Computational design of organometallic oligomers featuring 1,3-metal-carbon bonding and planar tetracoordinate carbon atoms

Density functional theory computations (B3LYP) have been used to explore the chemistry of titanium-aromatic carbon "edge complexes" with 1,3-metal-carbon (1,3-MC) bonding between Ti and planar tetracoordinate C_β. The titanium-coordinated, end-capping chlorides are replaced with OH or SH groups to afford two series of difunctional monomers that can undergo condensation to form oxide- and sulfide-bridged oligomers. The sulfide-linked oligomers have less molecular strain and are more exergonic than the corresponding oxide-linked oligomers. The HOMO-LUMO gap of the oligomers varies with their composition and decreases with growing oligomer chain. This theoretical study is intended to enrich 1,3-MC bonding and planar tetracoordinate carbon chemistry and provide interesting ideas to experimentalists. Organometallic complexes with the TiE₂ (E = OH and SH) decoration on the edge of aromatic hydrocarbons have been computationally designed, which feature 1,3-metal-carbon (1,3-MC) bonding between titanium and planar tetracoordinate β-carbon. Condensation of these difunctional monomers by eliminating small molecules (H₂O and H₂S) produce chain-like oligomers. The HOMO-LUMO gaps of the oligomers decreases with growing oligomer chain, a trend that suggests possible semiconductor properties for oligomers with longer chains.