The chemistry of the alkaline earth metals (Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) has enjoyed a major resurgence in recent years due to newly discovered applications in bond activation and catalysis. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that a low oxidation state beryllium complex could serve as a reducing agent to access highly reactive molecules that could not be obtained through traditional methods, such as the first carbene-bismuthinidene. The utilization of this method requires expertise in the synthesis of the formally zero-valent bis(cyclic(alkyl)(amino) carbene) beryllium compound, which is not trivial as the starting materials are not commercially available. Pursuing alternative routes for bond activation and reduction chemistry we have prepared a series of singly and doubly reduced <i>N</i>-heterocylic carbene- and cyclic(alkyl)(amino) carbene-group 2 complexes which rely on various redox non-innocent ligands. This presentation will highlight the synthesis and reactivity of these molecules as well new results in alkaline earth metal carbodicarbene chemistry.

NHC–, CAAC–, and CDC–alkaline earth metal complexes as reagents for bond activation

2019 Fall National Meeting

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