Regulating Access to Active Sites via Hydrogen Bonding and Cation-Dipole Interactions: A Dual Cofactor Approach to Switchable Catalysis.

Hydrogen bonding networks are ubiquitous in biological systems and play a key role in controlling the conformational dynamics and allosteric interactions of enzymes. Yet in small organometallic catalysts, hydrogen bonding rarely controls ligand binding to the metal center. In this work, a hydrogen bonding network within a well-defined organometallic catalyst works in concert with cation-dipole interactions to gate substrate access to the active site. An ammine ligand acts as one cofactor, templating a hydrogen bonding network within a pendent crown ether and preventing the binding of strong donor ligands, such as nitriles, to the nickel center. Sodium ions are the second cofactor, disrupting hydrogen bonding to enable switchable ligand substitution reactions. Thermodynamic analyses provide insight into the energetic requirements of the different supramolecular interactions that enable substrate gating. The dual cofactor approach enables switchable catalytic hydroamination of crotononitrile. Systematic comparisons of catalysts with varying structural features provide support for the critical role of the dual cofactors in achieving on/off catalysis with substrates containing strongly donating functional groups that might otherwise interfere with switchable catalysts.

A Comparison between Triphenylmethyl and Triphenylsilyl Spirobifluorenyl Hosts: Synthesis, Photophysics and Performance in Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of two spirobifluorenyl derivatives substituted with either triphenylmethyl (SB-C) or triphenylsilyl (SB-Si) moieties for use as host materials in phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLED). Both molecules have similar high triplet energies and large energy gaps. Blue Ir(tpz)3 and green Ir(ppy)3 phosphorescent devices were fabricated using these materials as hosts. Surprisingly, SB-Si demonstrated superior charge-transporting ability compared to SB-C, despite having similar energies for their valence orbitals. In particular, SB-Si proved to be a highly effective host for both blue and green devices, resulting in maximum efficiencies of 12.6% for the Ir(tpz)3 device and 9.6% for the Ir(ppy)3 device. These results highlight the benefits of appending the triphenylsilyl moiety onto host materials and underscore the importance of considering the morphology of hosts in the design of efficient PHOLEDs.

Pincer-supported metal/main-group bonds as platforms for cooperative transformations.

Electron-rich late metals and electropositive main-group elements (metals and metalloids) can be combined to provide an ambiphilic façade for exploring metal-ligand cooperation, yet the instability of the metal/main-group bond frequently limits the study and application of such units. Incorporating main-group donors into pincer frameworks, where they are stabilized and held in proximity to the transition-metal partner, can allow discovery of new modes of reactivity and incorporation into catalytic processes. This Perspective summarizes common modes of cooperativity that have been demonstrated for pincer frameworks featuring metal/main-group bonds, highlighting similarities among boron, aluminium, and silicon donors and identifying directions for further development.

Crystal structures of phosphine-supported (η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)molybdenum(II) propionyl complexes.

Three cyclo-penta-dienylmolybdenum(II) propionyl complexes featuring tri-aryl-phosphine ligands with different para substituents, namely, dicarbon-yl(η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)propion-yl(tri-phenyl-phosphane-κP)molybdenum(II), [Mo(C5H5)(C3H5O)(C18H15P)(CO)2], (1), dicarbon-yl(η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)propion-yl[tris-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)phosphane-κP]molybdenum(II), [Mo(C5H5)(C3H5O)(C18H12F3P)(CO)2], (2), and dicarbon-yl(η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)propion-yl[tris-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)phosphane-κP]molybdenum(II) dichloromethane solvate, [Mo(C5H5)(C3H5O)(C21H21O3P)(CO)2]·CH2Cl2, (3), have been prepared from the corresponding ethyl complexes via phosphine-induced migratory insertion. These complexes exhibit four-legged piano-stool geom-etries with mol-ecular structures quite similar to each other and to related acetyl complexes. The extended structures of the three complexes differ somewhat, with the para substituent of the tri-aryl-phosphine of (2) (fluoro) or (3) (meth-oxy) engaging in non-classical C-H⋯F or C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions. The structure of (3) exhibits modest disorder in the position of one Cl atom of the di-chloro-methane solvent, which was modeled with two sites showing approximately equivalent occupancies [0.532 (15) and 0.478 (15)].

Bimetallic, Silylene-Mediated Multielectron Reductions of Carbon Dioxide and Ethylene.

