New Designs of Rigid Pincer Complexes with PXP Ligands and Late Transition Metals and sp3 C-F Bond Activation with Silylium and Alumenium Species

In this dissertation, catalytic C-F bond activation mediated by alumenium and silylium species, improved methods for the synthesis of highly chlorinated carboranes and dodecaborates, new type of P2Si= pincer silylene Pt complexes and PBP pincer Rh complexes are presented. In Chapter II, the design and synthesis of P2Si= and PBP ligand precursors is described. BrC6H4PR2 is shown to be a useful building block for PXP type of ligands with o-arylene backbone. RLi reagents displayed high chemoselectivity towards electrophiles, such as Si(OEt)4 and BX3 (X = Hal). In Chapter III, new chlorination methods to synthesize [HCB11Cl11]- and [B12Cl12]2- are presented. [HCB11Cl11]- was obtained via reactions of Cs[HCB11H11] with SbCl5 or via reactions of Cs[HCB11H11] with Cl2 in acetic acid and triflic acid. Heating Cs2[B12H12] in mixtures of SO2Cl2 and MeCN led to the isolation of Cs2[B12Cl12] in high yield. In Chapter IV, Et2Al[HCB11H5Br6] or Ph3C[HCB11H5Br6] were shown to be robust catalysts for sp3 C-F bond activation with trialkylaluminum as the stoichiometric reagent. Trialkylaluminum compounds were also shown to be able to be used as “clean-up” reagent for the C-F bond activation reactions, which led to ultra high TON for the catalytic reactions. In Chapter V, a series of (TPB)M complexes (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) were synthesized and characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The resulting metal complexes displayed strong dative M→B interaction and unusual tetrahedral geometry for four-coordinate 16ē species, due to the cage structure of the ligand. In Chapter VI, (PSiHP)PtCl was synthesized via the reaction of the ligand precursor and Pt(COD)Cl2, which was used to obtain a series of (PSiHP)PtX complexes(X= I, OTf, Me, Ph, Mes). After hydride abstraction by Ph3C[HCB11Cl11], the X ligand (X= I, OTf, Me, Ph) migrated from the Pt center to silicon center to give a cationic pincer silyl species. The migration was not observed when mesityl was used as the X ligand, which resulted in the first known pincer complex with central silylene donor. Our approaches towards PNP pincer boryl Rh complexes were summarized in Chapter VII. (PBPhP)Rh pivalate complex underwent C-Ph bond activation to yield the pivalate-bridging Rh borane complex