Since the discovery of the first stable N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) in the beginning of the 1990s, these divalent carbon species have become a common and available class of compounds, which have found numerous applications in academic and industrial research. Their important role as two-electron donor ligands, especially in transition metal chemistry and catalysis, is difficult to overestimate. In the past decade, there has been tremendous research attention given to the chemistry of low-coordinate main group element compounds. Significant progress has been achieved in stabilization and isolation of such species as Lewis acid/base adducts with highly tunable NHC ligands. This has allowed investigation of numerous novel types of compounds with unique electronic structures and opened new opportunities in the rational design of novel organic catalysts and materials. This Review gives a general overview of this research, basic synthetic approaches, key features of NHC–main group element adducts, and might be...

NHCs in Main Group Chemistry.

We review the synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals/colloidal quantum dots in organic solvents with special emphasis on earth-abundant and toxic heavy metal free compounds. Following the Introduction, section 2 defines the terms related to the toxicity of nanocrystals and gives a comprehensive overview on toxicity studies concerning all types of quantum dots. Section 3 aims at providing the reader with the basic concepts of nanocrystal synthesis. It starts with the concepts currently used to describe the nucleation and growth of monodisperse particles and next takes a closer look at the chemistry of the inorganic core and its interactions with surface ligands. Section 4 reviews in more detail the synthesis of different families of semiconductor nanocrystals, namely elemental group IV compounds (carbon nanodots, Si, Ge), III–V compounds (e.g., InP, InAs), and binary and multinary metal chalcogenides. Finally, the authors’ view on the perspectives in this field is given.

Synthesis of Semiconductor Nanocrystals, Focusing on Nontoxic and Earth-Abundant Materials.

This Award Article targets the evolving, yet surprisingly fruitful, chemistry of N-heterocyclic carbenes with low-oxidation-state main-group elements. Specifically, the chemistry of carbene-stabilized diatomic allotropes, diborenes, gallium octahedra, beryllium borohydride, and a host of related compounds will be presented. Providing a valuable historical perspective, the foundational work concerning the organometallic chemistry of gallium with sterically demanding m-terphenyl ligands from this laboratory will also be discussed.

N-heterocyclic carbene-main-group chemistry: a rapidly evolving field.

Colloidal nanocrystals are nanometer-sized, solution-grown inorganic particles stabilized by a layer of surfactants attached to their surface. The inorganic cores exhibit useful properties controlled by composition as well as size and shape, while the surfactant coating ensures that these structures are easy to fabricate and process. It is this combination of features that makes colloidal nanocrystals attractive and promising building blocks for advanced materials and devices. But their full potential can only be exploited if we achieve exquisite control over their composition, size, shape, crystal structure and surface properties. Here we review what is known about nanocrystal growth and outline strategies for controlling it.

Colloidal nanocrystal synthesis and the organic-inorganic interface

The chemistry of group 14 element(II) hydride complexes has rapidly expanded since the first stable example of such a compound was reported in 2000. Since that time it has become apparent that these systems display remarkable reactivity patterns, in some cases mimicking those of late transition-metal (TM) hydride compounds. This is especially so for the hydroelementation of unsaturated organic substrates. Recently, this aspect of their reactivity has been extended to the use of group 14 element(II) hydrides as efficient, “TM-like” catalysts in organic synthesis. This review will detail how the chemistry of these hydride compounds has advanced since their early development. Throughout, there is a focus on the importance of ligand effects in these systems, and how ligand design can greatly modify a coordinated complex's electronic structure, reactivity, and catalytic efficiency.

Low-valent group 14 element hydride chemistry: towards catalysis.

This article outlines our attempts to stabilize the Group 14 element dihydrides, GeH2 and SnH2, using commonly employed phosphine and pyridine donors; in each case, elemental Ge and Sn extrusion was noted. However, when these phosphorus and nitrogen donors were replaced with the ylidic Wittig ligand Ph3P═CMe2, stable inorganic methylene complexes (EH2) were obtained, demonstrating the utility of this under-explored ligand class in advancing main group element coordination chemistry.

Application of the donor-acceptor concept to intercept low oxidation state group 14 element hydrides using a Wittig reagent as a Lewis base.

One-pot syntheses of surface functionalized germanium nanocrystals (GeNCs) based upon traditional hot injection and microwave-assisted heating of a Ge(II) dihydride single source precursor have been developed. The reported procedures offer in situ hydrogermylation-based covalent attachment of alkene/alkyne derived surface moieties that give access to hydrophobic or hydrophilic GeNCs.

One-pot synthesis of functionalized germanium nanocrystals from a single source precursor

Aminophosphines derived from N,N′-disubstituted ethylenediamines (R–N(H)CH2CH2N(H)–R; R = ortho-tolyl, phenyl, benzyl, iso-propyl, and n-octyl) were used to adjust the kinetics of InP nanocrystal f...

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Continuous Nucleation and Size Dependent Growth Kinetics of Indium Phosphide Nanocrystals

Flocculation of oil sands tailings by hyperbranched functionalized polyethylenes (HBfPE)

A stable donor–acceptor coordination complex of the elusive parent inorganic iminoborane HBNH (a structural analogue of acetylene) is reported. This species was generated via thermally induced N2 elimination/1,2-H migration from a hydrido(azido)borane adduct NHC⋅BH2N3 (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) in the presence of a fluorinated triarylborane. The mechanism of this process was also investigated by computational and isotopic labeling studies. This transformation represents a new and potentially modular route to unsaturated inorganic building blocks for advanced material synthesis.

Anindya K. Swarnakar

Papers

Application of the donor-acceptor concept to intercept low oxidation state group 14 element hydrides using a Wittig reagent as a Lewis base.

One-pot synthesis of functionalized germanium nanocrystals from a single source precursor

Continuous Nucleation and Size Dependent Growth Kinetics of Indium Phosphide Nanocrystals

Flocculation of oil sands tailings by hyperbranched functionalized polyethylenes (HBfPE)

Encapsulating Inorganic Acetylene, HBNH, Using Flanking Coordinative Interactions