Aluminum complexes borates

The effect of neutral salts (e.g., NaCl) on the composition of borates precipitated from, or in equilibrium with, aqueous solutions doubtless arises from a reduction in water activity, metal borate complexation, and a shift in polyborate equilibria (Sections IV,A, B). The "indifferent or inert component method has frequently been used for the synthesis of borates. Potassium and sodium chlorides can be used to enhance the precipitation of specific nickel (48), aluminum (51), iron (49), and magnesium (151) borates. In the K20-B203-H20 system at 25°C (248), the presence of potassium chloride results in a reduced boric acid crystallization curve, lower borate solubilities, lower pH, and an extended B203 K20 range over which the pentaborate crystallizes. 

Figure 22 Example of an alkyl aluminum complex of tris(pyrazolyl)borate. 

A boron analog - sodium borohydride - was prepared by reaction of sodium hydride with trimethyl borate [84 or with sodium fluoroborate and hydrogen [55], and gives, on treatment with boron trifluoride or aluminum chloride, borane (diborane) [86. Borane is a strong Lewis acid and forms complexes with many Lewis bases. Some of them, such as complexes with dimethyl sulfide, trimethyl amine and others, are sufficiently stable to have been made commercially available. Some others should be handled with precautions. A spontaneous explosion of a molar solution of borane in tetrahydrofuran stored at less than 15° out of direct sunlight has been reported [87]. 

Most of the spectroscopic investigations discussed above were carried out on well-defined metallocene systems, either isolated species or those generated from a well-defined metallocene alkyl precursor activated with one equivalent of a borane or borate activator. Most practical polymerisation catalysts, on the other hand, include a scavenger, usually an aluminum alkyl, and may contain ill-defined activators such as methylaluminoxane (MAO), usually at high MAO/Zr ratios. Such systems are less amenable to quantitative studies nevertheless, the identifications of species such as those depicted in Schemes 8.5-8.8 has enabled similar compounds to be identified in more complex mixtures. An idea of the possible mode of action... 

Infrared spectra, see also specific compounds aluminum hydrides, 41 223 of bipy and phen complexes, 12 159-162 of borates, 25 200-201, 203, 205-206, 211 of carbonyl complexes, satellite bands, 12 ... 

We believe that catalysis occurs by formation of a complex between acetaldehyde, peracetic acid, and the metal ion in the 3+ oxidation state. The metal ion could be acting as a superacid as for peracetic acid decomposition, although oxidation-reduction reactions within the complex cannot be ruled out. Here again, we have found a disturbing lack of catalytic activity of other trivalent metals (aluminum, iron, and chromium). Simple acid catalysis is not as effective as proved when using p-toluenesulfonic acid and acetyl borate. This indicates that at least more than one coordination position is needed to obtain a complex of the proper configuration. 

Keys to the high polymerization activities of single-site catalysts are the cocatalysts. MAO is most commonly used and is synthesized by controlled hydrolysis of trimethyl aluminum. Other bulky anionic complexes which show a weak coordination, such as borates, also play an increasingly important role. One function of the cocatalysts is to form a cationic metallocene and an anionic cocatalyst species. Another function of MAO is the alkylation of halogenated metallocene complexes. In the first step, the monomethyl compound is formed within seconds, even at -60°C (69). Excess MAO leads to the dialkylated species, as shown by NMR measurements. For the active site to form, it is necessary that at least one alkyl group be bonded to the metallocene (70). 

If cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl halides are allowed to react with themselves in the presence of Lewis acids, cations are formed in which the new substituent is the cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl halide itself, for example, [CjH6Fe(CO)i-X-(CO)2-FeC8H8]+ (X = Cl, Br, I). All three cations can be prepared best by treatment of the corresponding halides with boron trifluoride diethyl etherate all are isolated as tetrafluoro-borates.18 The bromine complex can also be obtained by a more complicated procedure by the reaction between C8H8Fe-(CO)2Br and AlBr3 in liquid sulfur dioxide 16 the iodine cation can be isolated from a melt of cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl iodide and aluminum chloride.17 In the latter two cases the hexafluorophosphate salts can be obtained. These binuclear cations are of special interest, because they are cleaved by electron donors,16-17 e.g., aniline, pyridine, benzonitrile, acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, with the formation of the corresponding [C8H8Fe(CO)2L]+ cations and the parent halide. Equations for preparation of the tetrafluoroborate are ... 

These complexes are the first examples of multifunctional catalysts and demonstrate impressively the opportunities that can reside with the as yet hardly investigated bimetallic catalysis. The concept described here is not limited to lanthanides but has been further extended to main group metals such as gallium [31] or aluminum [32]. In addition, this work should be an incentive for the investigation of other metal-binaphthyl complexes to find out whether polynuclear species play a role in catalytic processes there as well. For example, the preparation of ti-tanium-BINOL complexes takes place in the presence of alkali metals [molecular sieve ( )]. A leading contribution in this direction has been made by Kaufmann et al, as early as 1990 [33], It was proven that the reaction of (5)-la with monobromoborane dimethyl sulfide leads exclusively to a binuclear, propeller-like borate compound. This compound was found to catalyze the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and methacrolein with excellent exo-stereoselectivity and enantioselectivity in accordance with the empirical rule for carbonyl compounds which has been presented earlier. 

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