Reactivity of a Sodium Anion with Alkenes: 1-Electron vs 2-Electron Reductions
The sodium anion (sodide) is an uncommon alkali metal species, whose reactivity has been scarcely studied, with previous reports limited to decomposition and quenching reactions of ill-characterized species formed in situ. Based on our recent report of the first gram-scale synthesis of a well-characterized sodide complex, [Na<sup>+</sup>(2,2,2-cryptand)]Na<sup>-</sup> (<b>1</b>), we now describe its reactivity with phenyl-substituted ethylenes and a cyclic polyolefin. Depending on the substitution pattern, <b>1</b> mediates either 1-electron or 2-electron reduction. Reaction with a cyclic multiolefin, 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene (COT), exhibits two-electron reduction to produce COT<sup>2-</sup> species.
Authors
- Louise Male (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8295-2528)
- Jack M. Hemingway (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3773-4556)
- James A. Dawson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3946-5337)
- Floriana Tuna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5541-1750)
- Huanxin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2050-0558)
- Nathan Davison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7315-650X)
- Erli Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0619-5967)
- Paul Gordon Waddell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7851-7347)
- Joshua Deakin
Institutions
- University of Manchester (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Newcastle University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Published
- 2025-12-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c04279
- Primary Topic
- Organometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00