Acetylene complexes metallacyclization

In Section 9.2, intermolecular reactions of titanium—acetylene complexes with acetylenes, allenes, alkenes, and allylic compounds were discussed. This section describes the intramolecular coupling of bis-unsaturated compounds, including dienes, enynes, and diynes, as formulated in Eq. 9.49. As the titanium alkoxide is very inexpensive, the reactions in Eq. 9.49 represent one of the most economical methods for accomplishing the formation of metallacycles of this type [1,2]. Moreover, the titanium alkoxide based method enables several new synthetic transformations that are not viable by conventional metallocene-mediated methods. 

Using the unsymmetrically substituted acetylene Me3SiC=CPh, the kinetically favored substituted complex 8a is formed initially, cycloreversion of which gives the symmetrically substituted and thermodynamically more stable product 8b. Due to steric reasons, the other conceivable symmetric product 8c is not formed [9]. Such metallacycles are typically very stable compounds and are frequently used in organic synthesis, as shown by the detailed investigations of Negishi and Takahashi [lm], Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetylene complexes are a new and synthetically useful alternative. 

Treatment of the acetylene complexes Cp2Ti( 72-C2R2) (R = SiMe3 or Ph) with C02 at room temperature resulted in the formation of the dimeric cr-alkenylcarboxylate complexes 131 and 132 (Equation (35)).102 The magnetic moment of both complexes was 1.6 /xB per titanium atom indicating that they contained trivalent Ti centers. The structure of 132 was elucidated by X-ray diffraction, and the presence of two fused metallacyclic rings was confirmed. 

Rearrangements are less common, since the complexes are usually stable. However, if a cobalt-acetylene complex is reacted with an isocyanide, a metallacycle (145) is formed. ... 

The EDA results for the metal-ligand interactions in the metallacyclic compounds CI4TM-C2H, (TM = Mo, W), which are shown in Table 7.7, are very different from the data for the ethylene and acetylene complexes. There are no results for the chromium compounds because of SCF problems [34]. The electron-sharing... 

The coupling constants /( Pt —C) are greater for olefin carbon atoms than for acetylene carbon atoms. This argues against the metallacyclic model of the metal-unsaturated hydrocarbon bond which suggests that /( Pt —Csp ) for the acetylene complex should be greater than 7( Pt —Csp ) for the olefin compound. 

Alkynes may react with acetylene complexes to form metallacyclic compounds, i.e., compounds containing a higher number of coordinated acetylene molecules, or compounds possessing other alkynes (substitution reaction) see scheme (6.190). 

In another study the kinetics and mechanism of an unprecedented T/2-vinyl isomerization of a highly fluorinated tungsten(II) metalla-cyclopropene complex was studied (92). Photolysis of a tungsten(II) tetrafluoroaryl metallacycle 1 and perfluoro-2-butyne results in the formation of the kinetic rf -vinyl complex 2 in which the fluoride is trans to the inserted acetylene and cis to both carbonyl ligands. Upon heating 2 is converted to the thermodynamic rf -vinyl complex 3 in which the fluoride ligand is now cis to the inserted alkyne and trans to one CO and cis to the second CO ligand as shown in Scheme 1. 

Table 7.11 lists the predicted BDEs of TM compounds with 7r-donor ligands [4, 54, 55, 68-71], The complexes of W(CO)5 with acetylene, ethylene, and formaldehyde belong to the donor-acceptor class. The compounds of WC14 with the same ligands are metallacyclic molecules. 

As part of a study of the reactions of metallacyclic y-ketovinyl complexes of molybdenum and tungsten with acetylenes, directed toward the synthesis of complexed -/-lactones, Stone has reported92 the isolation of several vinyl-ketene complexes. When complex 72 was heated with 2-butyne, one molecule of the alkyne was incorporated into the complex with concomitant carbonylation. X-ray analysis of the product (73) has shown unequivocally that the C-l to C-4 vinylketene fragment is bonded in a planar, rj4-configu-ration. In contrast to the thermal reaction, ultraviolet irradiation of 72 or 74 in the presence of 2-butyne affords the complexes 75 and 76, respectively, where the lone carbonyl remaining after alkyne insertion had been replaced by a third molecule of the alkyne. 

