Gas-phase synthesis and reactivity of Cu+–benzyne complexes

Cu+–benzyne complexes bearing ligands (L) were synthesized and their addition reactivity was studied in the gas phase using electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry.

Aryne Complexes of Zerovalent Metals of the Nickel Triad

The chemistry of dihapto-aryne complexes of the zerovalent Group 10 metals of general formula [M(η2-aryne)L2] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; L = various tertiary phosphines) is reviewed, with emphasis on the highly reactive nickel(0) compounds (aryne = benzyne, C6H4; 4,5-difluorobenzyne, 4,5-C6H2F2; 2,3-naphthalyne, 2,3-C10H6; L2 = 2 PEt3, 2 PiPr3, 2 PCy3, dcpe). These can be generated by alkali metal reduction of the appropriate (2-halogenoaryl)nickel(ii) halide precursors, such as [NiX(2-XC6H4)L2], which in turn are accessible by oxidative addition of the 1,2-dihaloarene to nickel(0) precursors such as [Ni(1,5-COD)2]. The X-ray structure of [Ni(η2-C6H4)(dcpe)] shows that this compound is a typical 16-electron Ni(0) (3d10) species in which benzyne acts as a 2π-electron donor. Several unusual organonickel compounds derived from [Ni(η2-4,5-C6H2F2)(PEt3)2] have been isolated recently, including [Ni2(μ-η2:η2-4,5-C6H2F2)(PEt3)4], in which a 4π-electron donor 4,5-difluorobenzyne is located at right-angles to a pair of nickel atoms. Free benzyne can be intercepted by both [Ni(η2-C2H4)(dcpe)] and [Pt(η2-C2H4)(PPh3)2], but the resulting benzyne complexes rapidly insert benzyne to give the appropriate η1:η1-2,2′-biphenylyl complexes. [Pt(η2-C6H4)(PPh3)2] also undergoes rapid ortho-metallation to give [PtPh(2-C6H4PPh2)(PPh3)]. However, a trapping reaction has been used to make the first 1,4-benzdiyne complex, [{Ni(dcpe)2}2(μ-η2:η2-1,4-C6H2)] by treatment of the 4-fluorobenzyne complex [Ni(η2-4-FC6H3)(dcpe)] with LiTMP. The use of alkali metals in the preparation of the η2-benzyne complexes is avoided in a more recently developed procedure, which starts from (2-bromophenyl)boronic acid, and is based on Suzuki–Miyaura coupling. This procedure has made accessible for the first time an aryne complex of palladium(0), [Pd(η2-C6H4)(PCy3)2], and the labile nickel(0) complex [Ni(η2-C6H4)(PPh3)2]. The aryne-nickel(0) complexes Ni(η2-aryne)L2 (L2 = 2 PEt3, dcpe) undergo sequential insertions into the aryne-metal bond with unsaturated molecules, such as CO, C2F4, substituted alkynes, substituted diynes, alkynylphosphines, and alkynyl thioethers, often with considerable regioselectivity. After the reductive elimination of two nickel-carbon σ-bonds, a variety of interesting polycyclic compounds can be obtained.