A brief analysis is presnted of the current understanding of substituent perturbations in monosubstituted benzenes as determined by substituent induced carbon chemical shifts. A critical tabulation of the four substituent chemical shifts is given for c. 700 monosubstituted benzenes.

13C substituent effects in monosubstituted benzenes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses metal–isocyanide chemistry. In the interim, reviews have appeared on specific aspects of isocyanide chemistry. The generally accepted valence bond and molecular orbital (MO) approach to the bonding of metal isocyanides has been well described in Treichel's review, and has been used to rationalize variations in infrared (IR) stretching frequencies between bonded and nonbonded isocyanides and the better π-acceptor qualities of aryl versus alkyl isocyanide groups. A number of new synthetic routes to isocyanide complexes of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten have been investigated. A number of attempts have been made over the years to develop reproducible synthetic routes to six- and seven-coordinate isocyanide complexes of molybdenum and tungsten. A number of routes have been employed for the synthesis of metal–isocyanide complexes by generating the isocyanide ligand on the metal atom. A number of monomeric complexes have been prepared, which may be considered as substitution products of the [Co(CNR) 5 ] + and [M(CNR) 4 ] + cations. Electrochemical investigations have been reported on a range of homoleptic and mixed carbonyl–isocyanide complexes, in attempts to rationalize substituent effects on the isocyanide with the electronic structure of the metal. Insertion reactions of isonitriles into metal–alkyl or metal–aryl bonds are now well established, occurring with metal–alkyl or –aryl groups from group IVA to IB and, recently, with uranium and thorium carbon bonds.

Metal Isocyanide Complexes

The Perdew–Zunger self-interaction correction (SIC) was implemented self-consistently within a molecular density functional theory (DFT) program, using the Krieger–Li–Iafrate approximation to the optimized effective potential, and the Vosko–Wilk–Nusair (VWN) functional. The computationally efficient implementation relies on the fitting of orbital densities for the evaluation of orbital Coulomb potentials, and allows for routine applications to large molecules. Due to the use of the effective potential approach, the evaluation of the energy derivatives can be handled by standard Kohn–Sham DFT techniques in a straightforward way. The SIC-VWN technique is applied to the calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters in representative small molecules, containing C, H, N, O, and F. Removal of self-interaction leads to a substantial improvement in the calculated isotropic chemical shifts for N, O, and F, where SIC-VWN holds an advantage over both local (VWN), and gradient-corrected functionals (Beck...

Curing difficult cases in magnetic properties prediction with self-interaction corrected density functional theory

A series of copper(I) complexes with a sterically hindered, bidentate ligand, BL iPr, derived from an N-heterocyclic carbene precursor have been isolated, characterized and their reactivity studied. The ethylene-bridged bis(imidazolin-2-imine) ligand (BL iPr) provides strongly donating N-donor atoms for the stabilization of a copper(I) metal center, priming it for reactivity. The complexes [(BL iPr)Cu(XyNC)]PF6 (4) and [(BL iPr)CuCl] (5) were characterized by X-ray crystallography and exhibit trigonal coordination at the copper centers. The reactivity of [(BL iPr)Cu]SbF6 toward dioxygen was studied at low temperature, indicating formation of a thermally sensitive intermediate with intense UV/Vis features and an isotope-sensitive vibration at 625 cm(-1) (599 cm(-1) with 18 O2). The intermediate is assigned as containing the bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) core, [2](PF6)2, and the related, stable hydroxo form was crystallized as [{(BL iPr)Cu}2(mu-OH)2](PF6)2, [3](PF6)2. The reactivity of 5 as a catalyst for the ATR polymerization of styrene was assessed in terms of reaction kinetics and polymer properties, with low PDI values achieved for polymers with molecular weights up to 30 000 g mol(-1).

Synthesis and reactivity of copper(I) complexes with an ethylene-bridged bis(imidazolin-2-imine) ligand

Ansa‐Cycloheptatrienyl–Cyclopentadienyl Complexes

13C chemical shifts and 1J(14N13C) coupling constants as well as stretching frequencies of the isocyano group are reported for some representative aliphatic, unsaturated and aromatic isocyanides and for two copper(I) isocyanide complexes. The results are discussed in terms of the inductive and mesomeric substituent effects on the polarisation and charge density of the CNC bonds. The marked solvent effect on the chemical shifts of the isocyano carbon hampers comparison of our data with previously reported data. The hydrogen bonding shift of this carbon in water or methanol is much smaller than previous data suggest.

M. J. A. de Bie

Papers

A 13C-NMR and IR study of isocyanides and some of their complexes