6533b7cefe1ef96bd1257276

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Aminoallenylidene complexes of ruthenium(II) from the regioselective addition of secondary amines to butatrienylidene intermediates: a combined experimental and theoretical study of the hindered rotation around the CN-bond

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Aminoallenylidene complexes trans-[Cl(dppm)2RuC3(NRR )(CH3)] are obtained from the regioselective addition of secondary amines to trans-[Cl(dppm)2Ru C C C CH2] . Unsymmetrically substituted amines give rise to Z/E isomeric mixtures. Dynamic 31P NMR spectroscopy gave an energy barrier of about 85 kJ mol 1 for rotation around the CN-bond pointing to a large contribution of the iminium alkynyl resonance form trans-[Cl(dppm)2Ru–C C– C( NRR )(CH3)] . This is also indicated by the pronounced bond length alternation within the RuC3N-chain as is revealed by X-ray structure analysis of the Z isomer of the (benzylmethyl)methylamine derivative 2d. The issue of NR2 rotation was also addressed by DFT calculations on the trans-[Cl(dhpm)2RuC3{N(CH3)2}(CH3)] model complex (dhpm = H2PCH2PH2). Upon rotation around the iminium type CN bond, the nitrogen lone pair and the π-system of the allenylidene ligand are decoupled, resulting in a significantly longer CN bond and a tetrahedrally coordinated nitrogen atom.