title: Decomposition of alkyl-substituted urea molecules at a hydroxide-bridged dinickel center.
abstract: The interactions between N-methylurea, N,N'-dimethylurea, N,N-dimethylurea, tetramethylurea, and thiourea and the hydroxide-bridged dinickel complex [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(H2O2](OTs)(3) were investigated. Structural characterization of [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(Me-urea)(CH3CN)](ClO4)(3) (1) and [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(thiourea)(CH3CN)](ClO4)(3) (2) provided insight into the interactions of the substrates with the dinickel center. In 1, the methylurea molecule coordinates to the dinickel complex through its carbonyl oxygen atom. Complex 2 has a similar geometry, with the thiourea molecule bound to a nickel ion through its sulfur atom. When the urea substrates are heated in the presence of the hydroxide-bridged dinickel complex, N-methylurea and N,N-dimethylurea react to form methylammonium cyanate and dimethylammonium cyanate, respectively. After long reaction times, thiourea reacts similarly, producing ammonium thiocyanate. The other substrates are unreactive. These results indicate that the dinickel complex promotes the elimination of alkylamines from urea substrates to form cyanate but cannot effect the direct hydrolysis of such substrates.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: Barrios
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: Lippard
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology; D001665:Binding Sites; D002384:Catalysis; D006868:Hydrolysis; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism*; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D000641:Ammonia; D009532:Nickel; D014508:Urea; D014510:Urease