Carbonyl diisocyanate – a treasure trove for modern heavy main-group molecular chemistry

• Applicant: Dr. Frank Tambornino
• Subject Area: Inorganic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 470154745

Exploring the reactivity and properties of small molecules and ions is key to expanding our knowledge and discovering new areas of research and applications. Within the first sub-project we will focus on carbonyl diisocyanates with the general composition CCh(NCCh)2 (Ch = O – Se). The chemistry of carbonyl diisocyanate and diisothiocyanate is only scarcely explored despite offering a plethora of interesting possibilities for follow up chemistry. Additionally, their heavier congeners are unknown. Based on their differing reactivity we will explore the resulting carbamate and thiadiazine chemistry, the latter showing similarity towards nucleobases. Their coordination chemistry will also be focussed on. Heavy fulminates will be target of the second sub-project. The fundamental cyanate to fulminate transformation has recently been observed for 1-phosphaethynolate and its sulphur congener, prompting us to aim for syntheses of the arsenic/selenium congeners, too. Freeing of the heavy fulminates into their “free” quasibinary forms will then enable us to elucidate their chemistry in depth. Another structural motif in carbonyl diisocyanate is the carbonyl bond and we will focus on its heavy chalcogen congeners. Towards the syntheses of CCh(NCCh)2 there is the need for synthons with bespoke reactivity which we will focus on here.

• DFG Programme: Independent Junior Research Groups
• International Connection: Austria
• Major Instrumentation: Glovebox
• Instrumentation Group: 4670 Handschuhkästen, Schutzgasanlagen
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Stephan Hohloch