A metal/ligand cooperative approach to the reduction of small molecules by metal silylene complexes (R2 Si=M) is demonstrated, whereby silicon activates the incoming substrate and mediates net two-electron transformations by one-electron redox processes at two metal centers. An appropriately tuned cationic pincer cobalt(I) complex, featuring a central silylene donor, reacts with CO2 to afford a bimetallic siloxane, featuring two CoII centers, with liberation of CO; reaction of the silylene complex with ethylene yields a similar bimetallic product with an ethylene bridge. Experimental and computational studies suggest a plausible mechanism proceeding by [2+2] cycloaddition to the silylene complex, which is quite sensitive to the steric environment. The CoII /CoII products are reactive to oxidation and reduction. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a strategy for metal/ligand cooperative small-molecule activation that is well-suited to 3d metals.

Crystal structures of trans-acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(1,3,5-tri-aza-7-phosphaadamantane)molybdenum(II) and trans-acetyl-di-carbon-yl(η5-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(3,7-diacetyl-1,3,7-tri-aza-5-phosphabi-cyclo-[3.3.1]nona-ne)molyb-den-um(II).

The title compounds, [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)(C6H12N3P)(CO)2], (1), and [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)(C9H16N3O2P)(C6H5)2))(CO)2], (2), have been prepared by phosphine-induced migratory insertion from [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)]. The mol-ecular structures of these complexes are quite similar, exhibiting a four-legged piano-stool geometry with trans-disposed carbonyl ligands. The extended structures of complexes (1) and (2) differ substanti-ally. For complex (1), the molybdenum acetyl unit plays a dominant role in the organization of the extended structure, joining the mol-ecules into centrosymmetrical dimers through C-H⋯O inter-actions with a cyclo-penta-dienyl ligand of a neighboring mol-ecule, and these dimers are linked into layers parallel to (100) by C-H⋯O inter-actions between the molybdenum acetyl and the cyclo-penta-dienyl ligand of another neighbor. The extended structure of (2) is dominated by C-H⋯O inter-actions involving the carbonyl groups of the acetamide groups of the DAPTA ligand, which join the mol-ecules into centrosymmetrical dimers and link them into chains along [010]. Additional C-H⋯O inter-actions between the molybdenum acetyl oxygen atom and an acetamide methyl group join the chains into layers parallel to (101).

Silylene-assisted hydride transfer to CO2 and CS2 at a [P2Si]Ru pincer-type complex.

The synthesis and characterization of base-stabilized and base-free pincer-type bis(phosphine)/silylene [P2Si]Ru complexes are reported. The base-free complex readily reduces CO2 and CS2via silylene-assisted hydride transfer, affording structurally distinct products with silicon-to-ruthenium formate and dithioformate bridges.

Examining the role of Rh/Si cooperation in alkene hydrogenation by a pincer-type [P2Si]Rh complex.

A bis(phosphine)/triflatosilyl pincer-type Rh(i) complex can reversibly store one equivalent of H2 across the Si-Rh bond upon triflate migration from silicon to rhodium. The triflatosilyl complex serves as an effective precatalyst for norbornene hydrogenation, but Si-OTf bond cleavage is not implicated in the major catalytic pathway. The combined findings suggest possible strategies for M/Si cooperation in catalytic processes.

Chalcogen extrusion from heteroallenes and carbon monoxide by a three-coordinate rh(i) disilylamide.

We report the reactions of several heteroallenes (carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, and phenyl isocyanate) and carbon monoxide with a three-coordinate, bis(phosphine)-supported Rh(I) disilylamide (1). Carbon disulfide reacts with 1 to afford a silyltrithiocarbonate complex similar to an intermediate previously invoked in the deoxygenation of CO2 by 1, and prolonged heating affords a structurally unusual µ-κ(2)(S,S'):κ(2)(S,S')-trithiocarbonate dimer. Carbonyl sulfide reacts with 1 to afford a structurally unique Rh(SCNCS) metallacycle derived from two insertions of OCS and N-to-O silyl-group migrations. Phenyl isocyanate reacts with 1 to afford a dimeric bis(phenylcyanamido)-bridged complex resulting from multiple silyl-group migrations and nitrogen-for-oxygen metathesis, akin to reactivity previously observed with carbon dioxide. The ability of 1 to activate carbon-chalcogen multiple bonds via silyl-group migration is further supported by its reactivity with carbon monoxide, where a nitrogen-for-oxygen metathesis is also observed with expulsion of hexamethyldisiloxane. For all reported reactions, intermediates are observable under appropriate conditions, allowing the formulation of mechanisms where insertion of the unsaturated substrate is followed by one or more silyl-group migrations to afford the observed products. This rich variety of reactivity confirms the ability of metal silylamides to activate exceptionally strong carbon-element multiple bonds and suggests that silylamides may be useful intermediates in nitrogen-atom and nitrene-group-transfer schemes.

Crystal structures of trans-acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(di-methyl-phenyl-phosphane)molybdenum(II) and trans-acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(ethyl-diphenyl-phosphane)molybdenum(II).

