Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.46, No.12, 4799-4808, 2007
Group 4 transition metal CH2 = MF2, CHF = MF2, and HC/MF3 complexes formed by C-F activation and alpha-fluorine transfer
Group 4 transition metal methylidene difluoride complexes (CH2=MF2) are formed by the reaction of methylene fluoride with laser-ablated metal atoms and are isolated in an argon matrix. Isotopic substitution of the CH2=F-2 precursor and theoretical computations (B3LYP and CCSD) confirm product identifications and assignments. Our calculations indicate that the CH2=MF2 complexes have near C-2v symmetry and are considerably more stable than other possible products (CH2(mu-F)MF and CHF=MHF). The primary reaction exothermicity provides more than enough energy to activate the initial bridge-bonded CH2(mu-F)MF products on the triplet potential energy surface to complete an alpha-F transfer to form the very stable CH2=MF2 products. Analogous experiments with CHF3 produce CHF=TiF2, which is not distorted at the C-H bond, whereas the heavier group 4 metals form lower-energy triplet HC/MF3 complexes, which contain weak degenerate C(p)-M(d) pi-bonding interactions. Comparisons are made with the CH2=MHF methylidene species, which showed considerable agostic distortions.