Synthesis and Redox Behaviour of the Chalcogenocarbonyl Dianions [(E)C(PPh2S)2]2−: Formation and Structures of Chalcogen-Chalcogen Bonded Dimers and a Novel Selone

Chalcogen bonding of two ligands to hypervalent YF4 (Y = S, Se, Te, Po)

The ability of two NH₃ ligands to engage in simultaneous chalcogen bonds to a hypervalent YF₄ molecule, with Y = S, Se, Te, Po, is assessed via quantum calculations. The complex can take on one of two different geometries. The cis structure places the two ligands adjacent to one another in a pseudo-octahedral geometry, held there by a pair of σ-hole chalcogen bonds. The bases can also lie nearly opposite one another, in a distorted octahedron containing one π-hole and one strained σ-hole bond. The cis geometry is favored for Y = S, while Te, and Po tend toward the trans structure; they are nearly equally stable for Se. In either case, the binding energy rises rapidly with the size of the Y atom, exceeding 30 kcal mol^-1 for PoF₄.

Geminal Dianions Stabilized by Main Group Elements

This review is dedicated to the chemistry of stable and isolable species that bear two lone pairs at the same C center, i.e., geminal dianions, stabilized by main group elements. Three cases can thus be considered: the geminal-dilithio derivative, for which the two substituents at C are neutral, the yldiide derivatives, for which one substituent is neutral while the other is charged, and finally the geminal bisylides, for which the two substituents are positively charged. In this review, the syntheses and electronic structures of the geminal dianions are presented, followed by the studies dedicated to their reactivity toward organic substrates and finally to their coordination chemistry and applications.

Chalcogen bonding in synthesis, catalysis and design of materials

Chalcogen bonding is a type of noncovalent interaction in which a covalently bonded chalcogen atom (O, S, Se or Te) acts as an electrophilic species towards a nucleophilic (negative) region(s) in another or in the same molecule. In general, this interaction is strengthened by the presence of an electron-withdrawing group on the electron-acceptor chalcogen atom and upon moving down in the periodic table of elements, from O to Te. Following a short discussion of the phenomenon of chalcogen bonding, this Perspective presents some demonstrative experimental observations in which this bonding is crucial for synthetic transformations, crystal engineering, catalysis and design of materials as synthons/tectons.

s-Block metal complexes of PC(H)P-bridged chalcogen-centred methanides: comparisons with isoelectronic PNP-bridged monoanions

This Perspective compares the chemistries of s-block metal complexes of isoelectronic PC(H)P- and PNP-bridged, chalcogen-centred monoanions with a focus on the unique behavior of the C(H)-bridged systems.

Synthesis of a labile sulfur-centred ligand, [S(H)C(PPh2S)2](-): structural diversity in lithium(i), zinc(ii) and nickel(ii) complexes

A high-yield synthesis of [Li{S(H)C(PPh2S)2}]2 [Li2·(3)2] was developed and this reagent was used in metathesis with ZnCl2 and NiCl2 to produce homoleptic complexes 4 and 5b in 85 and 93% yields, respectively. The solid-state structure of the octahedral complex [Zn{S(H)C(PPh2S)2}2] (4) reveals notable inequivalence between the Zn-S(C) and Zn-S(P) contacts (2.274(1) Å vs. 2.842(1) and 2.884(1) Å, respectively). Two structural isomers of the homoleptic complex [Ni{S(H)C(PPh2S)2}2] were isolated after prolonged crystallization processes. The octahedral green Ni(ii) isomer 5a exhibits the two monoprotonated ligands bonded in a tridentate (S,S',S'') mode to the Ni(ii) centre with three distinctly different Ni-S bond lengths (2.3487(8), 2.4500(9) and 2.5953(10) Å). By contrast, in the red-brown square-planar complex 5b the two ligands are S,S'-chelated to Ni(ii) (d(Ni-S) = 2.165(2) and 2.195(2) Å) with one pendant PPh2S group. DFT calculations revealed that the energetic difference between singlet and triplet state octahedral and square-planar isomers of the Ni(ii) complex is essentially indistinguishable. Consistently, VT and (31)P CP/MAS NMR spectroscopic investigations indicated that a mixture of isomers exists in solution at room temperature, while the singlet state square-planar isomer 5b becomes favoured at -40 °C.

Transition metal mediated formation of dicationic diselenides stabilised by N-heterocyclic carbenes: designed synthesis

Designed syntheses of dicationic diselenides have been developed by (i) reduction of dihaloselones (routes A and B) and (ii) by oxidation of selone adducts of metal halides (route C).

Instability of metal 1,3-benzodi(thiophosphinoyl)methandiide complexes: formation of hafnium, tin and zirconium complexes of 1,3-benzodi(thiophosphinoyl)thioketone dianionic ligand [1,3-C6H4(PhPS)2CS]2−

The reaction illustrates that the metal centre and ligand substituents are crucial for the stabilization of a C_methandiideHf bond.

