Alkylation complexes with metals

Reactions 33 and 35 constitute the two principal reactions of alkyl hydroperoxides with metal complexes and are the most common pathway for catalysis of LPOs (2). Both manganese and cobalt are especially effective in these reactions. There is extensive evidence that the oxidation of intermediate ketones is enhanced by a manganese catalyst, probably through an enol mechanism (34,96,183—185). 

Co-ordination of an alkene to an electronegative metal (often it may carry a positive charge) activates the alkene toward attack of nucleophiles. After the nucleophilic attack the alkene complex has been converted into a c-bonded alkyl complex with the nucleophile at the (3-position. With respect to the alkene (in the "organic" terminology) the alkene has undergone anti addition of M and the nucleophile Nu, see Figure 2.25. 

Non-heteroatom-substituted carbene complexes can also be generated by treatment of electrophilic transition metal complexes with ylides (e.g. diazoalkanes, phosphorus ylides, nucleophilic carbene complexes, etc. Section 3.1.3). Alkyl complexes with a leaving group in the a-position are formed as intermediates. These alkyl complexes can undergo spontaneous release of the leaving group to yield a carbene complex (Figure 3.2). 

In transition metal chemistry, ligand variation has proven to be the key to obtaining highly active polymerization catalysts. In particular, sterically hindered monocationic alkyl complexes with an empty site seem to be well suited for polymerization. The steric bulk prevents (associative) -hydrogen transfer, while the positive charge destabilizes the free hydride and thus opposes (dissociative) /(-elimination. 

Alternative stabilizing forces (Z) include (i) complexation with metal alkyls (or hydrides), forming hetero-and homodinuclear complexes such as [Cp 2M-(/i-Me)2AlMe2] Y and [(Gp 2M-Me)2(/i-Me)] Y (Figure... 

The catalysis of the cleavage of carbon-halogen bonds by complexation with metal ions such as silver or mercuric ion is a well-known phenomenon. The compounds susceptible to this action are alkyl halides capable of forming car-bonium ions. The complexed anions such as in mercuric nitrate, mercuric perchlorate, or hydrated mercuric ion do not exhibit a simple relationship between their effect on the total rate and on the relative distribution of products stemming from water or the anion. This evidence is indicative of the following catalytic mechanism ... 

In this context it is interesting to note that benzonitrile, Ph—C=N, trimerizes to a triazine on a Raney nickel surface. It was assumed that Jt-bonded nitriles were involved in the reaction mechanism.10 This reaction resembles the well-known template synthesis of phthalocyanine complexes from phthalodinitrile. Formation of linear polymers [—C(R)—N—] occurs on heating aryl or alkyl cyanides with metal halides.11... 

In some cases, alkoxide displacements at a metal center proceed sequentially and at different rates so that, if redistribution processes do not intervene, mixed diketonates can be obtained by adjusting the ratios of reactants.190,191 Recently, bimetallic / -diketonates of the type M2(diketonate)2(OR)4 (M = Mo, W R = alkyl) have been prepared from diketones and M2(OR)6. X-Ray studies show that one diketonate is attached to each metal atom so that unbridged M=M units are retained although rapid rotation about this multiple bond can occur.192 Diketonate complexes with metal-metal multiple bonds are rather uncommon, one other example being C2v CK-Mo2(Me-COCHCOMe), (02 CMe)2.193... 

Heteroleptic Complexes with Metal-Alkyl and Metal-Aryl Bonds... 

Carbon dioxide readily undergoes insertion reactions probably via initial C02 complexing, with metal alkoxides, hydroxides, oxides, dialkylamides, and metal hydrides and alkyls 103... 

Bambirra, S., van Leusen, D., Tazelaar, C.GJ. et al. (2007) Rare earth metal alkyl complexes with methyl-substituted triazacyclononane-amide ligands ligand variation and ethylene polymerization catalysis. Organometallics, 26, 1014. 

Fig, 22. Proposed mechanism for the reaction of diamagnetic metal alkyl complexes with NO(g). 

Treatment of alkylating agents with metal cyanides should in principle be the method of choice for preparing isocyanides (equation 25). But as the cyanide ion again represents an ambident nucleophile, the well-known problems already discussed will arise (Section 1.8.2.1.i). It remains to be stated that simple alkylation of alkali metal cyanides with halogen compounds or dialkyl sulfates is not useful for the preparation of isonitriles. The formation of nitriles always prevails and isocyanides are at best obtained in yields of up to 25%. " The prospects are much tetter in the alkylation of heavy metal cyanides, if the reaction is done under conditions which initially give rise to isocyanide-transition metal complexes (equation 26). These will then be transformed into isonitriles by treatment with KCN. Under optimized conditions this technique yielded 55% of ethyl isocyanide. ... 

Grignard reagents, which have magnesium-alkyl bonds, and alkyl complexes with alkali metals, such as methyllithium. The syntheses and reactions of these main group compounds are typically discussed in detail in organic chemistry texts. 

Experimental evidence and computational analysis point to a mechanism in which the alkene (or alkyne) carbons and the M-H bond must be nearly coplanar to react. Once the metal alkene complex has achieved such geometry, 1,2-insertion can occur. During insertion, the reactant proceeds through a four-center transition state. 14The reaction involves simultaneous breakage of the M-H and C-C n bonds, as well as the formation of an M-C a bond and a C-H bond at the 2-position of the alkene (or alkyne). The result is a linear compound, L M(CH2CH3), in the case of ethene insertion. The reverse reaction, (3-elimination, follows the same pathway starting from a metal-alkyl complex with an open coordination site. 

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