Carbyne reactions with electrophiles

The metal-carbon triple bond chemistry of ruthenium and osmium described in this article bears a close resemblance to the metal-carbon double bond chemistry of these elements as exemplified by the methylene complexes [26]. In both systems two structural classes are found, five coordinate (trigonal bipyramidal, formally zero oxidation state) and six coordinate (octahedral, formally +2 oxidation state). In both systems the five coordinate compounds exhibit multiple metal-carbon bonds which are rather non-polar and typically undergo addition reactions with electrophilic reagents. On the other hand the six coordinate compounds, both M=C and M=C, begin to show electrophilic character at the carbon centres especially in cationic complexes. Further development of the carbyne chemistry of ruthenium and osmium will depend upon the discovery of new synthetic methods allowing the preparation of a broader range of compounds with widely differing carbyne substituents. 

The three types of reactions of metal-carbyne complexes are metathesis whose catalysis aspects are developed in Chap. 15.2, the reactions of the carbynic carbon with electrophiles and nucleophiles depending on the polarity, and the heterocycle formations with the following substrates ... 

Some carbyne complexes, in particular cationic ones with good Ji-accepting ligands, can react with nucleophiles to give carbene complexes [187,521]. Several reductions of carbyne complexes to carbene complexes by treatment with metal hydrides have been reported. Similarly, organolithium or other carbanionic reagents can react with electrophilic carbyne complexes to yield carbene complexes. Illustrative examples of both reactions are sketched in Figure 3.23. 

Electron-rich carbyne complexes can react at the carbyne carbon atom with electrophiles to yield carbene complexes. Numerous examples of such reactions, mostly protonations, have been reported [519]. Depending on the nucleophilicity of the carbyne complex, such reactions will occur more or less readily. The protonation of weakly nucleophilic carbyne complexes requires the use of strong acids, such as triflic [533], tetrafluoroboric [534] or hydrochloric acid [535,536]. More electron-rich carbyne complexes can, however, even react with phenols [537,538], water [393,539], amines [418,540,541], alkyl halides, or intramolecularly with arenes (cyclometallation, [542]) to yield the corresponding carbene complexes. A selection of illustrative examples is shown in Figure 3.25. 

Figure 1.12 suggests that for carbonyl complexes the HOMO is localized primarily on the metal centre, with only a modest contribution from oxygen orbitals. Thus by far the majority of reactions of metal carbonyls with electrophiles involve direct attack at the metal, with the carbonyl serving as a spectator ligand. If, however, the metal centre is (i) particularly electron rich and (ii) sterically shielded and the electrophile is hard (in the HSAB sense) and also sterically encumbered, then attack may occur at the oxygen. Thiocarbonyls (LM-CS) are stronger 71-acids than CO and the sulfur is both softer and more nucleophilic. Thus electrophilic attack at the sulfur of thiocarbonyls is more common if the metal centre is electron rich (vcs < 1200 cm-1). Similarly, coordinated isocyanides (CNR) are more prone to attack by electrophiles at nitrogen. This is noteworthy in the sense that free isocyanides are attacked by electrophiles at carbon (Figure 3.19). The resulting carbyne ligands will be discussed in Chapter 5.

CH2BU or p-MeCjH4]. The reaction is considered to be charge controlled and to proceed via electrophilic attack by Sg on the carbyne carbon (178). An additional complex (267, M = W, E = S, L = CO, R = Me) can be obtained from [W=CMe(Cp)(CO)2] and cyclohexenesulfide (179). With the osmium complex 268 (R = /7-tolyl), however, reaction with sulfur does not proceed beyond the t/ -thioacyl complex (269, E = S or Se). Seleno-and telluroacyl complexes result from analogous reactions (180). 

Reactions of electrophilic metal carbenes and carbynes with nucleophilic metal centers are used to prepare a large number of clusters, most containing two or more different metals. The metal-metal bond formed is usually bridged by the carbene or carbyne ligand, but ligand transfer can lead to homometallic products. ... 

As with carbene complexes, metal carbynes display a range of reactivity with electrophiles and nucleophiles. Molecular orbital calculations show that even cationic Fischer carbyne complexes are polarized as M, +=C A neutral Fischer- and Schrock carbyne complexes have an even greater negative charge on Ccarbyne.93 If all reactions between carbyne complexes and other species were charge-controlled, we would predict that nucleophiles would always attack at the metal and electrophiles at Ccarbyne. As we should expect by now, the picture is more complicated in practice. 

Schrock carbynes and Group 8 (M = Os, Ru) alkylidynes react with electrophiles, typically at Ccarbyne. Equation 10.57 shows the electrophilic addition of HC1 across the M=C of an Os carbyne complex in a manner reminiscent of Markovnikov addition of HC1 across an unsymmetrical C=C bond. The reaction presumably begins by attack of H+ at Ccarbyne, followed by ligand attachment of Cl. 97... 

