Unlocking metal coordination of diborylamides through ring constraints

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Organometallic Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry

Background:

• Diborylamides are a class of ligands with diverse coordination behaviors.
• Previous studies focused on linear diborylamide structures.
• The electronic and steric properties of cyclic diborylamides remain less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel cyclic lithium diborylamide.
• To investigate the bonding characteristics of the cyclic diborylamide, particularly the Li-N interaction.
• To explore the utility of this new ligand in forming transition metal complexes, specifically with iron.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the cyclic lithium diborylamide compound.
• Single-crystal X-ray diffraction for crystallographic characterization.
• Synthesis and characterization of iron(II) diborylamide complexes.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and crystallographic confirmation of a cyclic lithium diborylamide.
• Observation of strong lithium-nitrogen (Li-N) bonding within the cyclic structure.
• Synthesis of two iron(II) diborylamide complexes, including a unique 2-coordinate iron complex.

Conclusions:

• The cyclic diborylamide exhibits distinct and strong Li-N bonding compared to linear analogues.
• This cyclic diborylamide serves as a valuable new ligand, expanding the repertoire of amide ligands.
• The study demonstrates the potential for novel coordination chemistry with cyclic diborylamide ligands.