From Other Organic Fragments

This chemistry was developed with the specific intention of application to the synthesis of phenols. There had only been one previous example of the addition of alkynes to 774-vinylketene complexes yielding phenols,22 despite a cornucopia of other organic fragments having been isolated from such reactions (see Sections II, V, and VI). The best results were obtained on reaction of the 3-phenylvinylketene complex 114.a with several alkynes. 

After the discovery by Fischer and Maasbol of the first stable carbene complexes in 1964, i.e., [(CO)5W =C(OMe)R ] [21], generation of related metaUacumulene derivatives [M]=C(=C) =CR2 (n > 0) was obviously envisaged. Thus, it is presently well-established that stabilization of these neutral unsaturated carbenes by coordination to a transition metal center is possible by the use of the lone pair of electrons on the carbenic carbon atom, via formation of a metal-carbon a-bond (electron back-donation from the metal fragment to the carbon ligand may strengthen this bond). This has allowed the development of a rich chemistry of current intense interest due to the potential applications of the resulting metallacumulenic species in organic synthesis, as well as in the construction of molecular wires and other nanoelectronic devices [22]. 

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