N‐Heterocyclic‐Carbene‐Induced Monomerization of Sterically Encumbered Dialkylmagnesium and Dialkylmanganese Polymers (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 30/2011)

Abstract

AbstractThe cover picture shows a figurative representation of the game of chance involved in attempting to synthesise novel monomeric derivatives of the sterically encumbered polymeric bis(alkyl) complexes [M(CH2SiMe3)2]∞ [M = Mg, MnII). A winning hand was achieved by utilising the potent two‐electron σ‐donor 1,3‐bis‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene (IPr), an N‐heterocyclic carbene, to yield the first such examples of monomeric three‐coordinate [M(CH2SiMe3)2]·donor complexes (M = Mg, Mn). Likewise, monomeric three‐coordinate species were obtained for the bulkier disilyl‐substituted alkyl [CH2SiMe3)2] congeners yielding M[CH(SiMe3)2]2·IPr (M = Mg, Mn) by displacement of an ether ligand from M[CH(SiMe3)2]2·ether by IPr. Determined by X‐ray crystallography, the structures of the four new monomers are shown on the faces of the individual playing cards. The diamagnetic magnesium compounds were also characterized in arene solution by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Details are discussed in the article by R. E. Mulvey, S. D. Robertson et al. on p. 4675 ff. The cover art was composed by one of the authors of the paper, Dr. Jan Klett.