Carbenes matrix isolation

In attempts to understand the photochemical reactions of Fischer carbene complexes, several matrix isolation and flash photolysis studies have been conducted using both Cr and W (but not Mo) complexes [5-11]. Although the complexes studied and conditions used varied, several general conclusions were drawn ... 

UV-vis spectra of matrix-isolated intermediates are not so informative as matrix IR spectra. As a rule, an assignment of the UV spectrum to any intermediate follows after the identification of the latter by IR or esr spectroscopy. However, UV-vis spectra may sometimes be especially useful. It is well known, for example, that the energy of electronic transitions in singlet ground-state carbenes differs from that of the triplet species. In this way UV spectroscopy allows one to identify the ground state of the intermediate stabilized in the matrix in particular cases. This will be exemplified below. 

In contrast to carbenes of the AX2 type, which contain three atoms, generation of carbenes with a more complex structure under photolysis or vacuum pyrolysis conditions may be accompanied by intramolecular rearrangements. Thus, the matrix isolation study of the vacuum pyrolysis... 

The IR bands of carbenes [2], [5], and [6] have also been observed in the spectrum after vacuum UV photolysis of matrix-isolated methylacetylene (Huang and Graham, 1990). It was found that a fourth carbene -propendiylidene [8] - was formed in this reaction as well. In accord with ab initio calculations, the first of two absorptions (3292 cm and 1960 cm ) has been assigned to V2 ( ) of cw-[8] and the second one to (a ) of trans-[8]. 

The same method was used earlier for the generation of dicyanocarbene [11] from matrix-isolated dicyanodiazirine (Smith and Leroi, 1969). The carbene [11] was described by three IR bands at 1756 (n s CCN), 1158... 

An interesting carbene, 1-oxobutatrienylidene [25], having cumulated double bonds, has been found by IR spectroscopy in the photolysis (A>230nm) products of matrix-isolated l,2,3,4-pentatetraene-l,5-dione [26] (Maier et al., 1988) (in its turn the unstable dione [26] was generated by thermo- or photo-destruction of compound [27]). The second product was carbon monoxide. The linear structure of the carbene [25] has been suggested on the basis of two intense IR bands at 2222 cm and 1923 cm indicating respectively ketene and allene fragments. 

On the contrary. Chapman and McMahon found that H-transfer in o-tolylcar-bene can be directly observed at very low temperatures, through several different spectroscopic methods. Irradiation of Ar matrix isolated diazo compound 50 at 4.2 to 10 K gave triplet carbene 51, which could be characterized by EPR, IR, and UV/VIS spectroscopy. The various spectra of 51 slowly decayed at temperatures as low as 4.2 K (tin ca. 64 h), and o-xylylene (52) could be observed to grow correspondingly... 

Carbon tunneling in a second singlet chlorocarbene has also been proposed. It has proved impossible to observe noradamantylcarbene 73 spectroscopically, either by solution laser flash photolysis or with matrix isolation at low temperatures. It has been suggested that the carbene rearranges too rapidly, possibly via carbon tunneling, to adamantene (74). 

It is obvious, that matrix isolation spectroscopy is the method of choice for the study of carbenes. The large number of carbenes identified by matrix isolation illustrates the strength of this analytical tool, as demonstrated by an excellent review on this topic by Sander et al. in 199314. In this comprehensive article all the work carried out until that date has been summarized. The goal of our review is to report on our own contributions to this field and to complete Sander s overview — taking over his classification of individual carbenes — by results achieved by us in this subject matter during the most recent epoch. 

During all these studies on cyclobutadienes and tetrahedranes formed via carbenes as transient species we wondered whether matrix isolation IR spectroscopy might be a good tool for the direct observation of cyclopropenylidene (2) and trimethylenemethane (3). This is indeed the case. 

