Diketones and complexes

Scheme 9 Synthesis of bis( 1,2-dithiolene) complexes by sulfuration of acyloins or vicinal diketones and complexation in situ...

Beryllium chemistry includes its S-diketonate complexes formed from dimedone (9), acetylacetone and some other S-diketones such as a,a,a-trifluoroacetylacetone. However, unlike the monomeric chelate products from acetylacetone and its fluorinated derivative, the enolate species of dimedone (9) cannot form chelates and as the complex is polymeric, it cannot be distilled and is more labile to hydrolysis, as might be expected for an unstabilized alkoxide. However, dimedone has a gas phase deprotonation enthalpy of 1418 9 kJmoD while acetylacetone enol (the more stable tautomer) is somewhat less acidic with a deprotonation enthalpy of 1438 10 klmoD Accordingly, had beryllium acetylacetonate not been a chelate, this species would have been more, not less, susceptible to hydrolysis. There is a formal similarity (roughly 7r-isoelectronic structures) between cyclic S-diketonates and complexes of dimedone with benzene and poly acetylene (10). The difference between the enthalpies of formation of these hydrocarbons is ca... 

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