Aldehydes and ketones can also be used as electrophiles in reactions with the vinylidene anion [Tp M( = C = CH2)(CO)2] . Low-temperature reaction of [Tp M( = C = CH2)(CO)2] with RR C = 0 (R = Ph, Pr, R = H R = Ph, R = Me) followed by protonation yields Tp W = CCH2C(OH)RR (CO)2. When R = Ph and R = H, one equivalent of base leads to deprotonation and hydroxide elimination to form the conjugated vinyl carbyne complex Tp W (= CCH = CHPh)(CO)2 (as the E isomer) in 53% yield two equivalents of base produces a 1 1 mixture of the vinyl carbyne and the ethylidyne complex. With base, Tp W = CCH2C(OH)PhMe (CO)2 simply regenerates the starting ethylidyne complex and ketone,reminiscent of the tendency of propargylic alcohols to eliminate aldehyde or ketone under basic conditions. 

Alternatively, the alkoxy groups of Fischer carbenes can be abstracted with a Lewis acid, as shown in Scheme 13.8. Abstraction of an alkoxy group from the Fischer carbene ligand of a neutral complex generates a cationic carbyne complex. The carbyne complex is more electrophilic than the starting carbene complex, and reaction of this carbyne complex with an alcohol regenerates an alkoxy-substituted carbene. 

The reluctance of the carbyne carbon to react with nucleophiles is revealed by the reaction with LiEt3BH (see Scheme 6). Here the most electrophilic site is not the carbyne carbon but the ipara position of the aryl ring in the carbyne substituent Both ruthenium and osmium five coordinate, cationic, carbyne complexes undergo this reaction. The structure of a representative example, the osmium compound derived from the p-tolyl carbyne complex, has been determined by X-ray crystallography [16]. The unusual vinylidene complex reacts with HCl to produce a substituted benzyl derivative. The reaction may proceed through the intermediate a-vinyl complex depicted in Scheme 6 although there is also the possibility that the vinylidene compound is in equilibrium with the carbene tautomer as shown below. 

ABSTRACT. Dicarbonyl(t 5-cyclopentadienyl)carbyne complexes of molybdenum and tungsten prove to be a valuable synthetic tool Reaction with phosphines provides substituted carbyne complexes and leads via an intramolecular CC-coupling to t 1- or Tj -ketenyl complexes respectively. Electrophiles attack the metal carbyne triple bond forming hetero- and acyclic carbene complexes, r 2-acyl compounds, T -ketene complexes and metalla-dithia-bicyclobutane cations. Dithio-carboxylates are formed in reaction of these dicarbonyl(Ti5 cyclo-pentadienyl)carbyne complexes with sulfur or cyclohexene sulfide. 

In carbyne osmium compounds such as [Os3(/i-COMe)(/z-H)(CO)io] nucleophilic attack on the carbyne carbon atom also takes place. By carrying out sequential reactions with nucleophiles and electrophiles, it is possible to break the C—O bond (Table 3.14, footnote reference A). The reaction furnishes an isolable carbene complex, [Os3(M-CHOMe)(/i-H)(CO)io]... 

Reactions A carbyne can couple with another carbyne to give an alkyne or alkyne complex.For instance, Br(CO)4Cr CPh reacts with Ce(IV) to give free PhC CPh. Carbynes also have extensive photochemistry. In the Fischer series, the carbyne carbon is electrophilic and subject to nucleophilic attack, for example, by PMcj, pyridine, RLi, or isonitrile (= Nu) to give a carbene of the type L M=CR(Nu). Alternatively, the nucleophile may attack the metal in L (CO)M=CR and produce a ketenyl complex... 

Complexes of nucleophilic carbenes are expected to react, like ylids, with electrophiles whereas complexes of electrophilic carbenes are expected to react, like carbocations, with nucleophiles and bases. All the complexes of terminal carbenes have in common the reactions with olefins, although their nature also varies. The principles of these reactions are detailed here, and application in catalysis and organic synthesis, are exposed in Parts IV and V respectively. Reactions of metal-carbene complexes leading to metal-carbyne complexes are mentioned in section 2. 

Electrophilic attack at carbyne complexes may ultimately place the electrophile on either the metal or the (former) carbyne carbon, the two possibilities being related in principle by a-elimination/migratory insertion processes (Figure 5.39). The reactions of the osmium carbyne complex are suggestive of an analogy with alkynes. Each of these reactions (hydro-halogenation, chlorination, chalcogen addition, metal complexation see below) have parallels in the chemistry of alkynes. 

The molecular orbital analysis of the nucleophilic addition at the carbyne C atom infers the orbital control of the reaction since the C atom undergoing attack is the most negative one in the carbyne complex. [2 + 2] cycloadditions of [ReCp(CO)2(CPh)]+ with MeN=C(Ph)H, t-BuN=0, and ArN=NAr (Ar = aryl) but not with aUcenes or aUcynes, give the metallacycles. These reactions are driven by the nucleophilic attack of the lone pairs of the N atom at the electrophilic carbyne carbon atom. These metallacycles are... 

Deviating from the route via nucleophilic attack of the carbanion at the carbon atom of a CO ligand and then reaction of the acylmetallate with an electrophile are those methods which involve (a) addition of the carbanion to the carbon atom of a carbyne ligand, (b) displacement of halides from transition-metal carbonyl halides by cyclohepta-trienyllithium, or derivatives thereof, followed by hydride abstraction or (c) substitution of a coordinated solvent from a metal-carbonyl complex (see also reaction of LiR with carbene complexes). 

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