title: C-H activation of acetonitrile at nickel: ligand flip and conversion of N-bound acetonitrile into a C-bound cyanomethyl ligand.
abstract: Nickel joins the fairly exclusive list of metals that can activate nitrile C-H bonds. We report the first example of the C-H activation of an acetonitrile ligand on a nickel center. The acetonitrile ligand formally loses a proton and undergoes a sharp flip to give a cyanomethyl ligand that is coordinated to the nickel atom. Structures of an initial N-bound acetonitrile-nickel complex and of a final cyanomethyl-nickel complex are both presented.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Organométallique Appliquée, UMR CNRS 7509, Ecole Européenne de Chimie, Polymères et Matériaux, Université de Strasbourg, 25 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Anna Magdalena
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Oertel
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ritleng
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chetcuti
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Veiros
mesh_terms: D000097:Acetonitriles / Q000737:chemistry*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008024:Ligands; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000097:Acetonitriles; D008024:Ligands; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D009532:Nickel; C032159:acetonitrile