Ion-pairs as a gateway to transmetalation: aryl transfer from boron to nickel and magnesium.

Gas-phase ion-ion reactions between tris-1,10-phenantholine metal dications, [(phen) 3 M] 2+ (where M = Ni and Mg), and the tetraphenylborate anion yield the ion-pairs {[(phen) 3 M] 2+ [BPh 4 ] - } + . The ion-pairs undergo transmetalation upon loss of a phen ligand to give the organometallic complexes [(phen) 2 M(Ph)] + . DFT calculations, used to determine the energy barriers for the transmetalation reactions and the hydrolysis reactions, are entirely consistent with the experimental results.