Cobalt tetracarbonyl anion catalyst

Carbonvlation of Benzyl Halides. Several organometallic reactions involving anionic species in an aqueous-organic two-phase reaction system have been effectively promoted by phase transfer catalysts(34). These include reactions of cobalt and iron complexes. A favorite model reaction is the carbonylation of benzyl halides using the cobalt tetracarbonyl anion catalyst. Numerous examples have appeared in the literature(35) on the preparation of phenylacetic acid using aqueous sodium hydroxide as the base and trialkylammonium salts (Equation 1). These reactions occur at low pressures of carbon monoxide and mild reaction temperatures. Early work on the carbonylation of alkyl halides required the use of sodium amalgam to generate the cobalt tetracarbonyl anion from the cobalt dimer(36). 

Kinetics show that the reaction is pseudo-first order in the RX concentration and that there is a linear correlation in the rate of consumption of RX with the concentration of the catalyst. The need for a high rate of stirring indicates that, as discussed in Chapter 1, the base-initiated formation of the cobalt tetracarbonyl anion results from an interfacial exchange process. It is significant that, when preformed NaCo(CO)4 is used, the extractability of the anion by benzyltriethylammonium cation into diisopropyl ether is three times less efficient than it is into benzene or dichloromethane, but kinetic studies show that, in spite of the lower concentration of the anion in the ether, the rate of reaction with RX in that solvent is generally higher [3]. 

One of the most important metal carbonyl anions, as far as catalytic processes are concerned, is the cobalt tetracarbonyl anion, Co(CO)4. Prior to attempting phase-transfer catalysis using Co(CO)4" as a catalyst, it was imperative to establish that the anion is actually formed under these conditions. Therefore, model experiments in the author s laboratory involved the initial use of dicobalt octacarbonyl in a stoichiometric role. 

It is important to note that even certain phase-transfer catalysts can be carbonylated to carboxylic acids, not by cobalt tetracarbonyl anion catalysis, but by acetylcobalt tetracarbonyl. This is a slow but high-yield reaction that occurs for quaternary ammonium salts that are capable of forming reasonably stable free radicals. For example, phenylacetic acid is formed in 95% yield from benzyltriethylammonium chloride (benzyl radi-... 

In a one-pot process for the preparation of the complexes from cobalt(II) nitrate, which is converted into the tetracarbonyl anion by the standard procedure [9], higher yields of (2) are claimed (R = Cl, 42% R = Br, 36% R = H, 30%) using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the catalyst. It is known that the cluster compounds are unstable under basic conditions and it was noted that, for example, in the preparation of the chloro compound, extended reaction times (4.5 hours) resulted in the total decomposition of the product [10]. 

A catalyst combining a Lewis-acidic Cr(m) with a tetracarbonyl cobalt anion promotes the carbonylation of epoxides at pressures as low as 1 atm CO (Equation 50) <20060L3709>. Sn2 ring opening by the Co(CO)4 anion generates a... 

The basic steps of the catalytic cycle with the cobalt catalyst are shown in Fig. 4.3. The tetracarbonyl cobalt anion 4.7 is formed from cobalt iodide, by reactions 4.5-4.7. 

The basic organometallic reactions of the cobalt catalyst are shown on the right-hand side of Figure 4.1. On the left-hand side are shown the organic reactions that are an integral part of the overall catalytic cycle. The tetracarbonyl cobalt anion 4.1 (same as 2.60) is formed from cobalt iodide by Reactions 4.2.1.1 and 4.2.1.2. 

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