Synthesis and versatile reactivity of scandium phosphinophosphinidene complexes

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16773-w
• Publication Date: 2020-06-09T10:03:22Z
• Authors: Bin Feng; Li Xiang; Karl N. McCabe; Laurent Maron; Xuebing Leng; Yaofeng Chen
• Keywords: Science; Q; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-CHEM-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Chemical Physics [physics.chem-ph]; 01 natural sciences; Article; 0104 chemical sciences

AbstractM=E/M≡E multiple bonds (M = transition metal, E = main group element) are of significant fundamental scientific importance and have widespread applications. Expanding the ranges of M and E represents grand challenges for synthetic chemists and will bring new horizons for the chemistry. There have been reports of M=E/M≡E multiple bonds for the majority of the transition metals, and even some actinide metals. In stark contrast, as the largest subgroup in the periodic table, rare-earth metals (Ln) were scarcely involved in Ln=E/Ln≡E multiple bonds. Until recently, there were a few examples of rare-earth monometallic alkylidene, imido and oxo complexes, featuring Ln=C/N/O bonds. What are in absence are rare-earth monometallic phosphinidene complexes with Ln=P bonds. Herein, we report synthesis and structure of rare-earth monometallic phosphinidene complexes, namely scandium phosphinophosphinidene complexes. Reactivity of scandium phosphinophosphinidene complexes is also mapped out, and appears to be easily tuned by the supporting ligand.