Acrylonitrile complexes with ruthenium

The CM of olefins bearing electron-withdrawing functionalities, such as a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, amides, and esters, allows for the direct installment of olefin functionality, which can either be retained or utilized as a synthetic handle for further elaboration. The poor nucleophilicity of electron-deficient olefins makes them challenging substrates for olefin CM. As a result, these substrates must generally be paired with more electron-rich crosspartners to proceed. In one of the initial reports in this area, Crowe and Goldberg found that acrylonitrile could participate in CM reactions with various terminal olefins using catalyst 1 (Equation (2))." Acrylonitrile was found not to be active in secondary metathesis isomerization, and no homodimer formation was observed, making it a type III olefin. In addition, as mentioned in Section 11.06.3.2, this reaction represents one of the few examples of Z-selectivity in CM. Subsequent to this report, ruthenium complexes 6 and 7a were also observed to function as competent catalysts for acrylonitrile... 

The oxidation of benzoin with cerium(IV) in perchloric acid solution is proposed to involve an interaction between Ce4+(aq.) ions and the keto alcohol, resulting in the formation of free radicals. The final product is benzoic acid.66 The rate of oxidation of crotyl alcohol with cerium(IV) is independent of the concentration of Ce(IV). The reaction induced polymerization of acrylonitrile indicating the formation of free radicals. The kinetics and activation parameters for the reaction have been determined.67 For the Ir(III)-catalysed oxidation of methyl ketones68 and cyclic ketones69 with Ce(IV) perchlorate, successive formation of complex between the reductant and Ce(IV) and then with the catalyst has been proposed. Results showed that in acidic solutions, iridium(III) is a more efficient catalyst than osmium and ruthenium compounds. 

The polarisation produced by co-ordination to the metal may be transmitted through a conjugated system. Michael addition reactions of nucleophiles to TV-bonded acrylonitrile are known, and provide a convenient method for the preparation of derivatives. A wide range of nucleophiles may be used in these conjugate additions. For example, the anion of nitromethane (generated in situ) reacts with the ruthenium(m) complex [Ru(NH3)5N=CCH=CH2)]3+, 4.6, to yield a complex of 4-nitrobutyronitrile (Fig. 4-18). 

Ruthenium(II) Treatment of [Ru(NH3)5(OH2)]2+ or [Ru(NH3)5(acetone)]2+ with L or [RuCl(NH3)5]2+ with zinc amalgam in the presence of L yields [RuL(NH3)5]2+ (L = acetonitrile, benzonitrile,358 substituted benzonitrile,196 358 359 acrylonitrile,360 hydrogen cyanide,36,37 ethyl cyano-formate,361 dicyanamide, malononitrile, substituted malononitrile, tricyanomethanide,362 4-cyano-l-methylpyridinium196). Reaction of a hundred-fold excess of RCHO (R = Ph, Me) with [Ru(NH3)6]2+ under alkaline conditions yields [Ru(NH3)sNCR]2+.363-365 The likely mechanism of this reaction is given in Scheme 12. An alternative route to nitrile complexes is by reaction of [Ru(NH3)sOH2]2+ with aldoximes, e.g. RMeC=NOH, to afford [Ru(NH3 )5 (NCMe)]2 + and... 

Figure 6.6 Formation ofthe catalytically inactive ruthenium-car-bene complex (H2lmes))(PCya)(CI)2Ru=CH (CN) duringthe reaction of acrylonitrile with Ru-4.

The Grubbs pyridine solvates are the fastest initiators of alkene metathesis and are valuable as synthetic intermediates to prepare other ruthenium carbene complexes. In particular, the 18-electron pyridine solvates 4a,b are very fast initiators that were developed to catalyze difficult alkene metatheses (e.g., the cross metathesis of acrylonitrile) [6]. The rates of initiation for several complexes are provided in Table 9.9. The pyridine solvate 4a has been found to initiate about 105 times faster than the parent Grubbs complex 2 and at least 100 times faster than the second-generation triphenylphosphine variant 26. When compared with the Hoveyda-Blechert complex 3a, 4a initiated about 100 times faster (c entry 3 vs. entry 5). The bromopyridine solvate 4b exceeded all of these in its initiation rate it was at least 20 times more reactive than 4a. 

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