A Cobotic, Digitally Controlled Schlenk-line Unlocks Access to Elusive Lewis-Base Stabilised Copper...

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Organometallic Chemistry
• Digital Chemistry

Background:

• Silylamide ligands are crucial for stabilizing low-coordination metal complexes.
• Divalent 3d metal silylamides are well-studied, but divalent copper analogues remain elusive, with only Cu(I) species reported.
• Traditional methods have failed to isolate divalent copper silylamide complexes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and isolate a stable divalent copper bis-hexamethyldisilazide complex.
• To investigate the role of co-ligands and silylamide reagents in the formation kinetics.
• To demonstrate the utility of digital chemistry tools in synthesizing unstable compounds.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of a novel
• cobotic
• Schlenk line for digital control of reactive syntheses.
• Investigation of reaction kinetics by varying co-ligands and silylamide transfer reagents.
• Implementation of automated protocols for inertisation, solvent evaporation, liquid handling, and crystallization.

Main Results:

• Successful isolation and characterization of a formally Cu(II) bis-hexamethyldisilazide complex, (DMAP)Cu^II(N{SiMe₃}₂)₂.
• Identification of key factors influencing the kinetics of copper silylamide formation.
• Demonstration of improved synthetic productivity and data capture through digitized Schlenk-line handling.

Conclusions:

• The developed cobotic approach successfully enabled the isolation of an unstable Cu(II) silylamide complex.
• Digitizing Schlenk-line operations enhances synthetic productivity and allows for the discovery of elusive species.
• This methodology offers a new pathway for synthesizing and studying reactive metal complexes.