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Xanthene‐backbone FLPs featuring secondary borane functions −B(ArX)H (where ArX=C6F5 (ArF) or C6Cl5 (ArCl)) have been targeted through reactions of the dihydroboranes Me2S ⋅ BArXH2 with [4,5‐xanth(PR2)Li]2 (R=Ph, iPr), and investigated in the synthesis of related cationic systems via hydride abstraction. The reactivity of these systems (both cationic and charge neutral) with ammonia have been probed, with a view to probing the potential for proton shuttling via N−H bond 'activation.' We find that in the case of four‐coordinate boron systems (cationic or change neutral), the N−H linkage remains intact, supported by a NH⋅⋅⋅P hydrogen bond which is worth up to 17 kcal mol−1 thermodynamically, and enabled by planarization of the flexible xanthene scaffold. For cationic three coordinate systems, N‐to‐P proton transfer is viable, driven by the ability of the boron centre to stabilise the [NH2]− conjugate base through N‐to‐B π bonding. This proton transfer can be shown to be reversible in the presence of excess ammonia, depending on the nature of the B‐bound ArX group. It is viable in the case of C6F5 substituents, but is prevented by the more sterically encumbering and secondary donor‐stabilising capabilities of the C6Cl5 substituent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the nucleophilic addition of ammonia to ketones is an archetypal reaction in classical organic chemistry, the reactivity of heavier group 14 carbonyl analogues (R2E=O; E=Si, Ge, Sn, or Pb) with NH3 remains sparsely investigated, primarily due to the synthetic difficulties in accessing heavier ketone congeners. Herein, we present a room‐temperature stable boryl‐substituted amidinato‐silanone {(HCDippN)2B}{PhC(tBuN)2}Si=O (Dipp=2,6‐iPr2C6H3) (together with its germanone analogue), formed from the corresponding silylene under a N2O atmosphere. This system reacts cleanly with ammonia in 1,2‐fashion to give an isolable sila‐hemiaminal complex {(HCDippN)2B}{PhC(tBuN)2}Si(OH)(NH2). Quantum chemical calculations reveal that the formation of this sila‐hemiaminal is crucially dependent on the nature of the ancillary ligand scaffold. It is facilitated thermodynamically by the hemi‐lability of the amidinate ligand (which allows for the formation of an energetically critical intramolecular N⋅⋅⋅HO hydrogen bond within the product) and is enabled mech‐anistically by a process in which the silanone initially acts in umpolung fashion as a base (rather than an acid), due to the strongly electron‐releasing and sterically bulky nature of the ancillary boryl ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Jamie Hicks [sup.1] , Petra Vasko [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jose M. Goicoechea [sup.1] , Simon Aldridge [sup.1] Author Affiliations:(1) Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, [...], The reactivity of aluminium compounds is dominated by their electron deficiency and consequent electrophilicity; these compounds are archetypal Lewis acids (electron-pair acceptors). The main industrial roles of aluminium, and classical methods of synthesizing aluminium-element bonds (for example, hydroalumination and metathesis), draw on the electron deficiency of species of the type AlR.sub.3 and AlCl.sub.3.sup.1,2. Whereas aluminates, [AlR.sub.4].sup.-, are well known, the idea of reversing polarity and using an aluminium reagent as the nucleophilic partner in bond-forming substitution reactions is unprecedented, owing to the fact that low-valent aluminium anions analogous to nitrogen-, carbon- and boron-centred reagents of the types [NX.sub.2].sup.-, [CX.sub.3].sup.- and [BX.sub.2].sup.- are unknown.sup.3-5. Aluminium compounds in the +1 oxidation state are known, but are thermodynamically unstable with respect to disproportionation. Compounds of this type are typically oligomeric.sup.6-8, although monomeric systems that possess a metal-centred lone pair, such as Al(Nacnac).sup.Dipp (where (Nacnac).sup.Dipp = (NDippCR).sub.2CH and R = .sup.tBu, Me; Dipp = 2,6-.sup.iPr.sub.2C.sub.6H.sub.3), have also been reported.sup.9,10. Coordination of these species, and also of ([eta].sup.5-C.sub.5Me.sub.5)Al, to a range of Lewis acids has been observed.sup.11-13, but their primary mode of reactivity involves facile oxidative addition to generate Al(iii) species.sup.6-8,14-16. Here we report the synthesis, structure and reaction chemistry of an anionic aluminium(i) nucleophile, the dimethylxanthene-stabilized potassium aluminyl [K{Al(NON)}].sub.2 (NON = 4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilido)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene). This species displays unprecedented reactivity in the formation of aluminium-element covalent bonds and in the C-H oxidative addition of benzene, suggesting that it could find further use in both metal-carbon and metal-metal bond-forming reactions.An aluminium compound is synthesized in which the aluminium is formally anionic; reactions with various substrates suggest that this compound acts as the nucleophilic partner in both metal-carbon and metal-metal bond-forming reactions.

A tetraboryl digermene synthesized by the reaction between a dianionic digermanide nucleophile and a boron halide electrophile is dimeric both in the solid state and in hydrocarbon solution. It features both a planar ‘alkene-like’ geometry for the Ge2B4 core, and an exceptionally short GeGe double bond. These structural features are consistent with the known electronic properties of the boryl group, and with lowest energy (in silico) fragmentation into two triplet bis(boryl)germylene fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactions of a terminal aluminium imide with a range of oxygen‐containing substrates have been probed with a view to developing its use as a novel main group transfer agent for the [NR]2− fragment. We demonstrate transfer of the imide moiety to [N2], [CO] and [Ph(H)C] units driven thermodynamically by Al−O bond formation. N2O reacts rapidly to generate the organoazide DippN3 (Dipp=2,6‐iPr2C6H3), while CO2 (under dilute reaction conditions) yields the corresponding isocyanate, DippNCO. Mechanistic studies, using both experimental and quantum chemical techniques, identify a carbamate complex K2[(NON)Al‐{κ2−(N,O)−N(Dipp)CO2}]2 (formed via [2+2] cycloaddition) as an intermediate in the formation of DippNCO, and also in an alternative reaction leading to the generation of the amino−dicarboxylate complex K2[(NON)Al{κ2−(O,O′)−(O2C)2N‐(Dipp)}] (via the take‐up of a second equivalent of CO2). In the case of benzaldehyde, a similar [2+2] cycloaddition process generates the metallacyclic hemi‐aminal complex, Kn[(NON)Al{κ2−(N,O)−(N(Dipp)C(Ph)(H)O}]n. Extrusion of the imine, PhC(H)NDipp, via cyclo‐reversion is disfavoured thermally, due to the high energy of the putative aluminium oxide co‐product, K2[(NON)Al(O)]2. However, addition of CO2 allows the imine to be released, driven by the formation of the thermodynamically more stable aluminium carbonate co‐product, K2[(NON)Al(κ2−(O,O′)−CO3)]2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]