Patent Application: US-201615183293-A

Abstract:
certain embodiments are directed to a composition comprising a complex of the general formula n ], wherein m is an alkali metal and method of making the same .

Description:
aromatic hydrocarbons , by virtue of their relatively low - lying π * lumo , can be readily reduced by alkali metals to give intensely colored , open - shell monoanions . the first well - defined arene radical , viz sodium anthracenide , was reported in 1914 by wilhelm schlenk during the formative years of organometallic chemistry . 1 over a century later , the chemistry of arene radicals continues to command attention . from an electronic perspective , these species display unique aromatic character and have been shown to exhibit long - range magnetic ordering in the solid - state . 2 chemically , arene radicals find utility in a wide range of applications including use as initiators in anionic polymerization , 3 as potent organic reducing agents and bases , 4 models for graphitic battery materials , 5 and are key intermediates in birch reductions . 6 given the radical nature of arene monoanions , it is well - known that these compounds are highly sensitive and prone to adventitious oxidation , thus requiring preparation and handling under rigorously anaerobic and anhydrous conditions . these reagents are kinetically unstable , having short storage times , 4b and are often freshly prepared in - situ ( necessitating multi - step titration to accurately determine concentration ) with product equilibriums that are highly solvent dependent . 1c , 7 moreover , attempts to isolate them from solution often results in disproportionation . 7b it is not then surprising that only a handful of radical arene monoanions , utilizing a variety of metals and arenes , have been isolated and characterized in the solid - state . 2b - f , 6 , 8 these complicating factors negatively affect the utility of these reagents . in order to circumvent many of the aforementioned issues , a general procedure was developed for the solid - state isolation of arene radicals . described herein is a synthetic method for solid - state structures using twelve arene radical monoanions as examples , as well the characterization of the same . initially , the storage of concentrated thf solutions of m [ arene −• ] ( m = li , na , k ; arene = biphenyl , naphthalene , anthracene ) at − 25 ° c . produced large , crystalline blocks of the respective anion within hours . however , all attempts to isolate these crystals failed as the solids were observed to rapidly desolvate within seconds upon removal from solution , producing intractable gummy , oils . the inventors contemplated that desolvation effects could be mitigated by addition of a chelating base to sequester the alkali metal cations and protect their coordination sphere from solvent loss . accordingly , treatment of m [ arene −• ] in thf with 1 equiv of 18 - crown - 6 and subsequent storage at − 25 ° c . affords crystalline solids of [ m ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ) n ][ arene −• ] ( eq 1 ) in all cases . gratifyingly , upon removal from solution and drying under vacuum , the products retain their shape and form . while 18 - crown - 6 has been previously employed for the successful solid - state isolation of the potassium complexes [ k ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ) 2 ][ c 10 h 8 ] and [ k ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ) 2 ][ c 14 h 10 ], 2b the inventors have found this common and relatively inexpensive reagent suitable for use with both lithium and sodium metals , thus avoiding the need for specialized and size - specific crown ethers in these reactions . the number of ancillary solvent molecules in [ m ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ),][ arene −• ] cannot be readily quantified by nmr spectroscopy due to significant signal broadening , a consequence of the compounds &# 39 ; inherent paramagnetism . on the other hand , the high crystallinity of these compounds makes them very amenable to x - ray diffractometry , thus allowing for unambiguous composition determination ( table 1 ). crystals of [ m ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ) n ][ arene −• ] harvested from thf solutions are typically of satisfactory size and shape for x - ray crystallographic analyses . in a few instances , most often with the lithium and sodium salts of naphthalene and perylene , fine needles too small for crystallographic characterization are produced . however , recrystallization of these compounds from dme solutions does yield x - ray quality crystals . 