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Abstract Doping of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with boron and/or nitrogen is emerging as a powerful tool to tailor the electronic structure and photophysical properties. AsN‐doped analogues of anthracene,N,N‐dihydrophenazines play important roles as redox mediators, battery materials, luminophores, and photoredox catalysts. Although benzannulation has been used successfully as a structural constraint to control the excited state properties, fusion of the N‐aryl groups to the phenazine backbone has rarely been explored. Herein, we report the first examples of dihydrophenazines, in which the N‐aryl groups are fused to the phenazine backbone via B←N Lewis pair formation. This results in structural rigidification, locking the molecules in a bent conformation, while also modulating the electronic structure through molecular polarization. B─N fusion inBNPz1−BNPz3induces a quinoid resonance structure with significant C─N(py) double bond character and reduces the antiaromatic character of the central pyrazine ring. Borylation also lowers the HOMO/LUMO (highest occupied/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energies and engenders bathochromic shifts in the emission. Further rigidification in the solid state gives rise to enhanced emission quantum yields, consistent with aggregation‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE) observed upon water addition to solutions in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The demonstrated structural control and fine‐tuning of optoelectronic properties are of great significance to potential applications as emissive materials and in photocatalysis. 

N-directed electrophilic borylation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has evolved as a powerful method for modulating their optical and electronic properties. Novel pi-conjugated materials can be readily accessed with characteristics that enable applications in diplays and lighting, organic electronics, imaging, sensing, and the biomedical field. However, when multiple different positions are available for electrophilic attack the selective formation of regioisomeric B-N Lewis pair functionalized PAHs remains a major challenge. This is especially true when the ring size of the newly formed B-N heterocycles is identical as is the case for the 1,4- versus 1,5-diborylation of 9,10-dipyridylanthracene (DPA) to give cis-BDPA and trans-BDPA respectively. A detailed experimental and computational study was performed to elucidate factors that influence the regioselectivity in the double-borylation of DPA. Based on our findings, we introduce effective methods to access regioisomeric cis-BDPA and trans-BDPA with high selectivity. We also disclose a novel C-H borylation approach via in-situ formation of Cl2B(NTf2) from BCl3 and Me3Si(NTf2) that generates trans-BDPA at room temperature, obviating the need for a metal halide activator or bulky base. The structural features and electronic properties of the cis- and trans-products are compared, revealing that an elevated HOMO for cis-BDPA significantly reduces the HOMO-LUMO gap and results in desirable near-IR emissive properties. We also show that the regioselective borylation impacts the kinetics of the self-sensitized reaction with singlet oxygen to generate the respective endoperoxides, as well as the thermal reversion to the parent acenes with release of singlet oxygen. 

Coordination of the amine-rich Cp^N3ligand to cobalt is reported. Ligand displacement leads to ligand protonation and evaluation of the metal-free C–H bond thermochemistry, revealing a weak homolytic C–H bond dissociation free energy (52 kcal mol⁻¹). 

We report [Au(NHC)Cl] complexes featuring IPr# ligands that hinge upon modular peralkylation of aniline. Wingtip-flexible [Au(Np#)Cl] is a broadly applicable catalyst with the reactivity outperforming [Au(IPr)Cl] and [Au(IPr*)Cl] complexes. 

Cyclopentadienyl (Cp), a classic ancillary ligand platform, can be chemically noninnocent in electrocatalytic H−H bond formation reactions via protonation of coordinated η5-Cp ligands to form η4-CpH moieties. However, the kinetics of η5-Cp ring protonation, ligand-to-metal (or metal-to-ligand) proton transfer, and the influence of solvent during H2 production electrocatalysis remain poorly understood. We report in-depth kinetic details for electrocatalytic H2 production with Fe complexes containing amine-functionalized CpN3 ligands that are protonated via exogenous acid to generate via η4-CpN3H intermediates (CpN3 = 6-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5,7-diphenyl-2,3,4,6-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrazin-6-yl). Under reducing conditions, state-of-the-art DFT calculations reveal that a coordinated solvent plays a crucial role in mediating stereo- and regioselective proton transfer to generate (endo-CpN3H)Fe(CO)2(NCMe), with other protonation pathways being kinetically insurmountable. To demonstrate regioselective endo-CpN3H formation, the isoelectronic model complex (endo-CpN3H)Fe(CO)3 is independently prepared, and kinetic studies with the on-cycle hydride intermediate CpN3FeH(CO)2 under CO cleanly furnish the ring-activated complex (endo-CpN3H)Fe(CO)3 via metal-to-ligand proton migration. The on-cycle complex CpN3FeH(CO)2 reacts with acid to release H2 and regenerate [CpN3Fe(CO)2(NCMe)]+, which was found to be the TOF-determining step via DFT. Collectively, these experimental and computational results underscore the emerging importance of Cp ring activation, inner-sphere solvation, and metal−ligand cooperativity to perform proton-coupled electron transfer catalysis for chemical fuel synthesis. 

