Unprecedented alkene complex of zinc(II): structures and bonding of divinylzinc complexes.

This report describes the solid-state structures of a series of divinylzinc complexes, one of which represents the only structurally characterized zinc(II) pi-complex. Vinylzinc reagents, Zn[C(Me)=CH2]2 (1) and Zn[C(H)=CMe2]2 (2), have been synthesized and isolated as white crystalline solids in 66 and 72% yield, respectively. Each compound exhibits an infinite polymeric architecture in the solid state via a series of zinc-pi (1) and zinc-sigma-bonded (2) bridging interactions. Addition of chelating ligands to these divinylzinc compounds allowed isolation of the monomeric adducts (bipy)Zn[C(Me)=CH2]2 (1.bipy), (tmeda)Zn[C(Me)=CH2]2 (1*tmeda), (bipy)Zn[C(H)=CMe2]2 (2*bipy), and (tmeda)Zn[C(H)=CMe2]2 (2*tmeda), of which 1*bipy, 2*bipy, and 2*tmeda have been characterized crystallographically.

Highly enantio- and diastereoselective one-pot synthesis of acyclic epoxy alcohols with three contiguous stereocenters.

Two highly enantio- and diastereoselective one-pot procedures for the synthesis of epoxy alcohols with up to three contiguous stereocenters are reported. Route one involves asymmetric addition of an alkylzinc reagent to an enal followed by diastereoselective epoxidation. Route two entails asymmetric vinylation of an aldehyde with divinylzinc reagents and subsequent diastereoselective epoxidation. The oxidant for the epoxidation is generated by exposure of the allylic alkoxide intermediate and the remaining organozinc reagent to dioxygen. Upon addition of catalytic titanium tetraisopropoxide, the directed epoxidation yields the epoxy alcohols with good to excellent yields.

Titanatranes derailed: static and dynamic triethanolamine slippage induced by polyphenoxide chelation.

Aryloxytitanatranes [N(CH(2)CH(2)O)(3)]Ti[OC(6)H(2)-2,4-(t)()Bu(2)-6-CHPh(3)(-)(n)()(C(6)H(2)-3,5-(t)()Bu(2)-2-OH)(n)(-)(1)] (1, n = 1; 2, n = 2; 3, n = 3) containing aryloxides derived from substituted triphenylmethanes are formed in high yield in the reactions of the corresponding phenols with tert-butoxytitanatrane [N(CH(2)CH(2)O)(3)]Ti(O(t)()Bu). The aryloxytitanatranes adopt monomeric, trigonal bipyramidal structures, as confirmed by X-ray crystallography for 1 and 2. The compounds with pendant phenol groups display fluxional behavior due to interchange of the bound phenoxide with the free phenol groups, most likely via a mechanism involving displacement of one arm of the nitrilotriethoxide by the dangling phenol group. The amidotitanatrane [[N(CH(2)CH(2)O)(3)]Ti(NEt(2))](2) reacts with the bisphenol PhCH(C(6)H(2)-3,5-(t)()Bu(2)-2-OH)(2) to give a crystallographically characterized fully metalated cyclic octatitanium complex of the formula [PhCH(C(6)H(2)-3,5-(t)()Bu(2)-2-O)(2)Ti(2)[(OCH(2)CH(2))(3)N](2)](4) (4). The structure of 4 reveals a metallamacrocycle (minimum ring size = 28 members) consisting of four repeating unsymmetrical dititanium units. In each dititanium unit, there is an unprecedented slippage of the nitrilotriethoxide ligand such that both triethanolamine nitrogens coordinate to only one of the two titaniums, while the bisphenoxide is coordinated only to the other titanium. The propensity of the polyphenoxide ligands to chelate is attributed to favorable pi-bonding interactions attainable in the eight-membered chelate rings.