Group 4 Lanthanide and Actinide Organometallic Inclusion Complexes

Reaction of the f-element complexes ThCl4(THF)3, Cp*2Sm(μ-Cl)2MgCl(THF)2, NdCl3, Cp*2UMe2, and Cp*2ZrMe2 with an excess of catecholborane (HBCat) yields macrocyclic complexes where the metal is encapsulated inside a 15-membered, hexaoxo, trianionic macrocycle built from alternating catechol and catecholborate fragments. With ThCl4(THF)3 as the starting material, the reaction produced a macrocyclic complex with one chloride ligand and three solvent molecules in the apical positions; however, for the zirconium and uranium complexes the apical positions are occupied by one C5Me5 ligand and a THF solvent molecule. In the samarium and neodymium complexes, only solvent molecules occupy the apical positions. Transmetalation of the ligand among different complexes in refluxing THF were performed. When the zirconium macrocycle was treated with a slight excess of ThCl4 or NdCl3, the corresponding (η2-catechol-μ-catecholborate)3ThCl(C4H8O)3·C4H8O (2) and (η2-catechol-μ-catecholborate)3Nd(C4H8O)3·C4H8O (4) macrocycle...