Crystalline Plumbynes.

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Main Group Chemistry
• Synthetic Chemistry

Background:

• Organolead chemistry has historically been limited to compounds with Pb-C single bonds.
• The synthesis of heavier group-14 heteronuclear alkyne analogues remained a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize stable room-temperature plumbynes, the heaviest group-14 heteronuclear alkyne analogues.
• To investigate the reactivity of the novel P-C-Pb motif.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of plumbynes using specific precursor molecules.
• Structural authentication via X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic techniques.
• Reactivity studies involving various reaction partners.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and isolation of room-temperature-stable plumbynes with a trans-bent P-C-Pb-C scaffold.
• Observation of a multiply bonded P-C-Pb motif, challenging previous limitations in organolead chemistry.
• Demonstration of diverse reactivity, including saturation and cleavage of the Pb-C linkage, leading to carbene and stannyne products via bond-metathesis.

Conclusions:

• This work introduces stable plumbynes, expanding the scope of organolead compounds beyond single bonds.
• The unique reactivity of the plumbyne P-C-Pb bond serves as a platform for accessing rare main group species.
• Establishes a new class of compounds and reaction pathways in heteronuclear alkyne analogue chemistry.