La-mediated dehydrogenation and C–C bond cleavage of 1,4-pentadiene and 1-pentyne: Spectroscopy and formation of La(C5H6) and La(C3H4) radicals

Wenjin Cao, Yuchen Zhang, Dong Sheng Yang

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4 Scopus citations

Abstract

La atom reactions with 1,4-pentadiene and 1-pentyne are carried out in a laser-vaporization molecular beam source. Both reactions yield a predominant La(C5H6) radical from ligand dehydrogenation and a minor La(C3H4) species from C–C bond cleavage. The metal-hydrocarbon radicals are characterized with mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy and quantum chemical computations. The MATI spectra of each species formed by the two reactions are essentially identical and consist of a single vibronic band system for La(C5H6) and two band systems for La(C3H4). Each band system exhibits a strong origin band and several weak vibronic ones. Adiabatic ionization energies, metal-ligand vibrational frequencies, and low-frequency ligand-based modes are measured for the two species. La(C5H6) is identified as a six-membered lanthanacycle [La(CHCHCHCHCH2)] (Iso A, C1), whereas two isomers of La(C3H4) are a four-membered metallacycle La(CHCHCH2) (Iso 1, C1) and a three-membered ring La(CHCCH3) (Iso 2, Cs). The ground electronic state of each radical is a doublet and that of the singly charged cation is a singlet. The remaining two electrons that are associated with the isolated La atom or ion are spin paired in a molecular orbital that is bonding combination between a La 5d orbital and a π* antibonding orbital of the C5H6 or C3H4 fragment. For the 1,4-pentadiene reaction, the formation of the six-membered metallacycle La(C5H6) involves La addition to a C=C double bond, La insertion into two C(sp3)–H bonds, and concerted H2 elimination, whereas the formation of the three- and four-membered La(C3H4) rings involves two hydrogen migrations followed by C–C bond breakage to eliminate an ethylene molecule. For the 1-pentyne reaction, the formation of each species requires isomerization of a La(1-pentyne) adduct to a La insertion species and then proceeds with the same elemental steps as those for the diene reaction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-195
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Organometallic Chemistry
Volume880
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018

Keywords

  • C-H and C–C bond activation
  • Density functional and coupled cluster theory calculations
  • Lanthanide
  • Laser vaporization molecular beam
  • Mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy
  • Reaction mechanism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Chemistry

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