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Rhodium complexes modified by simple trialkylphosphines can be used to carry out homogeneous hydroformylation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)). The catalyst derived from PEt3 is more active and slightly more selective for the linear products in scCO2 than in toluene, and under the same reaction conditions [100degreesC, 40 bar of CO/H-2 (1:1)] P(OPri)(3) is also an effective ligand giving good catalyst solubility and activity. Other ligands such as PPh3, POct(3), PCy3, and P(4-C6H4But)(3) are less effective because of the low solubility of their rhodium complexes in scCO(2). P(4-C6H4SiMe3)(n) Ph3-n (n = 3 or 1) and P(OPh)(3) impart activity despite their complexes only being poorly soluble in scCO(2). Under subcritical conditions, using PEt3 as the ligand, C7-alcohols from hydrogenation of the first formed aldehydes are the main products whilst above a total pressure of 200 bar, where the solution remains supercritical (monophasic) throughout the reaction, aldehydes are obtained with 97% selectivity. High pressure IR studies in scCO(2) using PEt3 as the ligand are reported.

The two new pincer azomethine-thiophene ligands (N,NE',N,NE')-N,N'-(thiophene-2,5-diylbis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(naphathalen-2-ylmethanamine) (L1) and (E)-(4,6-dihydropyren-1-yl)-N-((5-((E)-(pyren-1-ylmethylimino)ethyl)thiophen-2-yl)methylene)methanamine (L2), their absorption, fluorescence and MALDI-TOF-MS spectroscopic studies are described. The two systems synthesised combine the emissive probes pyrene and naphthyl with the good chelating properties of a tridentate SN2 donor-set from a thiophene Schiff-base ligand. Both ligands gave analytically pure solid complexes with Ni(II) and Pd(II) salts. The bichromophoric pyrene derivative L2 presents two emission bands in solution, one corresponding to the monomer species and a red-shifted band attributable to the intramolecular excimer. Ni(II) and Pd(II) complexation affects the conformation in solution, increasing the monomer emission at the expense of the excimer band; this effect could be explored in metal ion sensing. System L1 behaves as a non emissive probe. In situ complexation reactions followed by MALDI-TOF-MS spectrometry without matrix support have also been performed; these experiments show that L1 could be a potential chemosensor for Ni(II) and Pd(11). (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The coordination properties of the beta-keto phosphine ligands R(2)PCH(2)C(O)Ph (HL(1), R = i-Pr; HL(2), R = Ph), of the new acetamide-derived phosphine ligand (i-Pr)(2)PNHC(O) Me (HL(3)) and of Ph(2)PNHC(O) Me (HL(4)) have been examined towards Ni(II) complexes. Comparisons are made between systems in which the PCH(2) function of the ketophosphine has been replaced with an isoelectronic PNH group in amide-derived ligands, or the PCH functionality of phosphinoenolates with a PN group in phosphinoiminolate complexes. Furthermore, ligands HL(2) and HL(4) reacted with [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))CoI(2)(CO)] to afford the phosphine mono-adducts [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))CoI(2){Ph(2)PCH(2)C(O)Ph}] (1) and [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))CoI(2){Ph(2)PNHC(O)Me}] (3), respectively, which upon reaction with excess NEt(3) yielded the phosphinoenolate complex [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))CoI{Ph(2)PCH (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO)Ph}] (2) and the phosphinoiminolate complex [(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))CoI{Ph(2)PN (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO)Me}] (4), respectively. The complexes cis-[Ni{(i-Pr)(2)PN (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO)Me}(2)] (6) and cis-[Ni{Ph(2)PN (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO)Me}(2)] (7) were obtained similarly from NiCl(2) and HL(3) and HL(4), respectively, in the presence of a base. The phosphinoenolate complex [Ni{(i-Pr)(2)PCH (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO) Ph}(2)] (5) exists in ethanol as a mixture of the cis and trans isomers, in contrast to cis-[Ni{(Ph(2)PCH (center dot center dot center dot) under barC((center dot center dot center dot) under barO)Ph}(2)], and the solid-state structure of the trans isomer of 5 was established by X-ray diffraction. The structures of the ligand HL3 and of the complexes 1, 3 in 3 center dot 3/2CH(2)Cl(2), 4, 6 and 7 have also been determined by X-ray diffraction and are compared with those of related complexes. Complexes 4, 6 and 7 contain a five-membered heteroatomic metallocyclic moiety, which is constituted by five different chemical elements. The structural consequences of the steric bulk of the P substituents and of the electronic characteristics of the P, O chelates are discussed.

