Ansa-metallocene

Bent ansa-metallocenes of early transition metals (especially Ti, Zr, Hf) have attracted considerable interest due to their catalytic activity in the polymerization of a-olefins. Ruthenium-catalyzed olefin metathesis has been used to connect two Cp substituents coordinated to the same metal [120c, 121a] by RCM or to connect two bent metallocenes by cross metathesis [121b]. A remarkable influence of the catalyst on E/Z selectivity was described for the latter case while first-generation catalyst 9 yields a 1 1 mixture of E- and Z-dimer 127, -127 is the only product formed with 56d (Eq. 19). 

Ansa-metallocenes with a bridged tethered donor functionality, R(Me)Si(C5Me4)2Ln CH(SiMe3)2 (Ln = Y, Sm, R = (CH2)nOMe), have been synthesized [139]. Use of these new catalyst precursors results in a significantly enhanced activity (2- to 5-fold) while the diastereoselectivity (e.g., for the IH of 2-amino-5-hex-... 

Enantioselective hydrozirconation using, for example, chiral ansa-metallocenes [242] remain largely unexplored. 

A series of novel, bridged Zr(IV)-boratabenzene complexes have been synthesized and structurally characterized (Scheme 28).48 The geometries of these adducts closely resemble those of classical ansa-metallocenes. In the presence of excess MAO, these boratabenzene complexes catalyze the polymerization of olefins. 

By contrast, the synthesis of syndiotactic PP, s-PP, is generally catalyzed by Cs-symmetry ansa- metallocenes. For example, (16)/MAO affords PP with a pentad (rrrr) content of 86% at 25 °C.77 The stereoselectivity is highly sensitive to ligand variation. For example, substitution at the 3-position of the Cp ring with a methyl group affords heterotactic PP,78 whilst the Bu analog favors i-PP production.50,75,79... 

Elastomeric PP has also been synthesized using Ti, Zr and Hf ansa-metallocenes, (27). An alternative explanation for stereoblock formation was proposed, in which epimerization between isospecific and aspecific sites is rapid, affording predominantly atactic PP with short isotactic-rich sequences.103-105... 

A scandium complex, Cp ScH, also polymerizes ethylene, but does not polymerize propylene and isobutene [125]. On the other hand, a linked amidocyclo-pentadienyl complex [ Me2Si( / 5-C5 Me4)( /1 -NCMe3) Sc(H)(PMe3)] 2 slowly polymerizes propylene, 1-butene, and 1-pentene to yield atactic polymers with low molecular weight (Mn = 3000-7000) [126, 115]. A chiral, C2-symmetric ansa-metallocene complex of yttrium, [rac-Me2Si(C5H2SiMe3-2-Buf-4)2YH]2, polymerizes propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, and 1-hexene slowly over a period of several days at 25°C to afford isotactic polymers with modest molecular weight [114]. 

When a chiral ansa-type zirconocene/MAO system was used as the catalyst precursor for polymerization of 1,5-hexadiene, an main-chain optically active polymer (68% trans rings) was obtained84-86. The enantioselectivity for this cyclopolymerization can be explained by the fact that the same prochiral face of the olefins was selected by the chiral zirconium center (Eq. 12) [209-211]. Asymmetric hydrogenation, as well as C-C bond formation catalyzed by chiral ansa-metallocene 144, has recently been developed to achieve high enantioselectivity88-90. This parallels to the high stereoselectivity in the polymerization. 

Llinas GH, Dong SH, Mallin DT, Rausch MD, Lin YG, Winter HH, Chien JCW (1992) Crystalline-amorphous block polypropylene and nonsymmetric ansa-metallocene catalyzed polymerization. Macromolecules 25 1242-1253... 

Finally, Brintzinger et al. have reported a different type of ansa-metallocene, which can be readily prepared enantiomerically pure, and which catalyzes the... 

Chiral C2-symmetric ansa-metallocenes, also referred to as bridged metallocenes, find extensive use as catalysts that effect asymmetric C—C bond-forming transformations [4]. In general, bridged ethylene(bis(tetrahydroindenyl))zirconocene dichloride ((ebthi)ZrCl2) 1 or its derived binaphtholate ((ebthi)Zrbinol) 2 [5] and related derivatives thereof have been extensively utilized in the development of a variety of catalytic asymmetric alkene alkylations. 

