Monovalent lanthanide(I) in borozene complexes

Lanthanide (Ln) elements are generally found in the oxidation state +II or +III, and a few examples of +IV and +V compounds have also been reported. In contrast, monovalent Ln(+I) complexes remain scarce. Here we combine photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations to study Ln-doped octa-boron clusters (LnB8−, Ln = La, Pr, Tb, Tm, Yb) with the rare +I oxidation state. The global minimum of the LnB8− species changes from Cs to C7v symmetry accompanied by an oxidation-state change from +III to +I from the early to late lanthanides. All the C7v-LnB8− clusters can be viewed as a monovalent Ln(I) coordinated by a η8-B82− doubly aromatic ligand. The B73−, B82−, and B9− series of aromatic boron clusters are analogous to the classical aromatic hydrocarbon molecules, C5H5−, C6H6, and C7H7+, respectively, with similar trends of size and charge state and they are named collectively as “borozenes”. Lanthanides with variable oxidation states and magnetic properties may be formed with different borozenes.

An electrically conducting molecular crystal composed of a magnetic iron(iii) complex (S = 1/2) with a large aromatic ligand, 1,2-naphthlalocyanine (C4h isomer): towards the development of molecular spintronics

An electrically conducting molecular crystal, Ph4P[FeIII(1,2-Nc)(CN)2]2 (Ph4P = tetraphenylphosphonium and 1,2-Nc = C4h isomer of 1,2-naphthalocyanine), was fabricated as a new coordination compound with a strong π–d interaction.

Designing Rh(I)-Half-Sandwich Catalysts for Alkyne [2+2+2] Cycloadditions

Metal-mediated [2+2+2] cycloadditions of unsaturated molecules to cyclic and polycyclic organic compounds are a versatile synthetic route affording good yields and selectivity under mild conditions. In the last two decades, in silico investigations have unveiled important details about the mechanism and the energetics of the whole catalytic cycle. Particularly, a number of computational studies address the topic of half-sandwich catalysts which, due to their structural fluxionality, have been widely employed, since the 1980s. In these organometallic species, the metal is coordinated to an aromatic ring, typically the ubiquitous cyclopentadienyl anion, C5H5 –(Cp) or to the Cp moiety of a larger polycyclic aromatic ligand (Cp′). During the catalytic process, the metal continuously ‘slips’ on the ring, changing its hapticity. This phenomenon of metal slippage and its implications for the catalyst’s performance are discussed in this work, referring to the most important computational mechanistic studies reported in literature for Rh(I) half-metallocenes, with the purpose of providing hints for a rational design of this class of compounds.1 Introduction2 Mechanism of Metal-Catalyzed Acetylene [2+2+2] Cycloaddition to Benzene and the Problem of the Indenyl Effect2.1 Acetylene-Acetonitrile [2+2+2] Co-cycloaddition to 2-Methylpyridine: Evidence of the Indenyl Effect2.2 Heteroaromatic Catalysts and the Evidence of a Reverse Indenyl Effect2.3 Booth’s Mechanistic Hypothesis and the Evidence of the Indenyl Effect3 Structure–Reactivity Correlation: The Slippage-Span Model4 Conclusions and Perspectives

Fabrication of blue organic light-emitting diodes from novel uranium complexes: synthesis, characterization, and electroluminescence studies of uranium anthracene-9-carboxylate complexes

The optical properties of the prepared complexes are associated with the aromatic ligand resonant system.

Understanding Six-Membered NHC-Copper(I) Allylic Borylation Selectivity by Comparison with other Catalysts and Different Substrates

We recently introduced a family of 6-NHC-Cu(I) catalysts that exhibit highest selectivities (regio- and enantio-) exclusively when aryl ethers are used as the leaving group. Understanding the match ­between a catalyst and leaving group remains elusive. We sought to increase our understanding of this system by comparing our catalyst’s ­activity with other catalysts using substrates that contain different leaving groups. Our objective is to better understand the regioselectivity–leaving group combinations. We also observed that our catalyst functioned best when methanol was used as an additive. We examined the selectivities as a function of other protic additives. Finally, we wanted to understand the regioselectivity–enantioselectivity relationship with regards to internal versus terminal leaving groups. Overall, we demonstrate that matching leaving group and catalyst is important and that for our extended aromatic ligand the use of aromatic leaving groups is a unique pairing. We also demonstrate that the leaving group is also critical for controlling both types of selectivity.