Imidazolidin-2-ylidenes

The synthesis of these complexes can easily be accomplished by substitution of one or both PCy3 groups of 3 by NHC ligands. The X-ray structure of 6 shows significantly different bond lengths the Schrock double bond to the CHPh group is 1.821(3) A, while the NHC bond to the l,3-diisopropylimidazolin-2-ylidene is 2.107(3) A. Complexes with imidazolidin-2-ylidenes were also synthesized and screened in an extensive study by Fiirstner [153], who found that the performance of those catalysts depends strongly on the application and that... 

X-ray crystallography and variable temperature H NMR studies show that the conformation of the coordinated imidazolidin-2-ylidene, in both the neutral and cationic complexes 70, is anti, anti with respect to the Ph of the backbone of the NHC, exclusively in the solid state and predominantly in solution at lower temperatures (-75°C). At room temperature in solution, possible conformer interconversion by the rotation around the phenyl-N bond of the NHC substituent is apparent from the broadness of the peaks in the NMR spectra. Hydrosilylation of acetophenone by Ph SiH catalysed by 70 at room temperature or at -20°C results in maximum ee of 58%. However, at lower temperatures the reaction rates are much slower [55]. 

Fig. 2.22 Combination of chiral imidazolidin-2-ylidenes and biphenyl linkers in the chiral catalysts or catalyst precursors for the asymmetric allylic alkylations...

The enantioselective P-borylation of a,P-unsaturated esters with (Bpin) was studied in the presence of various [CuCl(NHC)] or [Cu(MeCN)(NHC)] (NHC = chiral imidazol-2-ylidene or imidazolidin-2-ylidene) complexes. The reaction proceeds by heterolytic cleavage of the B-B bond of the (Bpin), followed by formation of Cu-boryl complexes which insert across the C=C bond of the unsaturated ester. Best yields and ee were observed with complex 144, featuring a non-C2 symmetric NHC ligand (Scheme 2.31) [114]. 

In the course of studying a large nnmber of examples where the side chains of the imidazol- and imidazolidin-2-ylidene were altered, several research groups found that NHCs bearing exclnsively alkyl side chains did not provide catalysts with better characteristics when compared to SIMes- and DVIes-derived systems 14 and 15. While Herrmann and co-workers showed that an unsaturated NHC bearing cyclohexyl wing tips conld be incorporated into a second-generation catalyst that was active in metathesis [20-23], more recent studies showed that similar complexes were either very difficult to prepare or were unstable and showed dramatically decreased catalytic properties [24-26] (complexes 17-19, Fig. 3.4). 

In 2001, Furstner reported the preparation and characterisation of the NHC-Ru complex 22 containing iV,iV -bis[2,6-(diisopropyl)phenyl]imidazolidin-2-ylidene (SIPr) [29] (Fig. 3.6), which is the congener of complex 20. Subsequently, Mol and co-workers revealed that complex 22 was a highly active metathesis initiator [30]. More recent comparative studies showed that catalyst 22 could catalyse the RCM of 1 faster than any other NHC-Ru catalyst, while it was not stable enough to obtain complete conversion in the RCM of 3 and was inefficient for the construction of the tetrasubstituted double bond of cyclic olefin 6 [31]. 

Carbene ligands can replace phosphines dne to similar electronic properties. The development of NHC design concepts featnring different substituents and backbones eventually culminated in the most prominent derivative, the SIMes (SDVtes = A, A -bis[2,4,6-(trimethyl)phenyl]imidazolidin-2-ylidene) ligand that is nsed in the second and later also third generation catalysts (complexes 72, 73, 74b and 74c in Fig. 3.28) [105, 109, 114,116],... 

The cyclocondensation of (imidazolidin-2-ylidene)malonates (1293, R = z Pr, Ph) and phenyl isocyanate in boiling methylene chloride in the presence of tetramethylammonium fluoride and triethylamine for 10.5 hr gave imidazo[l,5-c]pyrimidines (1403) in low yields [83JAP(K)88383]. 

Since this discovery, a few types of other stable singlet carbenes have been described and reviewed5 imidazol-2-ylidenes,6 l,2,4-triazol-3-yli-denes,7 imidazolidin-2-ylidenes,8 acyclic diaminocarbenes,9 thiazol-2-yli-denes,10 and acyclic aminooxy- and aminothiocarbenes.11... 

Besides the addition of non-carbon nucleophiles to carbonyl and isonitrile complexes (Tables 2.2, 2.4), heteroatom-disubstituted carbene complexes can be prepared by direct addition of stable or latent carbenes to suitable complexes. The synthetic routes sketched in Figure 2.12 are those commonly used for preparing imidazoline-2-ylidene or imidazolidine-2-ylidene complexes. 

