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Ytterbium (II) Hydride as a Powerful Multielectron Reductant
Author(s) -
Richardson Georgia M.,
Douair Iskander,
Cameron Scott A.,
Maron Laurent,
Anker Mathew D.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202102428
Subject(s) - ytterbium , hydride , cyclooctatetraene , chemistry , photochemistry , deprotonation , hydrogen , inorganic chemistry , aromatization , catalysis , ion , materials science , organic chemistry , molecule , optoelectronics , doping
A dimeric β‐diketiminato ytterbium(II) hydride affects both the two‐electron aromatization of 1,3,5,7‐cyclooctatetraene (COT) and the more challenging two‐electron reduction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, including naphthalene (E 0 =−2.60 V). Confirmed by Density Functional Theory calculations, these reactions proceed via consecutive polarized Yb−H/C=C insertion and deprotonation steps to provide the respective ytterbium (II) inverse sandwich complexes and hydrogen gas. These observations highlight the ability of a simple ytterbium(II) hydride to act as a powerful two‐electron reductant at room temperature without the necessity of an external electron to initiate the reaction and avoiding radicaloid intermediates.