One-pot syntheses of rhena-2-benzopyrylium complexes with a fused metallacyclopropene unit

A convenient synthetic route to polycyclic metallaaromatics containing main-group heteroatoms has been developed. The first cyclopropametalla-2-benzopyrylium complexes 2-4, the rhena-analogues of pyrylium, are isolated and characterized. Structural analysis and DFT calculations show that the metalla-oxa polycyclic structures have both pi-aromaticity and sigma-aromaticity.

Automated summary

A convenient synthetic route to polycyclic metallaaromatics containing main-group heteroatoms has been developed, with the isolated and characterized first cyclopropametalla-2-benzopyrylium complexes showing both pi-aromaticity and sigma-aromaticity through structural analysis and DFT calculations.