-co-ordinating solvents.

Alkaline Earth Diazapentadienyl Compounds: Structure of [Ba2 {(C6 H11 )NC(Me)CHC(Me)N(C6 H11 )}3 {(SiMe3 )2 N}].

Three different bonding modes in one molecule! The diazapentadienyl ligands in the title compound 1 adopt η1 ,η1 -N,N-chelating plus η5 -terminal, η1 η1 -N,N chelating plus η5 -bridging, and novel η1 -N plus η3 -1-aza-allyl bonding modes. R=cyclohexyl.