A convenient route to mixed cationic group 13/14/15 compounds

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Organometallic Chemistry
• Main Group Chemistry

Background:

• The synthesis of novel compounds with diverse main group elements is crucial for expanding chemical diversity.
• Main group elements, particularly those in groups 13, 14, and 15, offer unique bonding and structural possibilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize new cationic mixed main group compounds.
• To explore the reactivity of NHC-stabilized germylboranes with pnictogenylboranes.
• To investigate the structural and electronic properties of these novel compounds.

Main Methods:

• Reactions involving pnictogenylboranes (R2EBH2·NMe3) and an NHC-stabilized germylborane (IDipp·GeH2BH2OTf).
• Nucleophilic substitution reactions to form cationic mixed group 13/14/15 compounds.
• Characterization techniques including NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) computations to assess compound stability.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of novel cationic mixed group 13/14/15 compounds with chained structures.
• Characterization of compounds [IDipp·GeH2BH2ER2BH2·NMe3]+ (2a, 2b, 3a, 3b) and [IDipp·GeH2BH2EH2BH2·IDipp][OTf] (5a, 5b).
• Structural elucidation of key compounds via X-ray crystallography.
• DFT calculations provided insights into the stability and decomposition pathways of the synthesized compounds.

Conclusions:

• The study reports the formation of unprecedented cationic compounds incorporating elements from groups 13, 14, and 15 in a chained arrangement.
• The synthetic strategy allows for the controlled assembly of complex main group architectures.
• The findings contribute to the understanding of bonding and reactivity in mixed main group element systems.