Dicarbonyl compounds, addition transition metal complexes

These early successes with carbonyl complexes of rhenium encouraged me to undertake systematic research on the carbon monoxide chemistry of the heavy transition metals at our Munich Institute during the period 1939-45, oriented towards purely scientific objectives. The ideas of W. Manchot, whereby in general only dicarbonyl halides of divalent platinum metals should exist, were soon proved inadequate. In addition to the compounds [Ru(CO)2X2] (70), we were able to prepare, especially from osmium, numerous di- and monohalide complexes with two to four molecules of CO per metal atom (29). From rhodium and iridium (28) we obtained the very stable rhodium(I) complexes [Rh(CO)2X]2, as well as the series Ir(CO)2X2, Ir(CO)3X, [Ir(CO)3]j (see Section VII,A). With this work the characterization of carbonyl halides of most of the transition metals, including those of the copper group, was completed. 

The reaction involves the amine-catalyzed conversion of an aldehyde into a nitroalkene by reaction with nitromethane followed by a transition-metal-catalyzed Michael addition of p-dicarbonyl compounds in the same reaction vessel. Typically, amine catalysts and nickel complexes are incompatible due to their tendency to chelate and to render each other inactive. However, microencapsulation of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) forms catalyst 140, which can successfully be used in tandem with the nickel-based catalyst 141 (Figure 3.6). 

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