1,1'-(Diselanediylbis{[P,P-diphenyl-N-(tri-methyl-sil-yl)phospho-rimido-yl]methanylyl-idene})bis-[1,1-diphenyl-N-(tri-methyl-sil-yl)-λ(5)-phosphanamine] pentane disolvate

The title compound, C62H78N4P4Se2Si4·2C5H12, is made up of two [SeC(PPh2NSiMe3)(PPh2NHSiMe3)] units related by an inversion center situated at the mid-point of the diselenide bond. It crystallized with two disordered mol-ecules of pentane used as solvent of crystallization. It is a rare example of an anti-periplanar diselenide and exhibits a long Se-Se bond of 2.4717 (8) Å. The Se-C bond length of 1.876 (5) Å is short in comparison with the range of values found for other diselenides (1.91-1.97 Å). The mol-ecule exhibits two intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, there are no significant inter-molecular inter-actions present. One of the Me3Si- groups is disordered over two positions with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.708 (8):0.292 (8). The contribution of the disordered solvent to the scattering was removed with the SQUEEZE option of PLATON [Spek (2009 ▶). Acta Cryst. D65, 148-155]. The solvent contribution has been included in the reported mol-ecular weight and density.

Homoleptic, heteroleptic and mixed-valent thallium and indium complexes of multidentate chalcogen-centred PCP-bridged ligands

The metathetical reaction of [Li(TMEDA)][HC(PPh(2)Se)(2)] ([Li(TMEDA)]1) with TlOEt in a 1:1 molar ratio afforded a homoleptic Tl(I) complex as an adduct with LiOEt, Tl[HC(PPh(2)Se)(2)]·LiOEt (7), which undergoes selenium-proton exchange upon mild heating (60 °C) to give the mixed-valent Tl(I)/Tl(III) complex {[Tl][Tl{(Se)C(PPh(2)Se)(2)}(2)]}(∞) (8). Treatment of TlOEt with [Li(TMEDA)](2)[(SPh(2)P)(2)CE'E'C(PPh(2)S)(2)] (3b, E' = S; 3c, E' = Se) in a 2:1 molar ratio produced the binuclear Tl(i)/Tl(i) complexes Tl(2)[(SPh(2)P)(2)CE'E'C(PPh(2)S)(2)] (9b, E' = S; 9c, E' = Se), respectively. Selenium-proton exchange also occurred upon addition of [Li(TMEDA)]1 to InCl(3) to yield the heteroleptic complex (TMEDA)InCl[(Se)C(PPh(2)Se)(2)] (10a). Other examples of this class of In(III) complex, (TMEDA)InCl[(E')C(PPh(2)E)(2)] (10b, E = E' = S; 10c, E = S, E' = Se) were obtained via metathesis of InCl(3) with [Li(TMEDA)](2)[(E')C(PPh(2)E)(2)] (2b, E = E' = S; 2c, E = S, E' = Se, respectively). All new compounds have been characterized in solution by (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy and the solid-state structures have been determined for 8, 9c and 10a-c by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Complex 8 is comprised of Tl(+) ions that are weakly coordinated to octahedral [Tl{(Se)C(PPh(2)Se)(2)}(2)](-) anions to give a one-dimensional polymer. The complex 9c is comprised of two four-coordinate Tl(+) ions that are each S,S',S'',Se bonded to the hexadentate [(SPh(2)P)(2)CSeSeC(PPh(2)S)(2)](2-) ligand in which d(Se-Se) = 2.531(2) Å. The six-coordinate In(III) centres in the distorted octahedral complexes 10a-c are connected to a tridentate [(E')C(PPh(2)E)(2)](2-) dianion, a chloride ion and a neutral bidentate TMEDA ligand.

Identification of a novel η2-Se2 bonding mode in Cu(I) complexes of the dimeric selenocarbonyl dianions, [(EPh2P)2CSeSeC(PPh2E)2](2-) (E = S, Se)

A metathetical reaction between [Li(TMEDA)][(H)C(PPh2Se)2] and CuCl2 in a 2:1 molar ratio afforded the dimeric Cu(I) complex, {Cu2-η(2):η(2)-[(EPh2P)2CSeSeC(PPh2E)2]} (E = Se), via a selenium-proton exchange and an internal redox process. The analogous sulfur-containing complex (E = S) was obtained by the reactions of the dianions [(Se)C(PPh2S)2](2-) and [(SPh2P)2CSeSeC(PPh2S)2](2-) with Cu(II) and Cu(I) halides, respectively. Structural characterization of the Cu(I) complexes reveals a unique η(2)-Se2 bonding mode for the generic diselenide ligand system RSe-SeR.