Synthesis, structures, and DFT bonding analysis of new titanium hydrazido(2-) complexes.

The reaction of 1,1-diphenylhydrazine with Ti(NMe2)2Cl2 produced the monomeric terminal titanium hydrazido(2-) species Ti(NNPh2)Cl2(HNMe2)2 (1) in near-quantitative yield. The reaction of Ti(NMe2)2Cl2 with the less sterically demanding ligand precursors 1,1-dimethylhydrazine or N-aminopiperidine gave the dimeric mu-eta2,eta1-bridged compounds Ti2(mu-eta2,eta1-NNMe2)2Cl4(HNMe2)2 (2) and Ti2[mu-eta2,eta1-NN(CH2)5]2Cl4(HNMe2)3 (3). The X-ray structures of 2 and 3 showed the formation of N-H...Cl hydrogen bonded dimers or chains, respectively. The reaction of 1 with an excess of pyridine formed [Ti(NNPh2)Cl2(py)2]n (4, n = 1 or 2). The reaction of the tert-butyl imido complex Ti(N(t)Bu)Cl2(py)3 with either 1,1-dimethylhydrazine or N-aminopiperidine again resulted in the formation of hydrazido-bridged dimeric complexes, namely Ti2(mu-eta2,eta1-NNMe2)2Cl4(py)2 (5, structurally characterized) and Ti2[mu-eta2,eta1-NN(CH2)5]2Cl4(py)2 (6). Compounds 1 and 4 are potential new entry points into terminal hydrazido(2-) chemistry of titanium. Compound 1 reacted with neutral fac-N3 donor ligands to form Ti(NNPh2)Cl2(Me3[9]aneN3) (7), Ti(NNPh2)Cl2(Me3[6]aneN3) (8), Ti(NNPh2)Cl2[HC(Me2pz)3] (9, structurally characterized), and Ti(NNPh2)Cl2[HC(n)Bupz)3] (10) in good yields (Me3[9]aneN3 = trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane, Me3[6]aneN3 = trimethyl-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane, HC(Me2pz)3 = tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane, and HC((n)Bupz)3 = tris(4-(n)butylpyrazolyl)methane). DFT calculations were performed on both the model terminal hydrazido compound Ti(NNPh2)Cl2[HC(pz)3] (I) and the corresponding imido compounds Ti(NMe)Cl2[HC(pz)3] (II) and Ti(NPh)Cl2[HC(pz)3] (III). The NNPh2 ligand binds to the metal center in an analogous manner to that of terminal imido ligands (metalligand triple bond), but with one of the Ti=N(alpha) pi components significantly destabilized by a pi interaction with the lone pair of the N(beta) atom. The NR ligand sigma donor ability was found to be NMe > NPh > NNPh2, whereas the overall (sigma + pi) donor ability is NMe > NNPh2 > NPh, as judged by fragment orbital populations, Ti-N atom-atom overlap populations, and fragment-charge analysis. DFT calculations on the hydrazido ligand in a mu-eta2,eta1-bridging mode showed involvement of the N=N pi electrons in donation to one of the Ti centers. This TiN2 interaction is best represented as a metallocycle.