The title compounds, [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)P(CH3)2(C6H5)(CO)2], (1), and [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)P(C2H5)(C6H5)2)(CO)2], (2), have been prepared by phosphine-induced migratory insertion from [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)]. Both complex mol-ecules exhibit a four-legged piano-stool geometry with trans-disposed carbonyl ligands along with Mo-P bond lengths and C-Mo-P angles that reflect the relative steric pressure of the respective phosphine ligand. The structure of compound (1) exhibits a layered arrangement parallel to (100). Within the layers mol-ecules are linked into chains along [001] by non-classical C-H⋯O inter-actions between the acetyl ligand of one mol-ecule and the phenyl and methyl phosphine substituents of another. In the structure of complex (2), a chain motif of centrosymmetrical dimers is found along [010] through C-H⋯O inter-actions.

Control of emission colour with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands in phosphorescent three-coordinate Cu(I) complexes.

A series of three phosphorescent mononuclear (NHC)-Cu(I) complexes were prepared and characterized. Photophysical properties were found to be largely controlled by the NHC ligand chromophore. Variation of the NHC ligand leads to emission colour tuning over 200 nm range from blue to red, and emission efficiencies of 0.16-0.80 in the solid state.

trans-Acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)[tris-(furan-2-yl)phosphane-κP]molybdenum(II).

The title compound, [Mo(C5H5)(C2H3O)(C12H9O3P)(CO)2], was prepared by reaction of [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)] with tris-(furan-2-yl)phosphane. The Mo(II) atom exhibits a four-legged piano-stool coordination geometry with the acetyl and phosphine ligands trans to each other. The O atom of the acetyl ligand points down, away from the Cp ring. In the crystal, mol-ecules form centrosymmetrical dimers via π-π inter-actions between furyl rings [the centroid-centroid distance is 3.396 (4) Å]. The dimers are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into layers parallel to (100).

Photophysical properties of cyclometalated Pt(II) complexes: counterintuitive blue shift in emission with an expanded ligand π system.

A detailed examination was performed on photophysical properties of phosphorescent cyclometalated (C(^)N)Pt(O(^)O) complexes (ppy)Pt(dpm) (1), (ppy)Pt(acac) (1'), and (bzq)Pt(dpm) (2) and newly synthesized (dbq)Pt(dpm) (3) (C(^)N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy), benzo[h]quinoline (bzq), dibenzo[f,h]quinoline (dbq); O(^)O = dipivolylmethanoate (dpm), acetylacetonate (acac)). Compounds 1, 1', 2, and 3 were further characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural changes brought about by cyclometalation were determined by comparison with X-ray data from model C(^)N ligand precursors. The compounds emit from metal-perturbed, ligand-centered triplet states (E(0-0) = 479 nm, 1; E(0-0) = 495 nm, 2; E(0-0) = 470 nm, 3) with disparate radiative rate constants (kr = 1.4 × 10(5) s(-1), 1; kr = 0.10 × 10(5) s(-1), 2; kr = 2.6 × 10(5) s(-1), 3). Zero-field splittings of the triplet states (ΔE(III-I) = 11.5 cm(-1), 1'; ΔE(III-I) < 2 cm(-1), 2; ΔE(III-I) = 46.5 cm(-1), 3) were determined using high resolution spectra recorded in Shpol'skii matrices. The fact that the E0-0 energies do not correspond to the extent of π-conjugation in the aromatic C(^)N ligand is rationalized on the basis of structural distortions that occur upon cyclometalation using data from single crystal X-ray analyses of the complexes and ligand precursors along with the triplet state properties evaluated using theoretical calculations. The wide variation in the radiative rate constants and zero-field splittings is also explained on the basis of how changes in the electronic spin density in the C(^)N ligands in the triplet state alter the spin-orbit coupling in the complexes.

Metal-ligand multiple bonds as frustrated Lewis pairs for C-H functionalization.

The concept of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) has received considerable attention of late, and numerous reports have demonstrated the power of non- or weakly interacting Lewis acid-base pairs for the cooperative activation of small molecules. Although most studies have focused on the use of organic or main-group FLPs that utilize steric encumbrance to prevent adduct formation, a related strategy can be envisioned for both organic and inorganic complexes, in which "electronic frustration" engenders reactivity consistent with both nucleophilic (basic) and electrophilic (acidic) character. Here we propose that such a description is consistent with the behavior of many coordinatively unsaturated transition-metal species featuring metal-ligand multiple bonds, and we further demonstrate that the resultant reactivity may be a powerful tool for the functionalization of C-H and E-H bonds.

trans-Acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(methyl-diphenyl-phosphane)molybdenum(II).

