Cp2Ti(κ2-tBuNCNtBu): A Complex with an Unusual κ2 Coordination Mode of a Heterocumulene Featuring a Free Carbene.

Although there are myriad binding modes of heterocumulenes to metal centers, the monometallic κ2-ECE (E = O, S, NR) coordination mode has not been reported. Herein, the synthesis, isolation, and physical characterization of Cp2Ti(κ2-tBuNCNtBu) (3) (Cp = cyclopentadienyl, tBu = tert-butyl), a strained 4-membered metallacycle bearing a free carbene, is described. Computational (DFT, CASSCF, QT-AIM, ELF) and solid-state CP-MAS 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis indicate that 3 is best described as a free carbene with partial Ti-Cß bonding that results from Ti-N π-bonding mixing with N-C-N σ-bonding of the bent N-C-N framework. Reactivity studies of 3 corroborate its carbene-like nature: protonation with [LutH]I results in the formation of a Ti-formamidinate (4), while oxidation with S8 yields a Ti-thioureate (5). Additionally, a related bridged dititanamidocarbene, (Cp2Ti)2(µ-η1,η1-CyNCNCy) (10) (Cy = cyclohexyl) is reported. Taken together, this work suggests that the 2-electron reduction of heterocumulene moieties can allow access to unusual free carbene coordination geometries given the proper stabilizing coordination environment from the reducing transition metal fragment.

Multicomponent Pyrazole Synthesis from Alkynes, Nitriles, and Titanium Imido Complexes via Oxidatively Induced N-N Bond Coupling.

Pyrazoles are an important class of heterocycles found in a wide range of bioactive compounds and pharmaceuticals. Pyrazole synthesis often requires hydrazine or related reagents where an intact N-N bond is conservatively installed into a pyrazole precursor fragment. Herein, we report the multicomponent oxidative coupling of alkynes, nitriles, and Ti imido complexes for the synthesis of multisubstituted pyrazoles. This modular method avoids potentially hazardous reagents like hydrazine, instead forming the N-N bond in the final step via oxidation-induced coupling on Ti. The mechanism of this transformation has been studied in-depth through stoichiometric reactions of the key diazatitanacyclohexadiene intermediate, which can be accessed via multicomponent coupling of Ti imidos with nitriles and alkynes, ring opening of 2-imino-2H-azirines, or direct metalation of 4-azadiene-1-amine derivatives. The critical transformation in this reaction is the 2-electron oxidation-induced N-N coupling on Ti. This is a rare example of formal N-N coupling on a metal center, which likely occurs through an electrocyclic mechanism analogous to a Nazarov cyclization. Conveniently, these 2-electron-oxidized diazatitanacyclohexadiene intermediates can be accessed via disproportionation of the 1-electron-oxidized species, which allows utilization of weak oxidants such as TEMPO.

Computational Thermochemistry of Mono- and Dinuclear Tin Alkyls Used in Vapor Deposition Processes.

Hexamethylditin has been reported to be a more effective precursor compared to monotin analogs in hybrid molecular beam epitaxy depositions of perovskite oxides. To understand the differences, a library of 68 monotin- and ditin-containing molecules bearing hydrido and/or carbon-based ligands was generated, and their structures were optimized using density functional theory. On the basis of a modified W1-F12 composite thermochemical method, thermochemical data (enthalpy of formation, entropy, and heat capacity) were calculated for each structure over a range of temperatures (298-5000 K). The application of the modified W1-F12 method to heavy element compounds was benchmarked against existing experimental and computational studies of mononuclear hydrido, alkyl, and mixed hydridoalkyl complexes of silicon, germanium, and tin. The library of thermodynamic data was used in partial equilibrium calculations from 300 to 1500 K to determine gas phase compositions resulting from the pyrolysis of tetramethyltin and hexamethylditin at 10-6 and 760 Torr.