TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schmidt, Paul
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Klopf, Jonas
A1  - Schröder, Niklas B.
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
A1  - Engel, Volker
A1  - Engels, Bernd
T1  - Twisting versus delocalization in CAAC- and NHC-stabilized boron-based biradicals: the roles of sterics and electronics
JF  - Chemistry - A European Journal
N2  - Twisted boron-based biradicals featuring unsaturated C\(_2\)R\(_2\) (R=Et, Me) bridges and stabilization by cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAACs) were recently prepared. These species show remarkable geometrical and electronic differences with respect to their unbridged counterparts. Herein, a thorough computational investigation on the origin of their distinct electrostructural properties is performed. It is shown that steric effects are mostly responsible for the preference for twisted over planar structures. The ground-state multiplicity of the twisted structure is modulated by the σ framework of the bridge, and different R groups lead to distinct multiplicities. In line with the experimental data, a planar structure driven by delocalization effects is observed as global minimum for R=H. The synthetic elusiveness of C\(_2\)R\(_2\)-bridged systems featuring N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) was also investigated. These results could contribute to the engineering of novel main group biradicals.
KW  - chemistry
KW  - radicals
KW  - ab initio calculations
KW  - boron
KW  - carbene ligands
KW  - density functional calculations
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256636
VL  - 27
IS  - 16
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ramler, Jaqueline
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Geist, Felix
A1  - Hanft, Anna
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Lichtenberg, Crispin
T1  - The dimethylbismuth cation: entry into dative Bi-Bi bonding and unconventional methyl exchange
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - The dimethyl bismuth cation, [BiMe\(_2\)(SbF\(_6\))], has been isolated and characterized. Reaction with BiMe\(_3\) allows access to the first compound featuring Bi→Bi donor–acceptor bonding. In solution, dynamic behavior with methyl exchange via an unusual S\(_E\)2 mechanism is observed, underlining the unique properties of bismuth species as soft Lewis acids with the ability to undergo reversible Bi−C bond cleavage.
KW  - inorganic chemistry
KW  - methyl exchange
KW  - bismuth
KW  - cationic species
KW  - electrophilic substitution
KW  - Lewis acidity
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256543
VL  - 60
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franzsico, Marcos A. S.
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Cardozo, Thiago M.
A1  - Esteves, Pierre M.
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Oliveira, Ricardo R.
T1  - Taming the Antiferromagnetic Beast: Computational Design of Ultrashort Mn-Mn Bonds Stabilized by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes
JF  - Chemistry—A European Journal
N2  - The development of complexes featuring low-valent, multiply bonded metal centers is an exciting field with several potential applications. In this work, we describe the design principles and extensive computational investigation of new organometallic platforms featuring the elusive manganese-manganese bond stabilized by experimentally realized N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). By using DFT computations benchmarked against multireference calculations, as well as MO- and VB-based bonding analyses, we could disentangle the various electronic and structural effects contributing to the thermodynamic and kinetic stability, as well as the experimental feasibility, of the systems. In particular, we explored the nature of the metal-carbene interaction and the role of the ancillary η\(^{6}\) coordination to the generation of Mn\(_{2}\) systems featuring ultrashort metal-metal bonds, closed-shell singlet multiplicities, and positive adiabatic singlet-triplet gaps. Our analysis identifies two distinct classes of viable synthetic targets, whose electrostructural properties are thoroughly investigated.
KW  - metal-metal interactions
KW  - ab initio calculations
KW  - carbene ligands
KW  - density functional calculations
KW  - manganese
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256874
VL  - 27
IS  - 47
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Brückner, Tobias
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Stennett, Tom E.
A1  - Krummenacher, Ivo
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - Isolation of neutral, mono-, and dicationic B\(_2\)P\(_2\) rings by diphosphorus addition to a boron-boron triple bond
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - The NHC-stabilised diboryne (B\(_2\)(SIDep)\(_2\); SIDep=1,3-bis(2,6-diethylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) undergoes a high-yielding P−P bond activation with tetraethyldiphosphine at room temperature to form a B\(_2\)P\(_2\) heterocycle via a diphosphoryldiborene by 1,2-diphosphination. The heterocycle can be oxidised to a radical cation and a dication, respectively, depending on the oxidant used and its counterion. Starting from the planar, neutral 1,3-bis(alkylidene)-1,3-diborata-2,4-diphosphoniocyclobutane, each oxidation step leads to decreased B−B distances and loss of planarity by cationisation. X-ray analyses in conjunction with DFT and CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations reveal closed-shell singlet, butterfly-shaped structures for the NHC-stabilised dicationic B\(_2\)P\(_2\) rings, with their diradicaloid, planar-ring isomers lying close in energy.
KW  - inorganic chemistry
KW  - radicals
KW  - boron
KW  - density functional calculations
KW  - oxidation
KW  - phosphorus heterocycles
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256451
VL  - 60
IS  - 24
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Roy, Dipak Kumar
A1  - Tröster, Tobias
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Lenczyk, Carsten
A1  - Radacki, Krzysztof
A1  - Pranckevicius, Conor
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - Isolation and Reactivity of an Antiaromatic s‐Block Metal Compound
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - The concepts of aromaticity and antiaromaticity have a long history, and countless demonstrations of these phenomena have been made with molecules based on elements from the p, d, and f blocks of the periodic table. In contrast, the limited oxidation‐state flexibility of the s‐block metals has long stood in the way of their participation in sophisticated π‐bonding arrangements, and truly antiaromatic systems containing s‐block metals are altogether absent or remain poorly defined. Using spectroscopic, structural, and computational techniques, we present herein the synthesis and authentication of a heterocyclic compound containing the alkaline earth metal beryllium that exhibits significant antiaromaticity, and detail its chemical reduction and Lewis‐base‐coordination chemistry.
KW  - antiaromaticity
KW  - aromaticity
KW  - beryllium
KW  - heterocycles
KW  - s-block metals
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224447
VL  - 60
IS  - 7
SP  - 3812
EP  - 3819
ER  -