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Isolable Coinage Metal Propylene Complexes and Trigonal Pyramids with Tris(pyridyl)borate Ligands.
Vo Quang Huy Phan1, Mukundam Vanga1, Alvaro Muñoz-Castro2
1The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, United States.
Inorganic Chemistry
|June 15, 2026
Summary
New fluorinated tris(pyridyl)borate ligands create coinage metal propylene complexes. These complexes show strong metal-propylene interactions and potential in catalysis and gas adsorption applications.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Coordination Chemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Tris(pyridyl)borate ligands are versatile coordinating agents in organometallic chemistry.
- Fluorinated ligands can influence electronic properties and reactivity of metal complexes.
- Coinage metals (Cu, Ag, Au) are important in catalysis and materials science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel coinage metal propylene complexes using a fluorinated tris(pyridyl)borate ligand.
- To investigate the nature of metal-propylene interactions in these complexes.
- To explore the potential applications of these complexes in gas adsorption and catalysis.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and isolation of metal-propylene complexes.
- Spectroscopic characterization (NMR).
- X-ray crystallography.
- Theoretical calculations (DFT).
- Gas adsorption studies.
- Catalytic aziridination reactions.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized and characterized [MeB(6-(CF3)Py)3]M(C3H6) (M = Cu, Ag, Au) complexes.
- Demonstrated reversible propylene binding for Cu and Ag complexes.
- Theoretical studies revealed strong metal-propylene interactions with significant π-backdonation, varying in strength across the metals.
- Gas adsorption studies showed preferential uptake of propane over propylene, attributed to ligand environment effects.
- The copper complex exhibited catalytic activity in aziridination reactions.
Conclusions:
- The fluorinated tris(pyridyl)borate ligand enables the formation of stable coinage metal propylene complexes.
- Metal-propylene bonding is characterized by strong electrostatic and π-backdonation components.
- These complexes show promise for selective gas adsorption and catalytic applications, particularly in nitrene transfer reactions.
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