N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligated Group 11 Trimethylsilylchalcogenolates: Building Blocks for Heterometallic Chalcogenide Molecules

Dickron Richard Nahhas, The University of Western Ontario

Abstract

The synthesis of heterometallic chalcogenide molecules requires the continued investigation into the appropriate reagents necessary to introduce metal – chalcogen bonds in a controlled fashion. Trimethylsilyl metallochalcogenolates (MESiMe₃) act as synthons introducing “ME^–“ in solution upon reacting with an appropriate ternary metal reagent, MX (X= halide, acetate, etc.). Recent work makes use of N–heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as a class of ancillary ligand that can stabilize these reagents and the heterometallic chalcogenide molecules obtained with them. Building on previous work, this thesis describes the synthesis of group 11 trimethylsilyl metallochalcogenolates stabilized by bis–1,3–tritylimidazole–2–ylidene (abbreviated ITr) to build this library of compounds and investigate their reactivity towards dinuclear chalcogenide molecules, [(ITr)₂M(μ₂–E)M’] (M=Cu, Ag, Au; E=S, Se). Surprisingly, the reaction of [ITrMESiMe3] with [ITrMOAc] did not yield the desired products in a selective manner. Attempts are made to rationalize the failure to obtain both the homo and heterometallic compounds by this general method and by other previously established techniques.