Inorganic Chemistry Commons^™

Reactions Of First-Row Transition Metal Complexes In Bis(Alkoxide) Ligand Environments With Diazoalkanes: Formation Of Carbenes Versus Reductive Coupling To Form Bridging Tetrazenes, Amanda Grass

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the design and reactions of novel late transition metal carbene complexes featuring alkoxide ligand environments. The high-valent cobalt carbene Co(OR)2(=CPh2) (OR = OCtBu2Ph), featuring short Co=C bond of 1.773(3) Å, was previously reported from the reaction of Co(OR)2(THF)2 with diphenyldiazoalkane. Magnetic and spectroscopic (EPR) studies demonstrated Co(OR)2(=CPh2) to be a low-spin S = ½ complex. Computational studies, in agreement with experimental data, suggested that the electronic structure of Co(OR)2(=CPh2) lies between intermediate spin Co(III) anti-ferromagnetically coupled to a carbene radical and a Co(IV) alkylidene. This dissertation began with investigation of this complex in carbene transfer reactivity. …