The title compound, [Mo(C(5)H(5))(C(2)H(3)O)(C(13)H(13)P)(CO)(2)], was prepared by reaction of [Mo(CH(3))(C(5)H(5))(CO)(3)] with methyl-diphenyl-phosphane. The Mo(II) atom exhibits a four-legged piano-stool coordination geometry with the acetyl and phosphane ligands trans to each other. There are several inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions involving carbonyl and acetyl O atoms as acceptors. A close nearly parallel π-π inter-action between the cyclo-penta-dienyl plane and the phenyl ring of the phosphane ligand is present, with an angle of 6.4 (1)° between the two least-squares planes. The centroid-to-centroid distance between these groups is 3.772 (3) Å, and the closest distance between two atoms of these groups is 3.449 (4) Å. Since each Mo complex is engaged in two of these inter-actions, the complexes form an infinite π-stack coincident with the a axis.

Efficient singlet fission discovered in a disordered acene film.

Singlet exciton fission is a process that occurs in select organic semiconductors and entails the splitting of a singlet excited state into two lower triplet excitons located on adjacent chromophores. Research examining this phenomenon has recently seen a renaissance due to the potential to exploit singlet fission within the context of organic photovoltaics to prepare devices with the ability to circumvent the Shockley-Queisser limit. To date, high singlet fission yields have only been reported for crystalline or polycrystalline materials, suggesting that molecular disorder inhibits singlet fission. Here, we report the results of ultrafast transient absorption and time-resolved emission experiments performed on 5,12-diphenyl tetracene (DPT). Unlike tetracene, which tends to form polycrystalline films when vapor deposited, DPT's pendant phenyl groups frustrate crystal growth, yielding amorphous films. Despite the high level of disorder in these films, we find that DPT exhibits a surprisingly high singlet fission yield, with 1.22 triplets being created per excited singlet. This triplet production occurs over two principal time scales, with ~50% of the triplets appearing within 1 ps after photoexcitation followed by a slower phase of triplet growth over a few hundred picoseconds. To fit these kinetics, we have developed a model that assumes that due to molecular disorder, only a subset of DPT dimer pairs adopt configurations that promote fission. Singlet excitons directly excited at these sites can undergo fission rapidly, while singlet excitons created elsewhere in the film must diffuse to these sites to fission.

Cu4I4 clusters supported by P

A series of Cu(4)I(4) clusters (1-5) supported by two P^N-type ligands 2-[(diRphosphino)methyl]pyridine (1, R = phenyl; 2, R = cyclohexyl; 3, R = tert-butyl; 4, R = iso-propyl; 5, R = ethyl) have been synthesized. Single crystal X-ray analyses show that all five clusters adopt a rare "octahedral" geometry. The central core of the cluster consists of the copper atoms arranged in a parallelogram with µ(4)-iodides above and below the copper plane. The copper atoms on the two short edges of the parallelogram (Cu-Cu = 2.525(2)-2.630(1) Å) are bridged with µ(2)-iodides, whereas the long edges (Cu-Cu = 2.839(3)-3.035(2) Å) are bridged in an antiparallel fashion by the P^N ligands. This Cu(4)I(4) geometry differs significantly from the "cubane" and "stairstep" geometries reported for other Cu(4)I(4)L(4) clusters. Luminescence spectra of clusters 3 and 4 display a single emission around 460 nm at room temperature that is assigned to emission from a triplet halide-to-ligand charge-transfer ((3)XLCT) excited state, whereas clusters 1, 2, and 5 also have a second band around 570 nm that is assigned to a Cu(4)I(4) cluster-centered ((3)CC) excited state. The structural and photophysical properties of a dinuclear Cu(2)I(2)(P^N)(2) complex obtained during the sublimation of cluster 3 is also provided.

Symmetry-breaking intramolecular charge transfer in the excited state of meso-linked BODIPY dyads.

We report the synthesis and characterization of symmetric BODIPY dyads where the chromophores are attached at the meso position, using either a phenylene bridge or direct linkage. Both molecules undergo symmetry-breaking intramolecular charge transfer in the excited state, and the directly linked dyad serves as a visible-light-absorbing analogue of 9,9'-bianthryl.

A codeposition route to CuI-pyridine coordination complexes for organic light-emitting diodes.

We demonstrate a new approach for utilizing CuI coordination complexes as emissive layers in organic light-emitting diodes that involves in situ codeposition of CuI and 3,5-bis(carbazol-9-yl)pyridine (mCPy). With a simple three-layer device structure, pure green electroluminescence at 530 nm from a Cu(I) complex was observed. A maximum luminance and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9700 cd/m(2) and 4.4%, respectively, were achieved. The luminescent species was identified as [CuI(mCPy)(2)](2) on the basis of photophysical studies of model complexes and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.