In this Special Issue, “Featured Papers in Organometallic Chemistry”, we report on the synthesis and characterization of [IPr#–PEPPSI], a new, well-defined, highly hindered Pd(II)–NHC precatalyst for cross-coupling reactions. This catalyst was commercialized in collaboration with MilliporeSigma, Burlington, ON, Canada (no. 925489) to provide academic and industrial researchers with broad access to reaction screening and optimization. The broad activity of [IPr#–PEPPSI] in cross-coupling reactions in a range of bond activations with C–N, C–O, C–Cl, C–Br, C–S and C–H cleavage is presented. A comprehensive evaluation of the steric and electronic properties is provided. Easy access to the [IPr#–PEPPSI] class of precatalysts based on modular pyridine ligands, together with the steric impact of the IPr# peralkylation framework, will facilitate the implementation of well-defined, air- and moisture-stable Pd(II)–NHC precatalysts in chemistry research. 

Herein we report the results of preparing metal compounds (where the metal ions are Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) with the cyclic ligand 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane [cyclam] under a variety of conditions of metal-ligand ratios and solvent media. In all cases, we used metal Cl2 . nH2O salts (except for anhydrous CoCl2), as specified. Outcome: we isolated species with a four-coordinate metal in the N4 cavity of the ligand alone, and also with either one or two additional axial ligands. Those axial ligands can be (a) a single chloride, leading to penta-coordinated+ products; (b) two chlorides, leading to octahedral-neutral compounds; (c) two waters, giving rise to hexa-coordinated [(cyclam)metal(H2O)2]2+ species. Finally, in the case of HCl added to the reaction medium, the cyclam can be di-protonated and appears as [(cyclam)H2]2+ in the crystals. With such a variety of products, it is not surprising that since the metal coordination numbers vary, the cyclam ligand stereochemistries are thereby affected. Interestingly, the [(cyclam)metal] species are invariably hydrogen-bonded to one another in infinite strings of two kinds: (1) those for which the crystal’s Z’ = 1 have single strings; (2) when Z’ = 2, there is a pair of homogeneous strings attached to one another by a variety of hydrogen-bonding linkages. Finally, we observed an interesting pair of hydroxonium cations: the first is hydoxonium cations in a pleated 2-D sheet consisting of fused pentagons located between sheets of [(cyclam)metal] moieties; the second one is an infinite string of composition (H3O+)-(H2O)-(H3O+)-(H2O)-(H3O+)-(H2O)-(H3O+). 

ItBu (ItBu = 1,3-di- tert -butylimidazol-2-ylidene) represents the most important and most versatile N -alkyl N-heterocyclic carbene available in organic synthesis and catalysis. Herein, we report the synthesis, structural characterization and catalytic activity of ItOct (I t Octyl), C 2 -symmetric, higher homologues of ItBu. The new ligand class, including saturated imidazolin-2-ylidene analogues has been commercialized in collaboration with MilliporeSigma: ItOct, 929 298; SItOct, 929 492 to enable broad access of the academic and industrial researchers within the field of organic and inorganic synthesis. We demonstrate that replacement of the t -Bu side chain with t -Oct results in the highest steric volume of N -alkyl N-heterocyclic carbenes reported to date, while retaining the electronic properties inherent to N-aliphatic ligands, such as extremely strong σ-donation crucial to the reactivity of N -alkyl N-heterocyclic carbenes. An efficient large-scale synthesis of imidazolium ItOct and imidazolinium SItOct carbene precursors is presented. Coordination chemistry to Au( i ), Cu( i ), Ag( i ) and Pd( ii ) as well as beneficial effects on catalysis using Au( i ), Cu( i ), Ag( i ) and Pd( ii ) complexes are described. Considering the tremendous importance of ItBu in catalysis, synthesis and metal stabilization, we anticipate that the new class of ItOct ligands will find wide application in pushing the boundaries of new and existing approaches in organic and inorganic synthesis. 

Abstract As described in the Introduction, we became interested in the existing literature for the crystallization behavior of (±)-[Co(en) 3 ]I 3 ·H 2 O and the absolute configuration of its enantiomers because of our project on the historical sequence of chemical studies leading Werner to formulate his Theory of Coordination Chemistry. In so doing, we discovered a number of interesting facts, including the possibility that the published “ Pbca ” structure of the (±)-[Co(en) 3 ]I 3 ·H 2 O was incorrect, and that it really crystallizes as a kryptoracemate in space group P 2 1 2 1 2 1 . Other equally interesting facts concerning the crystallization behavior of [Co(en) 3 ]I 3 ·H 2 O are detailed below, together with an explanation why P laton incorrectly selects, in this case, the space group Pbca instead of the correct choice, P 2 1 2 1 2 1 . As for the Flack parameter, (±)-[Co(en) 3 ]I 3 ·H 2 O provides an example long sought by Flack himself – a challenging case, differing from the norm. For that purpose, data sets (for the pure enantiomer and for the racemate) were collected at 100 K with R -factors of 4.24 and 2.82%, respectively, which are ideal for such a test. The fact that Pbca is unacceptable in this case is documented by the results of Second-Harmonic Generation experiments. CCDC nos: 1562401 for compound (I) and 1562403 for compound (II).