Chromium complexes cyclobutadiene

Carboxylic acids, a-bromination of 55, 31 CARBOXYLIC ACID CHLORIDES, ketones from, 55, 122 CARBYLAMINE REACTION, 55, 96 Ceric ammonium nitrate [Ammonium hexa mtrocerate(IV)[, 55, 43 Chlorine, 55, 33, 35, 63 CHROMIUM TRIOXIDE-PYRIDINE COMPLEX, preparation in situ, 55, 84 Cinnamomtnle, a-phenyl- [2-Propeneni-tnle 2,3-diphenyl-], 55, 92 Copper(l) iodide, 55, 105, 123, 124 Copper thiophenoxide [Benzenethiol, copper(I) salt], 55, 123 CYCLIZATION, free radical, 55, 57 CYCLOBUTADIENE, 55, 43 Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl [Iron, tn-carbonyl(r)4-l,3-cyclo-butadiene)-], 55,43... 

Acetylenes are well known to undergo facile trimerizations to derivatives of benzene in the presence of various transition metal catalysts 23). A number of mechanisms for this process have been considered including the intervention of metal-cyclobutadiene complexes 24). This chemistry, however, was subjected to close examination by Whitesides and Ehmann, who found no evidence for species with cyclobutadiene symmetry 25). Cyclotrimeri-zation of 2-butyne-l,l,l-d3 was studied using chromium(III), cobalt(II), cobalt(O), nickel(O), and titanium complexes. The absence of 1,2,3-trimethyl-4,5,6-tri(methyl-d3) benzene in the benzene products ruled out the intermediacy of cyclobutadiene-metal complexes in the formation of the benzene derivatives. The unusual stability of cyclobutadiene-metal complexes, however, makes them dubious candidates for intermediates in this chemistry. Once formed, it is doubtful that they would undergo sufficiently facile cycloaddition with acetylenes to constitute intermediates along a catalytic route to trimers. 

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