9 examination of the solid - state structures of 1 - 12 ( see fig1 ) reveals that nearly all crystallize as non - interacting ion pairs with one notable exception . in 3 , the [ k ( 18 - c - 6 )] + moiety is axially flanked by two bridging [ c 10 h 8 ] −• anions forming a close contact network that gives rise to a 1d coordination polymer . interestingly , each of the two bridging naphthalenes exhibits a distinct coordination mode . the first naphthalene ligates the potassium cations through η 2 - binding where the two k — c arene bond distances ( avg . 3 . 13 å ) and k — c arene dihedral angle ( 120 . 30 ) are indicative of a typical π - cation interaction . the second naphthalene engages each potassium through two longer k — c arene bonds ( avg . 3 . 45 å ) with a notably more obtuse k — c arene dihedral angle ( 150 . 3 °), parameters that are consistent with agostic interactions between potassium and the c — h bonds of the naphthalene . 10 it should be noted that the ion - separated analog [ k ( 18 - c - 6 )( thf ) 2 ][ c 10 h 8 ] has been reported . 2b while the exact cause of this structural variation is not known , the difference is attributed to differing crystallization methods and conditions . 2b , 9 yields of 1 - 12 fall within a wide range , from moderate to excellent ( table 1 ), with diminished yields most often a result of solution equilibrium effects or high solubility in thf . 1c , 7b in contrast to standing solutions , 1 - 12 can be stored as solids under nitrogen for extended periods of time . when kept under strictly anhydrous and anaerobic conditions , it was have found that solid samples of 1 - 12 were unchanged after almost a year . the solution redox properties of each complex were examined by cyclic voltammetry ( cv ). in all cases , the compounds exhibit chemically reversible ( i pc / i pa ≈ 1 ) redox waves with e 1 / 2 values in full agreement with known reduction potentials . 1c , 4b , 9 while it has been suggested that the identity of the alkali cation should have a detectable effect on the potential values , 4b the inventors observe no systematic effects under their experimental conditions . 9 as anticipated , the reducing power of the arene radical monoanions follows the trend c 20 h 12 −• & lt ; c 14 h 10 −• & lt ; c 10 h 8 −• & lt ; c 12 h 10 −• ( table 1 ). it should be noted that while complexes 1 - 12 each have chemically accessible dianionic forms , we find only the perylene derivatives 10 - 12 display a second redox wave in their cv in thf at room temperature . the signature electronic absorption features of each arene −• type are seen in the uv - vis / nir solution spectra of 1 - 12 ( table 1 ). 1c , 11 between the complexes within a given arene −• class ( e . g . 1 vs 2 and 3 ) the spectra are qualitatively similar ; notably , though , the peak definitions and absorbance parameters are found to be cation dependent ( without systematic trend ). while these observations stand in contrast to the results found in the respective cv data , the electrochemical experiments are conducted in the presence of a vast excess of supporting electrolyte which may impede close m - arene −• pairing . the solid - state , room temperature magnetic susceptibilities of the open - shell compounds were measured ( gouy balance ). the effective magnetic moments of 1 - 12 are unexceptional and found to range from 1 . 53 to 2 . 28μ b . these values are comparable to that found for [ k 2 ( thf )][ c 10 h 8 ] ( 1 . 69μ b per anion ) and fall in line with the 1 . 7μ b calculated for an isolated s = 1 / 2 system . 2c following the protocol recently developed by buchwald and co - workers for the sealing of air - sensitive palladium catalysts in paraffin as an oxygen and water exclusion barrier , 12 it was found that the described arene radical monoanions can be sealed in paraffins , e . g . eicosane , and stored in air for at least several days without detectable degradation . by this method of encasing these arenides in paraffins , storage under aerobic and hydrous atomospheric conditions without specialized equipment becomes possible . moreover , these paraffin mixtures can be used as easily handled delivery agents for chemical reactions and processes . the inventors have described a general and straightforward procedure for the solid - state isolation of arene radical monoanions using 18 - crown - 6 as a co - reagent . as proof of principle , the inventors have demonstrated through twelve examples that the methodology can be applied to a wide range of aromatic systems with varying counter cations to give highly crystalline , well - defined materials . these solids , as compared to their parent solutions , are remarkably stable , easily stored , and readily handled — further enhancing the utility of these novel and important radical species . 1 . 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