A Bis‐(carbone) Pincer Ligand and Its Coordinative Behavior toward Multi‐Metallic Configurations

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2022-06, Vol.61 (24), p.e202201884-n/a
• Main Authors: Aweke, Bamlaku Semagne, Yu, Cheng‐Han, Zhi, Minna, Chen, Wen‐Ching, Yap, Glenn P. A., Zhao, Lili, Ong, Tiow‐Gan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bis-(Carbone); Configurations; Copper; Electrons; Gold; Heterometallic Coordination; Ligands; Metal–Metal Interactions; Nickel; Palladium; Pincer Ligands
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202201884

Carbones are divalent carbon(0) species that contain two lone pairs of electrons. Herein, we have prepared the first known stable and isolable free bis‐(carbone) pincer framework with a well‐defined solid‐state structure. This bis‐(carbone) ligand is an effective scaffold for forming monometallic (Ni and Pd) and trinuclear heterometallic complexes with Au−Pd−Au, Au−Ni−Au, and Cu−Ni−Cu configurations. Sophisticated quantum‐theoretical analyses found that the metal–metal interactions are too weak to play a significant role in upholding these multi‐metallic configurations; rather, the four lone pairs of electrons within the bis‐(carbone) framework are the main contributors to the stability of the complexes. A stable bis‐(carbone) pincer ligand was prepared and its structural characterization reported. With a total of five electron pairs available, this new pincer framework was studied for its coordinative behavior, enabling the formation of trinuclear heterometallic complexes.