Abstract
We report the first example of metal-mediated acetylene bicyclopentamerization to form naphthalene in the gas phase. The bicyclic aromatic compound was observed in a complex with La. The La(naphthalene) complex was formed by the reaction of laser-ablated La atoms with acetylene molecules in a molecular beam source and was characterized by mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy. The bicyclo-oligomerization reaction occurs through sequential acetylene additions coupled with dehydrogenation. Three intermediates in the reaction have been identified: lanthanacyclopropene [La(C2H2)], La(cyclobut-1-en-3-yne) [La(C4H2)], and La(benzyne) [(La(C6H4)]. The metal-ligand bonding in the three intermediates is considerably different from that in the La(naphthalene) complex, as suggested by accurately measured adiabatic ionization energies.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2468-2471 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of the American Chemical Society |
Volume | 138 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2016 American Chemical Society.
Funding
We are grateful for the financial support from the National Science Foundation, Division of Chemistry (Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms, Grant CHE-1362102). We also acknowledge additional support from the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation. We thank Jack Selegue for helpful discussions about possible reaction pathways for the cyclopentamerization of acetylene.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Science Foundation (NSF) | 1362102 |
Department of Chemistry and Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics | CHE-1362102 |
Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Catalysis
- General Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry