Carbenes and Carbene Analogs

M.-D. Su, Inorg. Chem. 34, 3829 (1995). A Configuration Mixing Approach to the Reactivity of Carbene and Carbene Analogs. 

Cyclic Si-, Ge-, Sn- and Pb-analogs of carbenes and alkenes 99EJI373. Germylenes and germanium double-bonded species in heterocyclic organoger-manium chemistry 99KGS1155. 

The structurally simplest silicon reagent that has been used to reduce sulphoxides is the carbene analog, dimethylsilylene (Me2Si )29. This molecule was used as a mechanistic probe and did not appear to be useful synthetically. Other silanes that have been used to reduce sulphoxides include iodotrimethylsilane, which is selective but unstable, and chlorotrimethylsilane in the presence of sodium iodide, which is easy to use, but is unselective since it cleaves esters, lactones and ethers it also converts alcohols into iodides. To circumvent these complications, Olah30 has developed the use of methyltrichlorosilane, again in the presence of sodium iodide, in dry acetonitrile (equation 8). A standard range of sulphoxides was reduced under mild conditions, with yields between 80 and 95% and with a simple workup process. The mechanism for the reaction is probably very similar to that given in equation (6), if the tricoordinate boron atoms in this reaction scheme are replaced... 

The possibility of being involved in olefin metathesis is one of the most important properties of Fischer carbene complexes. [2+2] Cycloaddition between the electron-rich alkene 11 and the carbene complex 12 leads to the intermediate metallacyclobutane 13, which undergoes [2+2] cycloreversion to give a new carbene complex 15 and a new alkene 14 [19]. The (methoxy)phenylcar-benetungsten complex is less reactive in this mode than the corresponding chromium and molybdenum analogs (Scheme 3). 

The synthesis and characterization of the monomeric amidinato-indium(I) and thallium(I) complexes [Bu C(NAr)2]M[But(NAr(NHAr)] (M = In, Tl Ar = 2,6-Pr2CgH3) have been reported. Both compounds were isolated as pale yellow crystals in 72-74% yield. These complexes, in which the metal center is chelated by the amidinate ligand in an N, j -arene-fashion (Scheme 33), can be considered as isomers of four-membered Group 13 metal(I) carbene analogs. Theoretical studies have compared the relative energies of both isomeric forms of a model compound, In[HC(NPh)2]. ... 

Cyclopenta[fc]dioxanes (44) are accessible from the reaction of the dioxenylmolybdenum carbene complex (43) with enynes <96JOC159>, whilst an intramolecular and stereoselective cyclisation of (Ti5-dienyl)tricarbonyliron(l+) cations affords chiral frans-2,3-disubstituted 1,4-dioxanes <96JOC1914>. 2,3-Dimethylidene-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin is a precursor of the 3,8-dioxa-lff-cyclopropa[i]anthracene, which readily dimerises to dihydrotetraoxaheptacene (45) and the analogous heptaphene <96AJC533>. 

It has become common to classify all molecular compounds, which fulfill the above characteristics, as carbene analogs 9,13>. As a consequence, compounds of divalent silicon, germanium, tin, and lead may be regarded as carbene-like and are therefore called silylenes, germylenes, stannylenes, and plumbylenes. In contrast to carbenes they have one property in common the energetically most favorable electronic state is the singlet 1a2 found by experiments and calculations 9). 

It should be clear by the definition given so far that the carbene-analogous state is limited to molecular species. The oligomer of EX2 (EX2)n is, of course, much more stable than EX2 in every respect. It should nevertheless be noted that also the oxidation number does not change in going from the monomer to the polymer the chemical, structural, and electronic properties of these species are completely different. 

Before studying some examples more closely, let us consider some cases which are not listed in Table 13. There are numerous compounds SnX2 which are definitely monomeric but are nevertheless no carbene analogs since their valence electron number at the tin atom is at least eight. These compounds contain chelating ligands which can stabilize the carbenoid tin atom due to intramolecular Lewis acid-base interactions as shown by structure A and B (see also Chapter 3). 

By contrast, much of the work performed using ruthenium-based catalysts has employed well-defined complexes. These have mostly been studied in the ATRP of MMA, and include complexes (158)-(165).400-405 Recent studies with (158) have shown the importance of amine additives which afford faster, more controlled polymerization.406 A fast polymerization has also been reported with a dimethylaminoindenyl analog of (161).407 The Grubbs-type metathesis initiator (165) polymerizes MMA without the need for an organic initiator, and may therefore be used to prepare block copolymers of MMA and 1,5-cyclooctadiene.405 Hydrogenation of this product yields PE-b-PMMA. N-heterocyclic carbene analogs of (164) have also been used to catalyze the free radical polymerization of both MMA and styrene.408... 

Certain transition metal complexes may act like carbenes, and give three-membered metallocycles with ADC compounds.74 For example, complexes 34 and 35 are readily formed. The carbene analogy also extends to the formation of 1,4-addition products (e.g., 36)7 5... 

The transition metal-catalyzed C-H insertion reaction of carbenes to organic compounds is a well-established synthetic method, as shown in the first two sections in this chapter. However, nitrene C-H insertion, the corresponding reaction of carbene analog, is much less known. In the past decade, considerable advances have been made in the development of this chemistry into a generally useful C-H amination process by using improved catalysts and protocols, in which readily available amines or amides are used as the starting substrates. Moreover,... 

Figure 30 Synthesis of carbene analog 434 and influence of the coordinating solvent on its aggregation mode.

Kirmse, W. Carbene carbenoide and carben-analoge. Weinheim Verlag Chemie 1969. 

Fig. 23 Application of 2//-2-imidazoiine MCR in the synthesis of A-heterocyclic carbene complexes (74) and Nutiin analogs (75)...

Both W(CO)5[C(C6Hs)2] and the analogous di-p-tolylmethylene complex have been used in model studies of the olefin metathesis reaction.2 3 In contrast to heteroatom-stabilized carbene complexes such as W(CO)s [C(OCH3)(C6Hs)], pentacarbonyl(diphenylmethylene)tungsten(0) reacts with alkenes to give cyclopropanes and 1,1-diphenylalkenes.2 The compound W(CO)5 [C(C6H5)2] is the best reported catalyst for the metathetical polymerization of 1-methylcyclo-butene.4... 

The synthesis of the bridging methylene complex (IX) is noteworthy (see Table I) but the complex is stable and inert, showing no carbene-like reactivity. It is believed that the Pt-Pt bond is completely broken in forming VII-IX, based on NMR parameters (8) and by analogy with the carbonyl derivative discussed below, which was characterized by X-ray structure determination. 

Becke s exchange functional and the Lee, Yang and Parr correlation functional carbene analog... 

TABLE 1. Energies, geometries and fundamental frequencies of triatomic carbene analogs of EX2 type in ground and excited states3 b... 

TABLE 5. The long-wavelength absorption maxima and bond angles at divalent germanium, tin and lead atoms for stable carbene analogs... 

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