Ruthenium-alkyl complex

In 2012, Grubbs and Houk et al. [76] investigated the decomposition pathways of the chelated ruthenium catalysts using both X-ray crystallography and DFT calculations. Several decomposition products for the C-chelated ruthenium catalysts have been observed under different conditions (Scheme 7.21) (a) when catalyst 22 was exposed to an excess of CO gas at -78 °C, an alkyl ruthenium complex (23)... 

DFT calculations have shown that the experimentally observed decomposition pathway likely occurs through insertion of the benzylidene into the chelating Ru-C bond. The computed free-energy profile for the decomposition of complex 22 is shown in Figure 7.21. Insertion of the alkylidene into the chelating ruthenium-carbon(adamantyl) bond required 29.7 kcalmoC and formed alkyl ruthenium complex 28. Complex 28 then underwent facile fi-hydride elimination to form ruthenium hydride 30, which then converted to the q -bound olefin complex 32 and eventually the dimer complex 26. The a-hydride ehmination pathway from intermediate 28 via 33-ts required much higher activation energy than the fi-hydride elimination. 

Ruthenium complexes have been used in the hydrocarbonylation of simple esters to produce the corresponding homologous esters (50). The hydrocarbonylation affects the alkyl moiety rather than the carboxylate group ... 

The redox chemistry of the ruthenium aryl and alkyl porphyrin complexes has been very thoroughly investigated, including both electrochemical and chemical... 

Allylic alkylations of cinnamyl carbonate by sodium malonate have been studied with a series of ruthenium catalysts, obtained from the azohum salts 126-128 and the ruthenium complex 129 (Scheme 2.25) in MeCN or THF to give moderate yields of mixtures of alkylated products in the allylic and ipi o-carbons (90 10 to 65 35). The observed regioselectivity is inferior to similar ruthenium systems with non-NHC co-ligands. The stereoelectronic factors which govern the observed regioselectivity were not apparent [102]. 

Subsequent insertion of CO into the newly formed alkyl-ruthenium moiety, C, to form Ru-acyl, D, is in agreement with our 13C tracer studies (e.g., Table III, eq. 3), while reductive elimination of propionyl iodide from D, accompanied by immediate hydrolysis of the acyl iodide (3,14) to propionic acid product, would complete the catalytic cycle and regenerate the original ruthenium carbonyl complex. 

The alkylation of the sp3 C-H bonds adjacent to a heteroatom becomes more practical when the chelation assistance exists in the reaction system. The ruthenium-catalyzed alkylation of the sp3, C-H bond occurs in the reaction of benzyl(3-methylpyridin-2-yl)amine with 1-hexene (Equation (30)).35 The coordination of the pyridine nitrogen to the ruthenium complex assists the C-H bond cleavage. The ruthenium-catalyzed alkylation is much improved by use of 2-propanol as a solvent 36 The reaction of 2-(2-pyrrolidyl)pyridine with ethene affords the double alkylation product (Equation (31)). 

Sinou and coworkers evaluated a range of enantiopure amino alcohols derived from tartaric acid for the ATH reduction of prochiral ketones. Various (2R,iR)-i-amino- and (alkylamino)-l,4-bis(benzyloxy)butan-2-ol were obtained from readily available (-I-)-diethyl tartrate. These enantiopure amino alcohols have been used with Ru(p-cymene)Cl2 or Ir(l) precursors as ligands in the hydrogen transfer reduction of various aryl alkyl ketones ee-values of up to 80% have been obtained using the ruthenium complex [93]. Using (2R,3R)-3-amino-l,4-bis(benzyloxy)butan-2-ol and (2R,3R)-3-(benzylamino)-l,4-bis(benzyloxy)butan-2-ol with [lr(cod)Cl]2 as precursor, the ATH of acetophenone resulted in a maximum yield of 72%, 30% ee, 3h, 25 °C in PrOH/KOH with the former, and 88% yield, 28% ee, 120 h with the latter. 

There is a rich chemistry of alkyl nitrido complexes of ruthenium(VI) and osmium(VI), which has been well documented. " ... 

In 2002, Trost and his co-workers reported a stereospecific ruthenium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction (Equation (58)). Treatment of an optically active allylic carbonate with carbon-centered nucleophiles in the presence of a ruthenium complex gives the corresponding allylic alkylated compounds with enantiomeric purity being completely maintained. Additionally, the regioselectivity is revealed not to be highly dependent on the nature of the starting carbonates. 

However, this is not to say that it is impossible to alkylate cationic complexes. The reaction of the ruthenium(n) complex [Ru(5.16)2]2+, in which only the three chelating nitrogen atoms of the 2,2 6 ,2"-terpyridine moiety are co-ordinated to the metal, with iodomethane in acetonitrile gives the alkylated product [Ru(5.17)2]4+ in near quantitative yield. 

By introducing long alkyl side chains into the poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) backbones and to the amino groups on the NLO chromophores, a low-7), polymer X (Scheme 8) containing ruthenium complexes and a conjugated system is... 

The ruthenium complex Cp Ru(bipyridyl)Cl has been developed as a catalyst for the first regioselective tandem Michael addition-allylic alkylation of activated Michael acceptors. The net outcome is the decarboxylative insertion of Michael acceptors into allyl /3-keto esters to produce (215). The reaction combines the generation of Ru-tt-allyl and enolate from (213) the enolate is first added to the Michael acceptor (214) and the resulting species is captured by the Ru-tt-allyl.254... 

A regioselective synthesis of A—methvI tetrazole by alkylation of an unsubstituted tetrazole ruthenium complex with Mel has also been reported <2001JCD3154>. 

Several related examples of transition metal-catalyzed addition of C-H bonds in ketones to olefins have been reported (Table 2) [11-14]. The alkylation of diterpenoid 6 with olefins giving 7 proceeds with the aid of Ru(H)2(CO)(PPh3)3 (A) or Ru(CO)2(PPh3)3 (B) as catalyst [11], Ruthenium complex C, Ru(H)2(H2)(CO) (PCy3)2, has catalytic activity in the reaction of benzophenone with ethylene at room temperature [12]. The alkylation of phenyl 3-pyridyl ketone 8 proceeds with A as catalyst [13], Alkylation occurs selectively at the pyridine ring. Application of this C-H/olefin coupling to polymer chemistry using ce,co-dienes such as 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-l,3-divinyldisiloxane 11 has been reported [14]. 

In 1965, Tsuji et al. observed that palladium could catalyze the allylic alkylation reaction [18]. This discovery, which is a very attractive way to expand the scope of the allylic amination reactions mentioned above, has stimulated an intense research in this field, and even though complexes of nickel, platinum, rhodium, iron, ruthenium, molybdenum, cobalt, and tungsten have been found also to catalyze the alkylation, palladium complexes have received by far the greatest attention [19]. 

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