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Taming the Lewis Superacid Al(ORF)3 (RF=C(CF3 )3 ): DFT Guided Identification of the "Stable yet Reactive" Adduct
Julien Petit1,2, Julien Babinot1, Nathalie Saffon-Merceron3
1Université Paul Sabatier, Laboratoire Hétérochimie Fondamentale et Appliquée, UMR 5069, 31062, Toulouse, France.
Abstract:
A DFT study of several L→Al(ORF )3 (L=Lewis bases) adducts allowed the identification of (i Pr2 S)→Al(ORF )3 1-Si Pr2 as a "stable yet reactive" adduct. 1-Si Pr2 was shown to act as a masked Lewis superacid able to release Al(ORF )3 under mild conditions. It could be used to abstract a ORF- ligand from (bipyMe2 )Ni(ORF )2 (bipyMe2 : 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-dipyridyl) and generate the nickel alkoxide complex [(bipyMe2 )Ni(ORF )(i Pr2 S)]+ [(RF O)3 Al-F-Al(ORF )3 ]- 5. Ligand exchange of i Pr2 S by Ph3 P yielded [(bipyMe2 )Ni(ORF )(PPh3 )]+ [(RF O)3 Al-F-Al(ORF )3 ]- 6.
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