Functionalisation of Imidazolin-2-imine to Corresponding Phosphinamine, Chalcogenide (O, S, Se, Te), and Borane Compounds

1,3-Di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-1,1-diphenylphosphinamine (2) was prepared from 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-imine (1) and chlorodiphenylphosphine. Compound 2 was treated further with elemental sulfur, selenium, and tellurium to afford the corresponding chalcogenide derivatives, 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-P,P-diphenyl-phosphinothioicamide (4), 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-P,P-diphenyl-phosphinoselenoicamide (5), and 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-P,P-diphenyl-phosphinotelluroicamide (6) in good yield. 1,3-Di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-P,P-diphenylphosphinicamide (3) was obtained by dissolving compound 2 in hydrochloric acid solution in THF. The corresponding borane adduct, 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidine-P,P-diphenyl-phosphinaminoborane (7) was isolated by the reaction of compound 2 and sodium borohydride in good yield. The molecular structures of compounds 2 and 4–7 were established by X-ray diffraction analyses. To analyse the electronic structure of chalcogenides of imidazolin-2-imine ligands, the protonation energies of the oxygen, sulfur, and selenide derivative of ligand 2 were calculated by means of density functional theory. Finally, the charge distribution in compounds 3, 4, and 5 were determined using natural bond orbital analysis.