Chloroaluminate complexes

Chloroaluminate complexes of the general formula Ln( -Arene)( ] -AlCl4)3 (equation 20) were prepared by reacting AICI3 with LnCb in the corresponding aromatic solvent. In some cases, the reactions proceed only with addition of aluminum powder. The first compound of this type, Sm(jj -C6Me6)(AlCl4)3, was reported in 1986. 

The isolation and characterization of chloroaluminate complexes of the type [CgHigP ClR] [AICI4"], by other workers from reactions which involved phosphonous dihalides, RPCI2, seemed to confirm suggestions as to the reaction mechanism, and which are summarized in Scheme 6. As originally envisioned, the mechanism required the initial complexation of PCI3 and AICI3, a point in doubt, but it may be noted that the proposed intermediate 122 possesses a chlorophosphonium structure similar to that encountered in the McCormack reaction. 

B-Halogenodiisopinocampheylboranes Chiral chloroaluminate complexes 1,2-Halogenhydrins from meso-ox Ao compds. 

Wilkes and co-workers have investigated the chlorination of benzene in both acidic and basic chloroaluminate(III) ionic liquids [66]. In the acidic ionic liquid [EMIM]C1/A1C13 (X(A1C13) > 0.5), the chlorination reaction initially gave chlorobenzene, which in turn reacted with a second molecule of chlorine to give dichlorobenzenes. In the basic ionic liquid, the reaction was more complex. In addition to the... 

Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions usually involve the interaction of an aromatic compound with an acyl halide or anhydride in the presence of a catalyst, to form a carbon-carbon bond [74, 75]. As the product of an acylation reaction is less reactive than its starting material, monoacylation usually occurs. The catalyst in the reaction is not a true catalyst, as it is often (but not always) required in stoichiometric quantities. For Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions in chloroaluminate(III) ionic liquids or molten salts, the ketone product of an acylation reaction forms a strong complex with the ionic liquid, and separation of the product from the ionic liquid can be extremely difficult. The products are usually isolated by quenching the ionic liquid in water. Current research is moving towards finding genuine catalysts for this reaction, some of which are described in this section. 

Ionic liquids formed by treatment of a halide salt with a Lewis acid (such as chloro-aluminate or chlorostannate melts) generally act both as solvent and as co-catalyst in transition metal catalysis. The reason for this is that the Lewis acidity or basicity, which is always present (at least latently), results in strong interactions with the catalyst complex. In many cases, the Lewis acidity of an ionic liquid is used to convert the neutral catalyst precursor into the corresponding cationic active form. The activation of Cp2TiCl2 [26] and (ligand)2NiCl2 [27] in acidic chloroaluminate melts and the activation of (PR3)2PtCl2 in chlorostannate melts [28] are examples of this land of activation (Eqs. 5.2-1, 5.2-2, and 5.2-3). 

Acidic chloroaluminate ionic liquids have already been described as both solvents and catalysts for reactions conventionally catalyzed by AICI3, such as catalytic Friedel-Crafts alkylation [35] or stoichiometric Friedel-Crafts acylation [36], in Section 5.1. In a very similar manner, Lewis-acidic transition metal complexes can form complex anions by reaction with organic halide salts. Seddon and co-workers, for example, patented a Friedel-Crafts acylation process based on an acidic chloro-ferrate ionic liquid catalyst [37]. 

This is surprising in view of the fact that a great deal of effort was made to study transition metal complexes in chloroaluminate ionic liquids in the 1980s and early 1990s (see Section 6.1 for some examples). The investigations at this time generally started with electrochemical studies [41], but also included spectroscopic and complex chemistry experiments [42]. 

The selective, Ni-catalyzed, biphasic dimerization of 1-butene to linear octenes has been studied in the author s group. A catalytic system well loiown for its ability to form linear dimers from 1-butene in conventional organic solvents - namely the square-planar Ni-complex (q-4-cycloocten-l-yl](l,l,l,5,5,5,-hexafluoro-2,4-pen-tanedionato-0,0 )nickel [(H-COD)Ni(hfacac)] [103] - was therefore used in chloroaluminate ionic liquids. 

Flowever, information concerning the characteristics of these systems under the conditions of a continuous process is still very limited. From a practical point of view, the concept of ionic liquid multiphasic catalysis can be applicable only if the resultant catalytic lifetimes and the elution losses of catalytic components into the organic or extractant layer containing products are within commercially acceptable ranges. To illustrate these points, two examples of applications mn on continuous pilot operation are described (i) biphasic dimerization of olefins catalyzed by nickel complexes in chloroaluminates, and (ii) biphasic alkylation of aromatic hydrocarbons with olefins and light olefin alkylation with isobutane, catalyzed by acidic chloroaluminates. 

A similar catalytic dimerization system has been investigated [40] in a continuous flow loop reactor in order to study the stability of the ionic liquid solution. The catalyst used is the organometallic nickel(II) complex (Hcod)Ni(hfacac) (Hcod = cyclooct-4-ene-l-yl and hfacac = l,l,l,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionato-0,0 ), and the ionic liquid is an acidic chloroaluminate based on the acidic mixture of 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride and aluminium chloride. No alkylaluminium is added, but an organic Lewis base is added to buffer the acidity of the medium. The ionic catalyst solution is introduced into the reactor loop at the beginning of the reaction and the loop is filled with the reactants (total volume 160 mL). The feed enters continuously into the loop and the products are continuously separated in a settler. The overall activity is 18,000 (TON). The selectivity to dimers is in the 98 % range and the selectivity to linear octenes is 52 %. 

