Aryloxides Group 2 elements

In order to prepare hydrolytically stable polythionyiphosphazenes the perchlo-rinated polymers were reacted with nucleophiles to substitute the hydrolytically sensitive main group-element halogen bonds [2]. This type of post-polymerization structural modification is well-established in polyphosphazene chemistry [2,8]. Thus, aryloxide nucleophiles or primary amines were used to substitute the polymers leading to poly(aryloxythionylphosphazenes) 24 and poly(amino-thionylphosphazenes) 25 respectively [35,37] ... 

For alkoxides of the Group I and II elements and the lanthanides, typical adducts involve coordinating O-donors such as Et20 or THF. For example, the sparingly soluble, anhydrous aryloxide LiOAr (OAr = 2,6-di-r-butylphenoxide) will dissolve in ethers to give dimeric adducts of the type [(OAr )Li(L)]2 (L = Et20, THF, py), which have been structurally characterized.22 ... 

The same group also showed that mono(cyclopentadienyl) mixed hydride/ aryloxide dimer complexes of several lanthanide elements (Y, Dy, Lu) could be synthesized easily by the acid-base reaction between the mixed hydride/alkyl complexes and an aryl alcohol [144]. These complexes reacted with C02 to generate mixed formate/carboxylate derivatives, which were moderately active initiators for the copolymerization of C02 and cyclohexene oxide, without requiring a co-catalyst. The lutetium derivative 21 was the most active (at 110°C, TOF = 9.4 h ), yet despite a good selectivity (99% carbonate linkages), the molecular weight distribution remained broad (6.15) (Table 6). 

The use of unsubstituted or 4-methyl phenols resulted in the formation of cluster compounds [58]. However, 2,6-di(fcrt-butyl) substituted aryloxide ligands allowed the isolation of mononuclear 3-coordinate homoleptie complexes of the lanthanide elements, the coordination mode of which was first demonstrated with the N(SiMe3)2 ligand [59], The 2,6-substitution pattern is very effective because the alkyl groups are directed towards the metal center and impose a steric coordination number onto the metal which is comparable to the Cp ligand (Cp 2.49 OC6H3rBu2-2,6 2.41) [60],... 

The formation of the first monomeric heavy group 2 element alkoxides has been postulated based on oUgoether ligands (14), the molecularity of which is supported by cryoscopic molecular weight data. This contrasts with the initial publications of Ba(OR)2 preparations. When a saturated hydrocarbon is the parent alcohol, apparently only involatile and insoluble alkoxides are formed. Quite recently, a benzene soluble bis(aryloxide), Ba(bht)2(THF)2, has been prepared however, no volatility was reported. ... 

There has been an outburst of research interest in the structures, physical properties, and chemistry of the group 2 metal aryloxides. This is particularly true for the elements strontium and barium where work has been stimulated by the possible use of metal aryloxides as precursors (either via sol-gel or MOCVD processes) for the formation of binary and ternary oxides containing these metals.2 Synthetic procedures are based on either the halide (Be) alkyl derivatives (Mg, Grignard derivatives, etc.) or the actual metallic element (Ca, Sr, Ba). Structural studies (Tables 6.14-6.18) show for the smaller elements Be, Mg, and Ca that monomeric and dimeric structural motifs dominate, with rarer examples of trinuclear clusters, e.g. [Ca3(OPh)5(HMPA)6][OPh.2HOPh].2 2 in the case of strontium and barium a more extensive cluster chemistry has been developed for small aryloxide ligands, while monomeric units with terminal aryloxides can be formed with bulky ligands and sufficient additional Lewis bases, e.g. [Ba(OC6H2Bu2-2,6-Me-4)2(THF)3].2 ... 

The metals thorium and uranium (as with the chemistry in general of these elements) dominate actinide aryloxide chemistry. Synthetic strategies normally focus on the halides reacting with group 1 metal aryloxides or reaction of metal amides with phenols. An important piece of early work was the demonstrated interconversion of eight-coordinate [UMe4(dmpe)2] and [M(OPh)4(dmpe)2] (M = Th, U Table 6.20) by addition of phenol or MeLi to each substrate respectively. The reaction of the cyclometallated... 

Although such a bonding scheme is compatible with the commonly accepted concept (i.e., the presence of any form of ft-bonding to a group 13 element would require a trigonal planar coordinatively xmsaturated metal center), the relative importance of jt-donation from the aryloxide to aluminum in this group of compounds has not achieved a consensus [106-109]. 

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