Alkyl complexes bonding

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. 

Stable transition-metal complexes may act as homogenous catalysts in alkene polymerization. The mechanism of so-called Ziegler-Natta catalysis involves a cationic metallocene (typically zirconocene) alkyl complex. An alkene coordinates to the complex and then inserts into the metal alkyl bond. This leads to a new metallocei e in which the polymer is extended by two carbons, i.e. 

B. Ruthenium and Osmium o-Bonded Alkyl and Aryl Complexes. 266... 

A). The alkyl complexes react rapidly with CO and isocyanides, but pure products could not be isolated. Fast reactions of CO2 and acetone with Sc(OEP)Me gave the well-characterized acetate and /-butoxide products. Sc(OEP)OAc and Sc(0EP)0-r-Bu, respectively, formed by insertion into the Sc—C bond. ... 

Alkyliron(lll) porphyrin complexes are air. sensitive, and when exposed to oxygen under ambient conditions the products are the very stable iron(IIl) /t-oxo dimers, [Fe(Por)]20. A more careful investigation revealed that the reaction of the alkyl complexes with oxygen proceeds via insertion of O2 into the Fe—C bond. " When a solution of Fe(Por)R (R = Me, Et, i-Pr) is exposed to O2 at —70 C, the characteristic H NMR spectrum of the low spin iron alkyl complex disappears and is replaced by a new, high spin species. The same species can be generated from the reaction of an alkyl hydroperoxide with Fe(Por)OH, and is formulated as... 

In terms of relative Co—C bond energies, those in the trihalomethyl complexes Co(OEP)CX3 are observed to be qualitatively weaker than in Co-alkyl porphyrin complexes. The high thermal stability of the cobalt porphyrin stannyl complexes was interpreted as an indication that, surprisingly, the Co—Sn bond is stronger than the Co—C bond in Co(Por)(alkyl) complexes. " ... 

Structural types for organometallic rhodium and iridium porphyrins mostly comprise five- or six-coordinate complexes (Por)M(R) or (Por)M(R)(L), where R is a (T-bonded alkyl, aryl, or other organic fragment, and Lisa neutral donor. Most examples contain rhodium, and the chemistry of the corresponding iridium porphyrins is much more scarce. The classical methods of preparation of these complexes involves either reaction of Rh(III) halides Rh(Por)X with organolithium or Grignard reagents, or reaction of Rh(I) anions [Rh(Por)] with alkyl or aryl halides. In this sense the chemistry parallels that of iron and cobalt porphyrins. 

The stoichiometric insertion of terminal alkenes into the Cu-B bond of the (NHC)Cu-B(cat) complex, and the isolation and full characterisation of the p-boryl-alkyl-copper (I) complex has been reported. The alkyl complex decomposes at higher temperatures by P-H elimination to vinylboronate ester [67]. These data provide experimental evidence for a mechanism involving insertion of alkenes into Cu-boryl bonds, and establish a versatile and inexpensive catalytic system of wide scope for the diboration of alkenes and alkynes based on copper. 

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