Tetraglymes as Prochiral Host Reagents for Ammonia Borane

Abstract

The molecular structure of the complex of ammonia borane (AB) with acyclic ether tetraglyme Me(OCH 2 CH 2 ) 4 OMe (1), 1·(AB) 2 was determined by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis for the first time. The crystal structure features two AB molecules, bonded by dihydrogen bonds, per one tetraglyme unit. The intermolecular BH···HN distances of 1.94 Å are shorter than those in the solid ammonia borane (2.02–2.32 Å). A comparison of the hydrogen and dihydrogen bonds in 1·(AB) 2 and in the complexes of AB with crown-ethers (CE) was carried out. The complex formation with both the CE and the acyclic polyether 1 activates the B–H bond in AB via N–H···O hydrogen bonds and therefore increases the reducing activity of AB. Supposedly, the structure of 1·(AB) 2 is related to the initial steps of the AB activation in a polyether solution. The effect of the substituents on the complexation of the substituted derivatives of 1 comes down to a structural adjustment minimizing steric repulsion. Computations reveal that the complexation of diastereomeric disubstituted glymes with AB leads to the formation of diastereomeric complexes that differ noticeably in stability. This is a prerequisite for inducing stereoselectivity, which makes such complexes attractive for potential synthetic applications.