RECENT NEWS *** RECENT NEWS *** RECENT NEWS *** RECENT NEWS

First of all, a warm welcome to all the new group members (for details and new pictures see the team section)!

We have recently reported on the utility of multifunctional, k¹Si:k³S-coordinated tris(methimazolyl)silanide ligands [Si(mt^Me)₃]^- for the stabilisation of a triangulo palladium cluster [Pd₃{Si(mt^Me)₃}₂] (see picture) consisting of very unusual m³-capping SiR₃ donors. Differences to the corresponding platinum chemistry were supported by NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

The preparation and structures of new tris(pyrazolyl)methane and tris(pyrazolyl)methanide complexes have been reported, together with mechanistic and synthetic studies of their interconversions and solution dynamic behavior. This work was performed in collaboration with the Mountford group (Oxford).

In a recent full-paper (Dalton Trans. 2009, 5612 - 5626; "Hot Article") we reported on synthetically valuable precursor compounds as well as the synthesis and some reactivity studies of a novel ambidentate tris(pyrazolyl)silanide (^MeTpsd). This silicon-containing Janus-head ligand can either separately or simultaneously act as κ¹Si- or κ³N-coordinating ligand (see inside front cover of issue 29)