Collins and co-workers have performed studies in the area of catalytic enantioselective Diels—Alder reactions, in which ansa-metallocenes (107, Eq. 6.17) were utilized as chiral catalysts [100], The cycloadditions were typically efficient (-90% yield), but proceeded with modest stereoselectivities (26—52% ee). The group IV metal catalyst used in the asymmetric Diels—Alder reaction was the cationic zirconocene complex (ebthi)Zr(OtBu)-THF (106, Eq. 6.17). Treatment of the dimethylzirconocene [101] 106 with one equivalent of t-butanol, followed by protonation with one equivalent of HEt3N -BPh4, resulted in the formation of the requisite chiral cationic complex (107),... 

The asymmetric version of the reaction utilizes Brintzinger s ethylene-bis(tetrahydroin-denyl) (EBTHI) ansa-metallocene approach [85]. Whereas complex B (Scheme 8.46) is still a catalyst for the Diels—Alder reaction, only low inductions are observed at room temperature. On cooling to —78 °C and using more reactive starting materials, a maximal induction of 52.4% ee was attained [86]. 

Scheme 8.47. Asymmetric Diels-Alder catalysis by an ansa-metallocene triflate.

Scheme 8.53. Asymmetric hydrogenation with cationic ansa-metallocene.

Cationic zirconocenes serve as useful reagents in such diverse fields as alkene polymerization, carbohydrate chemistry, asymmetric catalysis, and so on. Reagents that were originally developed for polymerization reactions (MAO, ansa-metallocenes, non-nucleophi-lic borate counterions) have now found use in organic synthesis and are being employed for carbometalation reactions, hydrogenation, and Diels—Alder catalysis. 

ANOVA (analysis of variance), commercial experimental design software compared, 8 398t Anoxic conditions, defined, 3 757t ansa-metallocenes, 16 90, 94 ansa-zirconocene catalysts,... 

Chiral active pharmaceutical ingredients, 18 725-726. See also Enantio- entries Chiral additives, 6 75—79 Chiral alcohols, synthesis of, 13 667-668 P-Chiral alcohols, synthesis of, 13 669 Chiral alkanes, synthesis of, 13 668-669 Chiral alkenes, synthesis of, 13 668—669 Chiral alkoxides, 26 929 Chiral alkynes, synthesis of, 13 668-669 Chiral ammonium ions, enantiomer recognition properties for, 16 790 Chiral ansa-metallocenes, 16 90 Chiral auxiliaries, in oxazolidinone formation, 17 738—739... 

Constrained-geometry catalysts for C2H4 polymerization 88 that are counterparts of well-known ansa-metallocene systems have been prepared and shown to be active, in combination with MAO, toward polymerization of ethylene the product is almost entirely polyethylene, with ca. 1% of 1-octene obtained. The titanium complex was found to be four times as active as the zirconium species.1... 

Finally, Brintzinger s synthesis of stereo-rigid ansa-metallocenes [18,19] provided the basis for modern high-activity metallocene catalysts and greatly increased their economic potential. However, although MAO activation and stereo-rigid structures of the new metallocene systems were extremely successful, the complexity of these catalytic systems was such that precise information about the structure of the active species remained elusive. 

The ansa metallocene initiators are synthesized in a relatively straightforward manner (Eq. 8-53). Cyclopentadiene or a substituted analog such as an alkyl-substituted cyclopenta-diene, indene, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindene, or fluorene (CpH2) is reacted with butyllithium to... 

The C2-symmetric ansa metallocenes possess a C2 axis of symmetry, are chiral, and their two active sites are both chiral. The two sites are equivalent (homotopic) and enantioselective for the same monomer enantioface. The result is isoselective polymerization. C2 ansa metallocenes are one of two classes of initiators that produce highly isotactic polymer, the other class being the C ansa metallocenes (Sec. 8-5e). C2 ansa metallocenes generally produce the most isoselective polymerizations. 

A C2-symmetric ansa metallocene is a racemic mixture of an enantiomeric pair—an example is rac-(dimethylsilyl)bis(l-indenyl)zirconium dichloride (XXXIV), abbreviated as rac-(CH3)2SiInd2ZrCl2. The enantiomers are designated as (R, R) and (S, S) to describe the two coordination sites in each enantiomer. Actually, the synthesis of a C2 ansa metallocene usually produces a mixture of the racemic pair plus the meso compound (R, S). The meso compound, which is a diastereomer of the racemic pair, can be separated from the racemic mixture by physical techniques such as recrystallization. The meso stereoisomer possesses Cs symmetry, and its stereoselectivity is very different from that of the enantiomeric pair (Sec. 8-5a-3). 

C2 ansa metallocenes are inherently isoselective, but the degree of isoselectivity as well as activity and polymer molecular weight vary considerably depending on the specific... 

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