Copper complexes of nitrogen-anchored tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.

Incorporation of a nitrogen functionality into a tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene ligand system affords the first N-anchored tetradentate tris-carbene ligands TIMEN(R) (R = Me (5a), t-Bu (5b), Bz (5c)). Treatment of the methyl derivatized H(3)TIMEN(Me)(3) imidazolium salt (H(3)5a) with silver oxide yields the silver complex (TIMEN(Me))(2)Ag(3)(3) (9), which, in a ligand transfer reaction, reacts with copper(I) bromide to give the trinuclear copper(I) complex (TIMEN(Me))(2)Cu(3)(3) (10). Deprotonation of the tert-butyl and benzyl derivatives H(3)TIMEN(t-Bu)(3) and H(3)TIMEN(Bz)(3) yields the free tris-carbenes TIMEN(t-Bu) (5b) and TIMEN(Bz) (5c), which react readily with copper(I) salts to give mononuclear complexes (TIMEN(t-Bu))Cu (11b) and [(TIMEN(Bz))Cu]Br (11c). The solid-state structures of 10, 11b, and 11c were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. While the TIMEN(Me) ligand yields trinuclear complex 10, with both T-shaped three-coordinate and linear two-coordinate copper(I) centers, the TIMEN(t-Bu) and TIMEN(Bz) ligands induce mononuclear complexes 11b and 11c, rendering the cuprous ion in a trigonal planar ligand environment of three carbenoid carbon centers and an additional, weak axial nitrogen interaction. Complexes 11b and 11c exhibit reversible one-electron redox events at half-wave potentials of 110 and -100 mV vs Fc/Fc(+), respectively, indicating sufficient electronic and structural flexibility of both TIMEN(R) ligands (R = t-Bu, Bz) to stabilize copper(I) and copper(II) oxidation states. Accordingly, a copper(II) NHC complex, (TIMEN(Bz))Cu(2) (12), was synthesized. Paramagnetic complex 12 was characterized by elemental analysis, EPR spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetization measurements.