Some halogenometalate species have been observed to have formed spontaneously during spectroelectrochemical studies in ionic liquids. For example, [MoCl ] (which is hydrolyzed in water, is coordinated by solvent in polar solvents, and has salts that are insoluble in non-polar solvents) can only be observed in basic (X(A1C13) < 0.5 chloroaluminate ionic liquids [1]. FFowever, this work has been directed at the measurement of electrochemical data, rather than exploitation of the ionic liquids as solvents for synthesis [2]. It has been shown that the tetrachloroa-luminate ion will act as a bidentate ligand in acidic X(A1C13) > 0.5 chloroaluminate ionic liquids, forming [M(AlCl4)3] ions [3]. This was also the result of the spontaneous formation of the complexes, rather than a deliberate attempt to synthesize them. 

The only reports of directed synthesis of coordination complexes in ionic liquids are from oxo-exchange chemistry. Exposure of chloroaluminate ionic liquids to water results in the formation of a variety of aluminium oxo- and hydroxo-contain-ing species [4]. Dissolution of metals more oxophilic than aluminium will generate metal oxohalide species. FFussey et al. have used phosgene (COCI2) to deoxochlori-nate [NbOa5] - (Scheme 6.1-1) [5]. 

Tellurium and cadmium Electrodeposition of Te has been reported [33] in basic chloroaluminates the element is formed from the [TeCl ] complex in one four-electron reduction step, furthermore, metallic Te can be reduced to Te species. Electrodeposition of the element on glassy carbon involves three-dimensional nucleation. A systematic study of the electrodeposition in different ionic liquids would be of interest because - as with InSb - a defined codeposition with cadmium could produce the direct semiconductor CdTe. Although this semiconductor can be deposited from aqueous solutions in a layer-by-layer process [34], variation of the temperature over a wide range would be interesting since the grain sizes and the kinetics of the reaction would be influenced. 

The coordination of transition metal ions in acidic chloroaluminate melts has not been firmly established. However, in the case of AICb-EtMelmCI. the E0 values of simple redox systems that are electrochemically accessible in both acidic and basic melt, e.g., Hg(II)/Hg [51], Sb(III)/Sb [52], and Sn(II)/Sn [53] exhibit a large positive potential shift on going from basic melt, where metal ions are known to exist as discrete anionic chloride complexes, to acidic melt. Similar results were observed for Cu(I) in AlCh-NaCl [48]. This dramatic decrease in electrochemical stability isprima facie evidence that metal ions in acidic melt are probably only weakly solvated by anionic species such as AICI4 and AECI-. Additional evidence for this is derived from the results of EXAFS measurements of simple metal ions such Co(II), Mn(II), and Ni(II) in acidic AlCh-EtMelmCl, which indicate that each of these ions is coordinated by three bidentate AICI4 ions to give octahedrally-coordinated species such as [ M (AIC14) 2 ] [54]. Most transition metal chloride compounds are virtually... 

Consequently, ions such as BF4 and PFf), which might be expected to complex or solvate an electroactive metal species, are not expected to be reduced and to influence alloy composition, unlike AICI4 and A ECU. In principle, this should lead to better control of alloy composition since the concentrations of the electroactive species may be controlled independently. For example, one can avoid an electroactive species such as [Ti(AlCl4)3] which is likely responsible for the limited composition range found in Ti-Al alloys electrodeposited from chloroaluminates. 

Abdul-Sada, A. K. Qreenway, A. M. Seddon, K. R. Welton, T. Upon the existence of [Al3Clio] in room-temperature chloroaluminate ionic bquids, Org. Mass Spectrom., 1989, 24(10), 917-918 Dent, A. J. Seddon, K. R. Welton, T. The structure of halo-genometallate complexes dissolved in both basic and acidic room-temperature... 

Ketonate complexes of Ru are reported in a number of papers. The parent complex [Ru(acac)3] has been subject to a polarized neutron diffraction study at 4.18 K, to powder neutron diffraction studies and to single-crystal structure determinations at 293 K, 92 K, and 10.5 K. The structure is disordered at all temperatures. Measurements of the magnetic susceptibilities (at 2.5 K and 300 K) have been made along different crystal axis directions, and the results analyzed. An investigation of the relationships between ionization potentials and half-wave potentials of a series of tris(/3-ketonate)Ru complexes has been reported, and the electrochemical properties of [Ru(acac)3] in chloroaluminate molten salt media have been reported. The reduced species [Ru(acac)3] can react with AICI4 reduction by bulk electrolysis of a small amount of [Ru-(acac)3] in the melt yields [RuClg]. ... 

Another example is butene dimerization catalyzed by nickel complexes in acidic chloroaluminates 14). This reaction has been performed on a continuous basis on the pilot scale by IFF (Difasol process). Relative to the industrial process involving homogeneous catalysis (Dimersol process), the overall yield in dimers is increased. Similarly, selective hydrogenation of diene can be performed in ionic liquids, because the solubility of dienes is higher than that of monoene, which is higher than that of paraffins. In the case of the Difasol process, a reduction of the volume of the reaction section by a factor of up to 40 can be achieved. This new Difasol technology enables lower dimer (e.g., octenes) production costs 14). 

A limitation of aluminum-containing ionic liquids arises from their moisture sensitivity. Moreover, most transition metal complexes and organic reactants are not unreactive in the presence of the chloroaluminate compounds. These ionic liquids react with water in a highly exothermic manner, with the formation of hydrogen chloride and a white precipitate. 

As in conventional AlCl3-promoted acylations the ketone product forms a strong complex with the chloroaluminate IL. Lanthanide triflates, in particular Sc(OTf)3, have been widely studied as water-tolerant Lewis acids in a variety of transformations, including Friedel-Crafts alkylations and... 

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