Spirolactones dimerization

The intermediacy of a metallacyclobutene is proposed upon reaction of the diphenylcy-clopropenone dimer spirolactone with CpCo(CO)2, ultimately yielding a >j4-vinylketene complex (equation 23 l)295a. Unlike the analogous iron complex (Section IV.B.2.a), no vinyl carbene complex was observed, and hence formation of the metallacyclobutene seems to be more likely. 

In light of the above results it is interesting to note that the reaction of diphenylcyclo-propenone dimer spirolactone with ironenneacarbonyl yields a mixture of ring-opened vinyl carbene and -vinylketene complexes, and these interconvert under addition (or removal) of CO (equation 225) . A possible pathwav to vinylketene Fe-complexes, prepared earlier from cyclopropenes and ironcarbonyls " , may thus involve initial f -coordination, followed by ring cleavage to vinyl carbene and finally carbonylation to the ketene iron // -complexes. An analogous // -manganese complex is prepared similarly by the reaction of CpMn(CO),THF with 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene complex (equation 226) . ... 

C42 or in boiling toluene194 causes dimerization to spirolactone 257 (R = C6H5)195> 196. The formation of 257 can again be understood as an addition of one molecule of cyclopropenone through the C -CO bond to the C=0 group of a second molecule ... 

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