作者:Peter D. Livant、D. John D. Northcott、Yiping Shen、Thomas R. Webb
DOI:10.1021/jo040199o
日期:2004.10.1
The synthesis of tris(2,6-dihydroxyphenyl)amine diborate, 4, is reported. This compound contains a linear (BNB)-N-...-B-.... array for which a symmetrical three-center two-electron (3c-2e) bond is possible. The X-ray crystal structure of 4 shows that 3c-2e bonding is, in fact, absent. Rather, the B-N-B array of 4 is unsymmetrical, having a 2c-2e B-N dative bond with the remaining boron pyramidalized outward and bonded to the oxygen of THF, i.e., 4(.)THF. In THF solution, 4 displays temperature-dependent C-13 NMR spectra from which a DeltaG(double dagger) of 11.6 kcal/mol at 262 K may be calculated. The dynamic process observed in solution corresponds to a bond-switching equilibrium in which the B-N bond oscillates between the two borons ("bell clapper"). Ab initio calculations indicate that the most likely pathway for the bond switch does not involve a 3c-2e (BNB)-N-...-B-... bond, but rather occurs by nucleophilic attack of THF on the datively bonded boron to generate 4(.)(THF)(2), lacking any B-N interactions, followed by loss of one THF. The B-N-B system of 4 sans the perturbing effect of solvent was also investigated computationally. The form of 4 containing a 3c-2e bond is found to be a transition state in the solvent-free bond-switch reaction of 4, lying 2.66 kcal/mol above 4. The stability of three-center bonds to in-line distortion (viz., (XYX)-Y-...-X-...-->X-(YX)-X-.........) is discussed from the point of view of the second-order Jahn-Teller effect.