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 - 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 - Saalfrank, Christian A1 - Fantuzzi, Felipe A1 - Kupfer, Thomas A1 - Ritschel, Benedikt A1 - Hammond, Kai A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Bertermann, Rüdiger A1 - Wirthensohn, Raphael A1 - Finze, Maik A1 - Schmid, Paul A1 - Engel, Volker A1 - Engels, Bernd A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - cAAC‐Stabilized 9,10‐diboraanthracenes—Acenes with Open‐Shell Singlet Biradical Ground States JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Narrow HOMO–LUMO gaps and high charge‐carrier mobilities make larger acenes potentially high‐efficient materials for organic electronic applications. The performance of such molecules was shown to significantly increase with increasing number of fused benzene rings. Bulk quantities, however, can only be obtained reliably for acenes up to heptacene. Theoretically, (oligo)acenes and (poly)acenes are predicted to have open‐shell singlet biradical and polyradical ground states, respectively, for which experimental evidence is still scarce. We have now been able to dramatically lower the HOMO–LUMO gap of acenes without the necessity of unfavorable elongation of their conjugated π system, by incorporating two boron atoms into the anthracene skeleton. Stabilizing the boron centers with cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes gives neutral 9,10‐diboraanthracenes, which are shown to feature disjointed, open‐shell singlet biradical ground states. KW - acenes KW - biradicals KW - bond Activation KW - boron KW - heterocycles Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-217795 VL - 59 IS - 43 SP - 19338 EP - 19343 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermann, Alexander A1 - Fantuzzi, Felipe A1 - Arrowsmith, Merle A1 - Zorn, Theresa A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Ritschel, Benedikt A1 - Radacki, Krzysztof A1 - Engels, Bernd A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Oxidation, Coordination, and Nickel-Mediated Deconstruction of a Highly Electron-Rich Diboron Analogue of 1,3,5-Hexatriene JF - Angewandte Chemie, International Edition N2 - The reductive coupling of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) stabilized (dibromo)vinylborane yields a 1,2-divinyl- diborene, which, although isoelectronic to a 1,3,5-triene, displays no extended p conjugation because of twisting of the C\(_2\)B\(_2\)C\(_2\) chain. While this divinyldiborene coordinates to copper(I) and platinum(0) in an η\(^2\)-B\(_2\) and η\(^4\)-C\(_2\)B\(_2\) fashion, respectively, it undergoes a complex rearrangement to an η\(^4\)-1,3-diborete upon complexation with nickel(0). KW - boron KW - diborenes KW - carbenes KW - conjugation KW - density-functional calculations KW - rearrangements KW - structure elucidation Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240652 VL - 59 IS - 36 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brunecker, Carina A1 - Müssig, Jonas H. A1 - Arrowsmith, Merle A1 - Fantuzzi, Felipe A1 - Stoy, Andreas A1 - Böhnke, Julian A1 - Hofmann, Alexander A1 - Bertermann, Rüdiger A1 - Engels, Bernd A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Boranediyl‐ and Diborane(4)‐1,2‐diyl‐Bridged Platinum A‐Frame Complexes JF - Chemistry – A European Journal N2 - Diplatinum A‐frame complexes with a bridging (di)boron unit in the apex position were synthesized in a single step by the double oxidative addition of dihalo(di)borane precursors at a bis(diphosphine)‐bridged Pt\(^{0}\)\(_{2}\) complex. While structurally analogous to well‐known μ‐borylene complexes, in which delocalized dative three‐center‐two‐electron M‐B‐M bonding prevails, theoretical investigations into the nature of Pt−B bonding in these A‐frame complexes show them to be rare dimetalla(di)boranes displaying two electron‐sharing Pt−B σ‐bonds. This is experimentally reflected in the low kinetic stability of these compounds, which are prone to loss of the (di)boron bridgehead unit. KW - boron KW - bonding KW - EDA-NOCV KW - oxidative addition KW - platinum Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214707 VL - 26 IS - 39 SP - 8518 EP - 8523 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Böhnke, Julian A1 - Dellermann, Theresa A1 - Celik, Mehmet Ali A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Dewhurst, Rian D. A1 - Demeshko, Serhiy A1 - Ewing, William C. A1 - Hammond, Kai A1 - Heß, Merlin A1 - Bill, Eckhard A1 - Welz, Eileen A1 - Röhr, Merle I. S. A1 - Mitric, Roland A1 - Engels, Bernd A1 - Meyer, Franc A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Isolation of diborenes and their 90°-twisted diradical congeners JF - Nature Communications N2 - Molecules containing multiple bonds between atoms—most often in the form of olefins—are ubiquitous in nature, commerce, and science, and as such have a huge impact on everyday life. Given their prominence, over the last few decades, frequent attempts have been made to perturb the structure and reactivity of multiply-bound species through bending and twisting. However, only modest success has been achieved in the quest to completely twist double bonds in order to homolytically cleave the associated π bond. Here, we present the isolation of double-bond-containing species based on boron, as well as their fully twisted diradical congeners, by the incorporation of attached groups with different electronic properties. The compounds comprise a structurally authenticated set of diamagnetic multiply-bound and diradical singly-bound congeners of the same class of compound. KW - chemical bonding KW - diradicals KW - organometallic chemistry KW - diborenes KW - carbenes KW - boron Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-160431 VL - 9 IS - Article number: 1197 ER - TY - INPR A1 - Böhnke, Julian A1 - Dellermann, Theresa A1 - Celik, Mehmet Ali A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Dewhurst, Rian D. A1 - Demeshko, Serhiy A1 - Ewing, William C. A1 - Hammond, Kai A1 - Heß, Merlin A1 - Bill, Eckhard A1 - Welz, Eileen A1 - Röhr, Merle I. S. A1 - Mitric, Roland A1 - Engels, Bernd A1 - Meyer, Franc A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Isolation of diradical products of twisted double bonds T2 - Nature Communications N2 - Molecules containing multiple bonds between atoms—most often in the form of olefins—are ubiquitous in nature, commerce, and science, and as such have a huge impact on everyday life. Given their prominence, over the last few decades, frequent attempts have been made to perturb the structure and reactivity of multiply-bound species through bending and twisting. However, only modest success has been achieved in the quest to completely twist double bonds in order to homolytically cleave the associated π bond. Here, we present the isolation of double-bond-containing species based on boron, as well as their fully twisted diradical congeners, by the incorporation of attached groups with different electronic properties. The compounds comprise a structurally authenticated set of diamagnetic multiply-bound and diradical singly-bound congeners of the same class of compound. KW - diradicals KW - diborenes KW - carbenes KW - boron Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-160248 N1 - Submitted version of Julian Böhnke, Theresa Dellermann, Mehmet Ali Celik, Ivo Krummenacher, Rian D. Dewhurst, Serhiy Demeshko, William C. Ewing, Kai Hammond, Merlin Heß, Eckhard Bill, Eileen Welz, Merle I. S. Röhr, Roland Mitrić, Bernd Engels, Franc Meyer & Holger Braunschweig: Isolation of diborenes and their 90°-twisted diradical congeners. Nature Communications. Volume 9, Article number: 1197 (2018) doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02998-3 ER -