Initially alkynes were polymerised by trial and error with the use of Ziegler type recipes and the mechanism for these reactions may well be an insertion type mechanism. Undefined metathesis catalysts of ETM complexes were known to give poly-acetylene in their reaction with alkynes (acetylene) [45] and metallacycles were proposed as intermediates. Since the introduction of well-defined catalysts far better results have been obtained. The mechanism for this reaction is shown in Figure 16.24 [46], The conductive polymers obtained are soluble materials that can be treated and deposited as solutions on a surface. 

Terminal acetylenes and Ru3(CO)j2 yield complexes of the type [57] (9,190, 336), whereas internal acetylenes form either complexes [56] or acetylene-substituted RU4 complexes (229). Alternatively, two acetylene moieties are incorporated with formation of metallacyclopentadienes (229), a class of compounds more familiar in osmium cluster chemistry (cf. Chapter 3.4.). Instead of two acetylene molecules, one molecule of an arylbutadiene may be the precursor of the metallacycle (382). 

Many cyclization reactions via formation of metallacycles from alkynes and alkenes are known. Formally these reactions can be considered as oxidative cyclization (coupling) involving oxidation of the central metals. Although confusing, they are also called the reductive cyclization, because alkynes and alkenes are reduced to alkenes and alkanes by the metallacycle formation. Three basic patterns for the intermolecular oxidative coupling to give the metallacyclopentane 94, metallacyclopentene 95 and metallacyclopentadiene 96 are known. (For simplicity only ethylene and acetylene are used. The reaction can be extended to substituted alkenes and alkynes too). Formation of these metallacycles is not a one-step process, and is understood by initial formation of an tj2 complex, or metallacyclopropene 99, followed by insertion of the alkyne or alkene to generate the metallacycles 94-96, 100 and 101-103 (Scheme 7.1). 

Stable, isolable metallacycles are also obtained from reaction of complexes that serve as sources of the CpCo fragment (e.g. CpCo(PPh3)2) and alkynes. Upon carbonylation diese typically give high yields of cobalt-complexed cyclopentadienones. Direct reaction of CpCo(CO)2 with alkynes is similarly useful. The cycloaddition of di(t-butoxy)acetylene upon photolysis with CpCo(CO)2 is an example (Scheme 5). In all these systems the final complexes lack coordinated CO, and therefore amine oxides are not suitable reagents for liberating the stable cyclopentadienones. Tetra(t-butoxy)cyclopentadienone is accessible on a preparative scale via controlled electrochemical oxidation. Other oxidants such as Cr have been used as well in other systems. 

Metal carbenes are also initiators for the metathetical polymerization of alkynes by, e. g., catalysts such as M0CI5 and WClg. Reaction of the metal carbene with an alkyne gives a metallacyclobutene intermediate, followed by opening of this intermediate metallacycle into a new metal carbene that in its turn can interact with another alkyne molecule, and so on eq. (13). Metathesis of acetylenes proceeds through reactions between an alkylidyne complex and an alkyne via a metallacyclobutadiene intermediate (eq. (14)). 

Yamazaki s complex (Structure 5) contains two alkyne molecules linked together to form a five-membered metallacycle. Arene-solvated cobalt atoms, obtained by reacting cobalt vapor and arenes, have been used by Italian workers to promote the conversion of a,w-dialkynes and nitriles giving alkynyl-substituted pyridines [20]. -Tolueneiron(0) complexes have also been utilized for the co-cyclotrimerization of acetylene and alkyl cyanides or benzonitrile giving a-substituted pyridine derivatives. However, the catalytic transformation to the industrially important 2-vinylpyridine fails in this case acrylonitrile cannot be co-cyclotrimerized with acetylene at the iron catalyst [17]. 

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