Cobalt compounds of the general formula [COX2(alpha-diimine)], where X = Cl or I and the alpha-diimines are 1,4-diaryl-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene (Ar-DAB) and bis(aryl)acenaphthenequinonediimine (Ar-BIAN) were synthesized by the direct reaction of the anhydrous cobalt salts CoCl2 or CoI2 and the corresponding alpha-diinline ligand in dried CH2Cl2. The synthesized compounds are [Co(Ph-DAB)Cl-2] (1a), [Co(o,o',p-Me3C6H2-DAB)Cl-2] (1b), and [Co(o,o'iPr(2)C(6)H(3)-DAB)Cl-2] (1c) with the ligands Ar-DAB, and also [Co(o,o',p-Me3C6H2-BIAN)I-2] (2'b) with the ligand Ar-BIAN. The crystal structures of all the compounds were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In all cases the cobalt atom is in a distorted tetrahedron, which is built up of two halide atoms and two nitrogen atoms of the alpha-dimune ligand. X-band EPR measurements of polycrystalline samples performed on compounds 1b, 1c, and 2'b indicate a high-spin Col, ion (S = 3/2) in an axially distorted environment. Single-crystal EPR experiments on compounds 1b and 1c allowed us to evaluate the orientation of the g tensor in the molecular frame. (c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.

{Zinc alkyl cations supported by N,N-BIAN-type bidentate ligands were found to be highly active in the immortal ROP of epsilon-caprolactone to yield narrowly disperse and chain length-controlled poly(epsilon-caprolactone), whether in solution or bulk polymerization conditions.}

{New cationic Ag(I) complexes were prepared by reaction of AgBF4 with two thioether-functionalized bis-(diphenylphosphino) amine ligands, Ph2PN(p-ArSMe)PPh2 (L1) and Ph2PN(n-PrSMe)PPh2 (L2), and compared with those obtained from the unfunctionalized ligands Ph2PN(Ph)PPh2 (L3) and Ph2PN(n-Bu)PPh2 (L4), respectively. The complex {[}Ag-3(mu(3)-Cl)(2)(mu(2)-L1-P, P)(3)](BF4) (1 center dot BF4) contains a triangular array of Ag centres supported by three bridging L1 ligands and two triply-bridging chlorides. In contrast, ligand L2 led to the coordination polymer {[}\{Ag-2(mu(3)-L2,-P,P,S)(2)(MeCN)(2)\}\{Ag-2(mu(2)-L2-P,P)(2)(MeCN)(2) \}(BF4)(4)](n) (2) in which the tethered thioether group connects intermolecularly a Ag2 unit to the diphosphine bridging the other Ag2 unit. With L3 and L4, two similar complexes were obtained, {[}Ag-2(mu(2)-L3)(BF4)(2)] (3) and {[}Ag-2(mu(2)-L4)(BF4)(2)] (4), respectively, with bridging diphosphine ligands and a BF4 anion completing the coordination sphere of the metal. Complexes 1 center dot BF4 center dot CH2Cl2, 2 center dot THF, 3 center dot 3CH(2)Cl(2) and 4 have been fully characterized, including by single crystal X-ray diffraction.}

{Three new emissive 8-aminoquinoline derived probes (1)-(3) and one dinuclear Zn(II) complex (4) were synthesized and fully characterized. Their absorption spectra show maxima at 310-336 nm, and fluorescence emission between 456 and 498 nm. Compound (1) was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The effect upon Zn(II) and Cu(II) coordination to compounds (1)-(3) was studied by monitoring the changes in absorption and fluorescence spectra, and complemented by calculation of metal-ligand stability constants. The results indicate that compound (3) is the one that presents the most favorable geometry for coordinating two metal cations, fact that is confirmed by the synthesis of the dinuclear complex (4), with similar molecular geometry. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}

{The complex {[}Ph4P](2){[}Cu(bdt)(2)] (1(red)) was synthesized by the reaction of {[}Ph4P]2{[}S2MoS2CuCl] with H2bdt (bdt = benzene-1,2-dithiolate) in basic medium. 1(red) is highly susceptible toward dioxygen, affording the one electron oxidized diamagnetic compound {[}Ph4P]{[}Cu(bdt)(2)] (1(ox)). The interconversion between these two oxidation states can be switched by addition of O-2 or base (Et4NOH = tetraethylammonium hydroxide), as demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible and EPR spectroscopies. Thiomolybdates, in free or complex forms with copper ions, play an important role in the stability of 1(red) during its synthesis, since in its absence, 1(ox) is isolated. Both 1(red) and 1(ox) were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. EPR experiments showed that 1(red) is a Cu(II)-sulfur complex and revealed strong covalency on the copper-sulfur bonds. DFT calculations confirmed the spin density delocalization over the four sulfur atoms (76%) and copper (24%) atom, suggesting that 1(red) has a ``thiyl radical character{''}. Time dependent DFT calculations identified such ligand to ligand charge transfer transitions. Accordingly, 1(red) is better described by the two isoelectronic structures {[}Cu(I)(bdt(2), 4S(3-{*}))](2-) {[}Cu-II(bdt(2), 4S(4-))](2-). On thermodynamic grounds, oxidation of 1(red) (doublet state) leads to 1(ox) singlet state, {[}Cu-III(bd(t)2, 4S(4-))](1-).}