The isocyanide ligand

Isocyanide appears to be a stronger a-donor than CO, and also a stronger Ti-acceptor than CN and is capable of forming complexes in high and low oxidation states. From Tables 21 and 22 one can see that the number of terminal isocyanides is nearly double that of terminal cyanides. As for cyanides, the terminal bonding mode MC3 of isocyanides is far more common than the two bridging modes of MC4 and MC5. 

TABLE 22. Mean geometric parameters for the isocyanide substructures MC3, MC4 and MC5 

TABLE 23. Mean geometric parameters for the parent isocyanide substructures, M—C= [R = t-Bu, CfCiH), C(CH2), CHs, Ph] =N—R 

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The isocyanide ligand, CNR, is formally isolobal with a carbene ligand. Several studies have investigated iron(Ill) porphyrin isocyanide complexes which have the general formula [FeCPorKCNR) ]. However, these studies have mostly been concerned with spin state and spectroscopic properties rather than chemical transformations and will not be discussed in detail here. Crystallographic details are given for two of the complexes. " ... 

Inductive and resonance parameters, (Tr°, ct, were evaluated for the isocyanide ligand from F chemical shifts they suggest that the isocyanide is a good cr-donor and a weak ir-acceptor. 

In a three-component reaction, a cationic platinum isocyanide complex [(Ph3P)2Pt(CNR)Cl][BF4] is reacted with a /3-bromoamine and butyl lithium to give an imidazoldin-2-ylidene complex.This transformation can be a two-component reaction if the isocyanide ligand contains already the necessary amine functionality. This was shown for chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and rhenium carbonyls. 

Both 2-azido [184] and 2-nitrophenyl isocyanides [185] are suitable synthons for the generation of the freely unstable 2-aminophenyl isocyanide and they have been used (Fig. 23) in the template-controlled preparation of NH,NH-stabilized benzim-idazolin-2-ylidene hgands. Both phenyl isocyanides coordinate readily to transition metal centers. The isocyanide ligand in complex 65 reacts with PPhs and the... 

The well-known alkylation of ferrocyanide ion to form isocyanide iron complexes (48) can be explained by an insertion mechanism if the metal is alkylated initially, and then metal alkyl adds across a cyanide group. This mechanism also explains how external radioactive cyanide ion can enter the isocyanide ligands (48). 

Platinum(IV) isocyanide complexes PtCU(CNR)2 and [PtCl2(CNR)2(PMe2Ph)2]2+ have been prepared by the addition of Cl2 to the corresponding platinum(II) compounds (equation 118).363 It is probable that the trans influence of the isocyanide ligand on platinum(IV) is greater than that of a tertiary phosphine. 

N==Ca+—Aua which makes the isocyanide ligands susceptible to nucleophilic attack and has led to formation of carbene complexes, iminoalkyl complexes and catalytic conversion of isocyanides to formamidines using alkyl or aryl isocyanide complexes of gold(I).301,402 4(y7-409-415 A review of this significant work has been published.16... 

Some interesting chemistry has appeared relating to the ability of the isocyanide ligand to stabilize unusual oxidation states. A series of palladium metal - metal bonded complexes has been synthesized by redox reactions involving two metal complexes in different formal oxidation states (33 -35). Similar ruthenium(I) and osmium(I) dimers have been prepared by an unusual homolytic fission of a ruthenium-carbon bond (36) or by singleelectron oxidation of Os(CNXylyl)5 (18). 

A number of routes have been employed for the synthesis of metal isocyanide complexes by generating the isocyanide ligand on the metal atom. 

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