Fischer-type complexes

A recent study by Frenking [84] investigated in great detail the influence of the carbene substitutents X and R at a pentacarbonyl-chromium Fischer-type complex. The electronic characteristics of these substituents control the reac-... 

A decade after Fischer s synthesis of [(CO)5W=C(CH3)(OCH3)] the first example of another class of transition metal carbene complexes was introduced by Schrock, which subsequently have been named after him. His synthesis of [((CH3)3CCH2)3Ta=CHC(CH3)3] [11] was described above and unlike the Fischer-type carbenes it did not have a stabilizing substituent at the carbene ligand, which leads to a completely different behaviour of these complexes compared to the Fischer-type complexes. While the reactions of Fischer-type carbenes can be described as electrophilic, Schrock-type carbene complexes (or transition metal alkylidenes) show nucleophilicity. Also the oxidation state of the metal is generally different, as Schrock-type carbene complexes usually consist of a transition metal in a high oxidation state. 

Due to the presence of two 7i-donor substituents at the carbene center, the NHC complexes may be classified, at a hrst glance, as Fischer-type compounds. However, in contrast to usual Fischer-type complexes, NHC bind to transition metals only through a donation, 7i-back-bonding being negligible. Photoelectron... 

Given these statements, it is not surprising that NHC complexes of almost all the transition metals have been prepared. In particular, metals incapable of 7i-back-donation such as titanium were only involved in Schrock-carbene complexes until the stable Fischer-type complexes were prepared from TiCU and imidazol-2-ylidenes (IV). The electronic properties of these NHC are also well illustrated in metallocene chemistry (a) 14-electron chromium(II) complexes have been isolated, (b) the displacement of a Cp ligand of chromocene and nickellocene can be achieved by imidazol-2-ylidenes (IV), giving bis(carbene) complexes (Scheme 8.26). 

Fischer-type complexes such as 1 were first prepared in 1964 and their chemical properties studied [1], Schrock-type nucleophilic complexes such as 2 were prepared later [2], They are formed by coordination of strong donor ligands such as alkyl or cyclopentadienyl with no 7i-acccptcr ligand to metals of high oxidation states. The nucleophilic carbene complexes show Wittig s ylide-type reactivity and the structures may be considered as ylides (eq. 8.1)... 

Fischer-type complexes containing an alkoxy group on the carbene carbon, which has been shown to promote olefin isomerization. 

Furans. Fischer-type complexes with alkynyllithiums condense with aldehydes to... 

The results of the EDA for the Fischer-type carbene complexes (CO)5W-E(OH)2 are given in Table 13.24. Chemical experience shows that the substituent R must be a TT-donor group in order that a Fischer-type complex becomes stable enough to be isolated. We included the model compound (CO)sW-CH2 in our study in order to analyze the influence of the ir-donor group OH on the bonding situation. 

Cycloadditions. The same type of Fischer-type complexes undergo cycloaddition with enamines. Interestingly, acyclic and cyclic enamines afford products of different skeletons. 

Table 2.1 Low-valent, mainly Fischer-type complexes as sources of initiating species for...

At the other extreme, metal carbenes that are electrophilic at carbon are called Fischer-type complexes, and they generally contain jt-donating heteroatom substituents [4], Fischer reported the first example in 1964 [5], In these cases, the metal-carbene interaction can be represented by three resonance structures, the first with a formal M=C double bond, the second with a M-C single bond and charge separation, and the third with additional multiple bond character between the carhon and the heteroatom substituent. 

A similar dichotomy of bonding models exists for other classes ofTM compounds where the chemical bond can be discussed either in terms of electron-sharing interactions TM-R or as donor-acceptor bond TM-L. Examples are TM compounds with carbenes CR2 or carbynes CR as ligands, which can be considered as either Fischer-type complexes or as Schrock-type alkylidenes and alkylidynes [31, 32). We want to emphasize that the two bonding models should be considered as sketches of two extreme situations, whereas the electronic situation of real molecules has components of both forms. The value of such dichotomic models lies in the fact that they establish an ordering scheme, which is very useful for describing the physical and chemical properties of molecules. 

The pattern of chemical reactions observed for these compounds clearly sets them apart from "Fischer-type" carbyne complexes of GroupVI e.g., W(hCR)X(CO)4. Whereas the "Fischer-type" complexes typically react with nucleophiles at the carbyne carbon all of the reactions observed for the five coordinate mthenium and osmium complexes, including the cationic examples, are electrophilic additions to the MsC bond. The following sections deal individually with, protonation, addition of halides of the coinage metals, addition of chlorine and chalcogens, and finally an attempted nucleophilic addition where the nucleophile is directed to a remote site on the aryl ring of the carbyne substituent. 

Owing to their physicochemical properties and reactivities, carbene complexes may conveniently be divided into (1) Fischer-type coordination compounds and (2) Schrock-type complexes. Fischer-type complexes encompass 18 compounds of... 

Fischer-type complexes react with ynamines to give carbene compounds, which formally are products of the carbene ligand migration this process probably begins with nucleophilic attack of the ynamine on C arb-... 

Fischer-type complexes react only with selected activated olefins. More reactive carbene complexes which do not contain heteroatoms in the alkylidene ligand react with a greater number of olefins. 

There are two types of transition metal carbene and carbyne complexes low-valent (so-called Fischer type)i" i" and high-valent (so-called Schrock type). The two classes of compounds are quite different in their chemical behavior. Such different chemical reactivity is sometimes rationalized on the basis that the metal-carbene and metal-carbyne bonds in Fischer-type complexes have donor-acceptor character, whereas the bonding in Schrock-type complexes is more typical for a normal multiple bond. 

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