Thomas Horsley Downie

• Mchem (Hons) Chemistry
• Rational control of heavier main group carbene analogue reactivity

While diamidotetrylenes (R₂N)₂E (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) have a long history, the P-substituted diphosphatetrylenes (R₂P)₂E have yet to be as well-established, but use of phosphide ligands have yielded metal centres stabilised by pπ-pπ interactions with a planar phosphorus centre. By linking two molecules of primary phosphine [(Dipp)PH₂] (Dipp=2,6-diisopropylphenyl) with a short alkyl chain, a new type of bridged diphosphine ligand [(Dipp)PCH₃P(Dipp)] was synthesised. Lithiation of the phosphine gave the equivalent bridged diphosphide which was characterised by X-ray crystallography and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. Using this ligand system, it was possible to synthesise an entirely new and stable stannylene, [(Dipp)PCH₃P(Dipp)]Sn. The stannylene was observed to be dimeric in the solid and solution state, as characterised by X-ray crystallography and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy respectively.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr Keith Izod