Alkylidynes nucleophilic attack

The electrophilicity of the alkylidyne carbon in cationic complexes of manganese and rhenium such as 154 or 157 is well established. A study by Chen et al. established that the carbonyl ligands are also potential sites for nucleophilic attack (157,158). Reaction of 154 with the bulky carborane anion LiCjBioH, results in the formation of two products the carbene complex 156, resulting from attack at the alkylidyne carbon, and the alkylidyne acyl complex 155, resulting from attack at a carbonyl ligand [Eq. (135)]. At room temperature complex 155 transforms into complex 156. 

Reactivity modes of the poly(pyrazolyl)borate alkylidyne complexes follow a number of recognised routes for transition metal complexes containing metal-carbon triple bonds, including ligand substitution or redox reactions at the transition metal centre, insertion of a molecule into the metal-carbon triple bond, and electrophilic or nucleophilic attack at the alkylidyne carbon, C. Cationic alkylidyne complexes generally react with nucleophiles at the alkylidyne carbon, whereas neutral alkylidyne complexes can react at either the metal centre or the alkylidyne carbon. Substantive work has been devoted to neutral and cationic alkylidyne complexes bearing heteroatom substituents. Differences between the chemistry of the various Tp complexes have previously been rationalised largely on the basis of steric effects. 

Under similar conditions, the related cyclooctatetraene compound 42 affords /x-alkylidene complexes 43," which react further with HBF4.Et20 to give //-alkylidyne complexes 44 (Equation (7))." The latter have been shown to react with a wide range of nucleophiles, aspects of which are summarized in Scheme Most attack the... 

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