The third member, trimethylenemethane (3), had some relevance to our studies on carbenes, since besides methylene and its simply substituted derivatives trimethylenemethane 3 is one of the few molecules having a triplet ground state.22 Also the experience with 3 could be of help in order to deal with the singlet/triplet differentiation in matrix-isolated carbenes. We learned that, if the calculated IR spectra of the singlet and triplet molecule are sufficiently different, it might be possible to determine the multiplicity of the matrix-isolated species by comparison with the experimental IR spectrum. In this context it is also worth mentioning that we were able to measure the matrix IR spectrum of 3, but a special technique (irradiation in halogen-doped xenon matrices) had to be developed in order to achieve a concentration of 3 sufficient for its IR detection.23... 

The only problem for the matrix-isolation of 21 consisted in the non-availability of a reasonable diazo precursor molecule suited for this technique. But since we already had experience with the preparation of 2,3-dihydrothiazol-2-ylidene46 (see below) by photofragmentation of thiazole-2-carboxylic acid we tried the same method with imidazole-2-carboxylic acid (20). Indeed, irradiation of 20 with a wavelength of 254 nm leads to decarboxylation and the formation of a complex between carbene 21 and CO2. This is shown by the observation that the experimental IR spectrum fits only with the calculated spectrum of complex 21-CC>2 (calculated stabilization energy relative to its fragments 4.3 kcal mol-1). The type of fixation of CO2 to 21 is indicated in the formula S-21 C02. 

But there is also good news about the members of the C2H2O family and that is the matrix isolation of oxiranylidene (78). Besides ketene 74 and ethynol (77)104 carbene 78 should be a minimum on the C2H2O potential surface101 with a considerable barrier to isomerization. Indeed, oxiranylidene 78 is observable under matrix conditions.105... 

The next lower member, oxoethenylidene C2O (93), played already an important role in the history of matrix isolation of cumulenic carbenes. Jacox et al.130 generated oxoethenylidene 93 by reaction of carbon atoms obtained from... 

In view of these facts it is no surprise that matrix isolation studies of silylenes have been carried out with the same intensity as was applied to carbenes. A comprehensive survey on these efforts has recently been published.164 Therefore only one example is given in order to illustrate the close correlation between carbenes and their silicon analogs. Similar to the carbon series S-2 T-36... 

Matrix isolation techniques have been applied for the generation and spectroscopic detection of a variety of carbenes. The structural elucidation of the matrix-isolated molecules is mostly based on the comparison of the experimental and calculated IR spectra. This interplay between theory and experiment is the characteristic feature of all the studies mentioned in this review. 

The identification of unknown chemical compounds isolated in inert gas matrices is nowadays facilitated by comparison of the measured IR spectra with those computed at reliable levels of ab initio or density functional theory (DFT). Furthermore, the observed reactivity of matrix isolated species can in some instances be explained with the help of computed reaction energies and barriers for intramolecular rearrangements. Hence, electronic structure methods developed into a useful tool for the matrix isolation community. In this chapter, we will give an overview of the various theoretical methods and their limitations when employed in carbene chemistry. For a more detailed qualitative description of the merits and drawbacks of commonly used electronic structure methods, especially for open-shell systems, the reader is referred to the introductory guide of Bally and Borden.29... 

The matrix IR spectra of la and several isotopomers (cU-la, l80-la) reveal details of the electronic structure of the carbene.23 In particular the red-shift of the C=0 stretching vibration (compared to p-benzoquinone) below 1500 cm-1 indicates a substantial contribution of the phenoxyl/phenyl resonance structure to the wave function of la. The C2V symmetry of the carbene was experimentally revealed by measuring the IR dichroism of partially oriented samples of matrix-isolated la. The orientation of la in an argon matrix was achieved by irradiation with linearly polarized light. 

Figure 3. Infrared spectrum of carbene la, matrix isolated in argon at 10 K (bottom) compared to the spectrum calculated at the B3LYP/6-31 G(d) level of theory.

Halogen substitution is expected to increase the electrophilicity of the carbenes, and in particular lh with four fluorine substituents is expected to be highly electrophilic and of unusual reactivity. All the carbenes le-g could be matrix-isolated by irradiation of their corresponding quinone diazides 2 in argon at 8-10 K.24 68,62 Again, the thermal reaction in (Vdoped matrices results in the formation of quinone oxides 7, which show the expected photochemical rearrangement to the spiro dioxiranes 8 and finally lactones 9. 

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