Experimental and theoretical investigations on the high-electron donor character of pyrido-annelated N-heterocyclic carbenes.
Rh(CO)2Cl(NHC) complexes of dipyrido-annelated N-heterocyclic carbenes were prepared. From the C-H coupling constant of the respective imidazolium salts and the N-C-N angle of the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), a weaker σ-donor character than that of typical unsaturated NHCs is expected. However, the IR stretching frequencies of their Rh(CO)2Cl complexes suggest an electron-donor character even stronger than that of saturated NHCs. We ascribe this to the extremely weak π-acceptor character of the dipyrido-annelated NHCs caused by the conjugated 14 πe-system that thus allows for an enhanced Rh-CO backbonding. This extremely low π-acceptor ability is also corroborated by the77Se NMR chemical shift of -55.8 ppm for the respective selenourea, the lowest value ever measured for imidazole derived selenoureas. DFT-calculations of the free carbene confirm the low σ-donor character by the fact that the σ-orbital of the carbene is the HOMO-1 that lies 0.58 eV below the HOMO which is located at the π-system. Natural population analysis reveals the lowest occupation of the pπ-orbital for the saturated carbene carbon atom and the highest for the pyrido-annelated carbene. Going from the free carbene to the Rh(CO)2Cl(NHC) complexes, the increase in occupancy of the complete π-system of the carbene ligand upon coordination is lowest for the pyrido-annelated carbene and highest for the saturated carbene.
Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 250, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Michael
M
Nonnenmacher
Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany (current address of corresponding author).
Dominik M
DM
Buck
Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 250, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany (current address of corresponding author).
Doris
D
Kunz
N-heterocyclic carbene; carbonyl complexes; electron donor character; rhodium