M. Reetz, Stephan Hütte, R. Goddard
Mar 1, 1995
Citations
0
Influential Citations
10
Citations
Journal
Zeitschrift für Naturforschung B
Abstract
Reaction of the CH-acidic compounds 2-nitropropane, cyclopentadiene and 9-ethylfluorene with HON (nBu)4 affords the corresponding tetrabutylammonium salts in crystalline form, which have been characterized by X -ray structure analysis. The nitrostabilized salt is not a “naked ” anion (real carbanion). Rather, the α-methylene entities of the N+(nBu)4 cations form relatively strong hydrogen bonds with the O -atom s of the nitronateanion, forming dimers in a three-dimensional network. In solution dimers in the form of supramolecular ion pairs exist. In contrast, the cyclopentadienyl anion appears to be a real carbanion, since anion and cation do not interact with one another via H -bonding. The structure of the N+(nBu)4 salt of the 9-ethylfluorenyl anion is a special case in that closer contacts between cation and anion occur, which may be indicative of unusual [CH ··· C]- bonding. All three salts function as initiators in the metal-free anionic polymerization of acrylates and methacrylates at room temperature. In the case of tetrabutylammoniumcyclopentadienide, star polymers are formed.