Hafnium carbene complexes

Inter- and intramolecular (cyclometallation) reactions of this type have been ob-.served, for instance, with titanium [408,505,683-685], hafnium [411], tantalum [426,686,687], tungsten [418,542], and ruthenium complexes [688], Not only carbene complexes but also imido complexes L M=NR of, e.g., zirconium [689,690], vanadium [691], tantalum [692], or tungsten [693] undergo C-H insertion with unactivated alkanes and arenes. Some illustrative examples are sketched in Figure 3.37. No applications in organic synthesis have yet been found for these mechanistically interesting processes. 

The pincer like diamino functionalised carbene ligand stabilises the group 4 metal sufficiently to perform a few very interesting insertion reactions with the M-Me bond. The reactions were performed with the hafnium rather than the zirconium complexes [113]. Small molecules used for these insertion reactions include isonitriles (aryl and alkyl) and CO (see Figure 4.36). Reaction of the hafnium carbene dimethyl complex with xylyl-isonitrile results in addition of this excellent donor ligand and subsequent insertion into the Hf-Me... 

Cho J, Hollis TK, Valente EJ, Trate JM. CCC-N-heterocyclic carbene pincer complexes synthesis, characterization and hydroamination activity of a hafnium complex. J Organomet Chem. 2011 696 373-377. 

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