Base-stabilized amidodiarsenes: synthesis, structure, and theoretical studies.

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Main Group Chemistry

Background:

• Diarsenes are compounds containing an arsenic-arsenic bond.
• Guanidinato and amidinato ligands offer unique coordination properties.
• Understanding the nature of the As-As bond is crucial for reactivity studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel guanidinato- and amidinato-bridged diarsenes.
• To investigate the electronic structure and bonding of the As-As bond in these diarsenes.
• To explore the potential for As-As multiple bonding.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of diarsene complexes via reduction of As(III) precursors.
• Characterization using spectroscopic techniques (e.g., NMR, Mass Spectrometry).
• Theoretical calculations (e.g., DFT) to analyze bonding and electronic structure.

Main Results:

• Successful preparation of [As2{mu-(ArN)2CR}2] diarsenes with various R groups.
• Experimental evidence supporting the formation of As-As bonds.
• Theoretical studies revealing significant double-bond character in the As-As bond, with contributions from As p orbitals.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized diarsenes represent a new class of arsenic compounds.
• The As-As bond possesses notable sigma and pi bonding characteristics.
• These findings contribute to the understanding of multiple bonding in heavier p-block elements.