Tungsten Imido Complexes Research Articles

Metallocalix[4]arene Polymers for Gravimetric Detection of N-Nitrosodialkylamines.

N-Nitrosamines are found in food, drugs, air, water, and soil. They pose a significant risk to human health because of their carcinogenicity; consequently, materials that can be used to selectively and sensitively detect nitrosamines are needed. In this work, we designed and synthesized two polymers bearing calix[4]arene or 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene tungsten-imido complexes (PCalixH and PCalixtBu) as N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) receptors. The interaction between metallocalix[4]arene monomers/polymers and NDMA was confirmed by 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy. Single-crystal X-ray analysis further revealed that the host-guest interaction is based on binding of the terminal oxygen of NDMA to tungsten within the calixarene cavity. Gravimetric detection of NDMA was performed on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in air. Both polymers show responses to NDMA, with PCalixtBu exhibiting a low theoretical limit of detection of 5 ppb for NDMA. The sensor also shows high selectivity toward NDMA and moderate humidity tolerance. This work provides a sensitive sensor for detection of NDMA and also offers a class of new, selective, and efficient NDMA receptors for the future design of NDMA sensors and NDMA extraction materials.

Selective dimerisation of 1-hexene mediated by aluminium alkyl chloride-activated tungsten imido complexes

Tungsten imido complexes, in combination with EtAlCl2, were found to be efficient pro-catalysts for selective dimerization of 1-hexene to methyl-branched dodecenes, products that can be used for the production of jet and diesel engine fuels.

Synthesis and Characterization of Paramagnetic Tungsten Imido Complexes Bearing α-Diimine Ligands.

Tungsten imido complexes bearing a redox-active ligand, such as N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,4-diaza-2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene (L1), N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene (L2), and 1,2-bis[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene (L3), were prepared by salt-free reduction of W(═NC6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)Cl4 (1) using 1-methyl-3,6-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-cyclohexadiene (MBTCD) followed by addition of the corresponding redox-active ligands. In the initial stage, reaction of W(═NC6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)Cl4 with MBTCD afforded a tetranuclear W(V) imido cluster, [W(═NC6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)Cl3]4 (2), which served as a unique precursor for introducing redox-active ligands to the tungsten center to give the corresponding mononuclear complexes with a general formula of W(═NC6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)Cl3(L) (3, L = L1; 4, L = L2; and 6, L = L3). X-ray analyses of complexes 3 and 6 revealed a neutral coordination mode of L1 and L3 to the tungsten in solid state, while the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of 3 and 4 clarified that a radical was predominantly located on the tungsten center supported by neutral L1 or L2, and the EPR spectra of complex 6 indicated that a radical was delocalized over both the tungsten center and the monoanionic redox-active ligand L3.

Synthesis of Alkyl and Alkylidene Complexes of Tungsten Bearing Imido and Redox-Active α-Diimine or o-Iminoquinone Ligands and Their Application as Catalysts for Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Norbornene

We report a new strategy to synthesize tungsten imido complexes bearing bidentate redox-active ligands through reduction of high-valent tungsten imido complexes by 1-methyl-3,6-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-cyclohexadiene (abbreviated MBTCD) without forming any metal salt waste. Reaction of W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)Cl4 and MBTCD in the presence of redox-active ligands, such as α-diimine and o-iminoquinone, produced tungsten imido complexes with the corresponding redox-active ligands, (α-diimine)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)Cl2 (1), [(o-iminoquinone)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)Cl]2(μ-Cl)2 (3), and (o-iminoquinone)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)Cl2(THF) (4), along with Me3SiCl and toluene as whole byproducts. Reaction of the brown complex 1 with [nBu4N][Cl] afforded intensely green single crystals of [nBu4N][(α-diimine)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)Cl3] (2). The versatile coordination modes of the α-diimine and o-iminoquinone ligands were clarified by spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction studies. Treatment of complex 1 with 1 equiv of Mg(CH2Ph)2·Et2O resulted in the formation of (α-diimine)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)(CH2Ph)2 (5), and thermolysis of 5 in the presence of PMe2Ph at 80 °C afforded the alkylidene complex (α-diimine)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)(═CHPh)(PMe2Ph) (6). On the other hand, thermolysis of 5 in the presence of CCl4 afforded the dissymmetric benzylidene complex (Cl3C-amido-imino)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)(═CHPh)Cl (7) via reductive cleavage of the C–Cl bond of CCl4. Isolated alkylidene complexes 6 and 7 served as catalysts for ring-opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene with 1 mol% of catalyst loading in toluene at 80 °C. Treatment of o-iminoquinone complex 4 with 2 equiv of LiCH2CMe2Ph afforded the dialkyl complex (o-iminoquinone)W(═NC6H3-2,6-iPr2)(CH2CMe2Ph)2 (8). Dialkyl complexes 5 and 8 at 80 °C served as catalysts to give poly(norbornene) with rather broad polydispersity.

Mechanism-Based Design of Precursors for MOCVD

A chemistry-based approach to designing precursors for the deposition of inorganic films requires consideration of the physical properties of the precursor compound (e.g., volatility for transport in the reactor) and its probable decomposition pathways, both in the gas phase and on the surface during growth. We have been using Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of tungsten carbonitride (WNxCy) films from tungsten imido complexes and tungsten hydrazido complexes as a model system to investigate the relationship between data obtained from conventional organometallic mechanistic study of the precursors and the resulting film deposition kinetics and film properties. Among the typical techniques for the elucidation of decomposition pathways in organometallic compounds that will be discussed in this context are NMR kinetics, mass spectrometry, DFT calculations, and single crystal X-ray diffractometry.