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Published on: October 10, 2016
Tin-centered radical and cation: stable and free.
Akira Sekiguchi1, Tomohide Fukawa, Vladimir Ya Lee
1Department of Chemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan. sekiguch@staff.chem.tsukuba.ac.jp
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|August 2, 2003
Summary
Researchers synthesized the first stable stannyl radical and stannylium ion. These compounds exhibit planar geometry and unique electronic properties, confirmed by X-ray crystallography and EPR spectroscopy.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Main Group Chemistry
Background:
- Stable radicals and their corresponding cations are crucial intermediates in chemical synthesis and materials science.
- The synthesis and characterization of low-valent main group compounds provide insights into bonding and reactivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize the first stable stannyl radical.
- To synthesize and characterize the corresponding stable stannylium ion.
- To investigate the electronic structure and bonding of these novel tin species.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of the stannyl radical via reaction of a silylated sodium precursor with tin(II) chloride.
- Characterization of the stannyl radical using X-ray crystallography and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
- Oxidation of the stannyl radical to the stannylium ion and its characterization by X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- The first stable stannyl radical, (tBu2MeSi)3Sn* (1), was successfully synthesized.
- Compound 1 exhibits a planar geometry and pi-radical character in both solid and liquid states.
- The corresponding stannylium ion, (tBu2MeSi)3Sn+ (2), was generated and characterized, displaying a record downfield NMR resonance at +2653 ppm.
Conclusions:
- The successful synthesis of a stable stannyl radical and stannylium ion expands the scope of isolable low-valent main group compounds.
- The planar geometry and pi-radical nature of the stannyl radical are significant findings in main group chemistry.
- The unique NMR signature of the stannylium ion provides valuable data for understanding bonding in hypervalent tin species.
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