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Ferrocene-substituted carbenes have emerged as attractive, redox-active ligands. However, among the compounds studied to date, ferrocenylated 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidenes, which are closely related to the archetypal imidazol-2-ylidenes, are still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the triazolium salt [CHN(Me)NCHN(Fc)]I (2; Fc = ferrocenyl), obtained by alkylation of 4-ferrocenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole (1) with MeI, reacts selectively with metal alkoxide/hydroxide precursors [(cod)Rh(OMe)]2 and [(IPr)Au(OH)] (cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene, IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) to produce the ferrocene-substituted 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene complexes [(cod)RhI{CN(Me)NCHN(Fc)}] and [(IPr)Au{CN(Me)NCHN(Fc)}]I in good yields. The complexes were characterised by NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Density function theory (DFT) calculations were used to rationalise the electrochemical behaviour of the carbene complexes and to elucidate the bonding situation in these compounds. An analysis using intrinsic bond orbitals (IBOs) revealed that the 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene ligand exerted a strong trans influence and showed a synergistic stabilisation by the negative inductive and positive π-donor effects of the nitrogen atoms adjacent to the carbene carbon atom; these effects were enhanced by conjugation with the CH＝N bond at the exterior, similar to that in imidazol-2-ylidenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the multifaceted reactivity of organic isocyanides has been extensively demonstrated, that of their organometallic analogue, isocyanoferrocene (FcNC; Fc = ferrocenyl), has not yet been adequately explored. This contribution describes the syntheses of novel chelating Pd(II) imidoyl complexes, [(YCH2C6H4C(NFc)-κ2Y,C)PdCl(PR3)], by insertion of FcNC into the Pd–C bond of cyclopalladated precursors [(YCH2C6H4-κ2Y,C)PdCl(PR3)] (Y = Me2N, MeS, R = Ph, Me). The imidoyl complexes underwent facile alkylation with [Me3O][BF4] to produce the cationic aminocarbene complexes [{YCH2C6H4C(N(Me)Fc)-κ2Y,C}PdCl(PR3)][BF4]. All compounds were fully characterised using a combination of spectroscopic methods (NMR, FTIR and ESI MS), cyclic voltammetry and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. In addition, DFT calculations were used to describe the bonding in the two compound families. Analyses with intrinsic bond orbitals (IBOs) and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) consistently pointed to the transformation of an X-type imidoyl C-ligand (σ-organyl) into an L-type carbene donor upon alkylation, which has only a minor structural consequence. Also reported is the unexpected conversion of the imidoyl complex [(Me2NCH2C6H4C(NFc)-κ2N,C)PdCl(PPh3)] into (Z)-2,2-dimethyl-1-(ferrocenylimino)isoindolin-2-ium tetrafluoroborate as a reductive elimination product, which was induced by Lewis and Brønsted acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthoplatinated complexes [Pt(C^C*)(acac)] (1R), in which C^C* is orthoplatinated 3-R-1-phenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-ylidene and R = Me and Ph, reacted with 1′-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene-1-carboxylic acid (Hdpf) under protonation of the acetylacetonate ligand (acac) to produce the corresponding phosphinocarboxylate bischelate complexes [Pt(C^C*)(dpf-κ2O,P)] (2R) as single isomers with trans-P,C(carbene) geometry. The compounds were fully characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic methods, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and cyclic voltammetry. In addition, DFT calculations were used to determine differences in energy and the bonding situation between 2R and the hypothetical geometric isomers 3R with a trans-P,C(phenyl) arrangement. The experimental and theoretical results are consistent with the antisymbiosis effect observed in complexes of soft metal ions, namely with weakening of Pt–C bonds by strongly trans-influencing ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactions of the gold(I) metalloligand [Au2{μ(P,C)-Ph2Pfc}2], where fc stands for ferrocene-1,1′-diyl, with bare or ligand-stabilised group 11 metal ions open access to diverse oligometallic clusters stabilised by Au–Au, Au–Ag and Au–Cu interactions. These capping reactions and the unique structures of the products stem from unparalleled properties of the bridging ferrocene groups, namely their structural flexibility and electron-rich nature, which enable accommodating the capping moieties and supporting ligands and facilitate electrophilic metalation, respectively. While the Au+ and Ag+ ions behave similarly, capping reactions with Cu+ proceed differently, with an accentuated role of the counter ions and other ligands in the system. Such behaviour reflects the relative strengths of the Au–M metallophilic interaction (M = Au, Ag and Cu), among which the Au–Cu interactions are the weakest, as confirmed by DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]