Later, imidazolidin-2-ylidenes such as 14, a saturated, more electron-rich and nonaromatic version of the imidazolin-2-ylidenes, were isolated. Isolation of a six-membered tetrahydropyrimid-2-ylidene 15 and of acyclic structures such as 1629,30... 

Precursors for NHCs with Saturated Backbone (Imidazolidin-2-ylidenes)... 

In situ deprotonation combined with a substitution of a phosphine ligand was reported as a convenient way for the synthesis of ruthenium-alkylidene complexes (Scheme For imidazolidin-2-ylidenes, this is the only way... 

Imidazolidinium salts can also be transformed into the corresponding diamino ortho-esters by alkaline alkoxylate, and upon alcohol elimination at elevated temperature the imidazolidin-2-ylidenes can be trapped. The reaction of tria-zolium salts with sodium methanolate in methanol yields 5-methoxy-4,5-dihydro-IH-triazole which also eliminates methanol upon heating in vacuo. The resulting triazolin-5-ylidenes can either be isolated or trapped by an appropriate metal precursor [Eq. (19)]. Benzimidazolin-2-ylidenes are similarly accessible by this route. 

Electron-rich olefins are nucleophilic and therefore subject to thermal cleavage by various electrophilic transition metal complexes. As the formation of tetraaminoethylenes, i.e., enetetramines, is possible by different methods, various precursors to imidazolidin-2-ylidene complexes are readily available. " Dimerization of nonstable NHCs such as imidazolidin-2-ylidenes is one of the routes used to obtain these electron-rich olefins [Eq. (29)]. The existence of an equilibrium between free NHC monomers and the olefinic dimer was proven only recently for benzimidazolin-2-ylidenes. In addition to the previously mentioned methods it is possible to deprotonate imidazolidinium salts with Grignard reagents in order to prepare tetraaminoethylenes. " The isolation of stable imidazolidin-2-ylidenes was achieved by deprotonation of the imidazolidinium salt with potassium hydride in THF. ... 

Cleavage of tetraaminoethylenes has been most frequently used in the preparation of imidazolidin-2-ylidene complexes. The ligand exchange reaction. 

The electron density induced at the metal center increases in the order C(OR)R < C(NHR)R < C(NHR)2 imidazolidin-2-ylidene imidazolin-2-ylidene. According to these data the difference between diamino-substituted carbenes whether cyclic or acyclic, aromatic or nonaromatic, seems to be quite small. 

Based on these findings, another starting point for modifications besides modifying the labile coligand is the NHC ligand itself, especially since there are many more carbenes known and accessible. One of the many possible modifications turned out to be very successful and can—based on its catalytic activity and catalyst lifetime—be considered as the third generation of NHC catalysts in olefin metathesis. The recipe for success is to use NHCs with saturated backbones, i.e., imidazolidin-2-ylidenes. ... 

Rhodium(I) and ruthenium(II) complexes containing NHCs have been applied in hydrosilylation reactions with alkenes, alkynes, and ketones. Rhodium(I) complexes with imidazolidin-2-ylidene ligands such as [RhCl( j -cod)(NHC)], [RhCl(PPh3)2(NHC)], and [RhCl(CO)(PPh3)(NHC)] have been reported to lead to highly selective anti-Markovnikov addition of silanes to terminal olefins [Eq. 

Ruthenium(n) systems containing imidazol-2-ylidene or imidazolidin-2-ylidene have been used to catalyze the synthesis of 2,3-dimethylfuran starting at (Z)-3-methylpent-2-en-4-yn-l-ol [Eq. (54)]. The activity of the catalyst strongly depends on the nature of the NHC ligand. Benzimidazolin-2-ylidenes give the best results for this transformation. Similar systems have also been used for olefin metathesis reactions. ... 

Although these two methods have found widespread application for the synthesis of free carbenes, they failed for selected saturated imidazolidin-2-ylidenes and especially in the preparation of triazolin-5-ylidenes. In these cases the free carbene species 7 can be obtained from 2-alkoxyimidazolidines 6 [44] or 5-aUcoxytriazoles [36] by thermally induced ot-elimination of an alcohol (Fig. 5). In addition to 2-aUcoxyimidazolidmes, 2-(pentafluorophenyl)imidazolidines [45, 46] have also been used for the generation of NHCs by cx-elimination. The adduct 8 eliminates acetonitrile upon heating [47] to yield the benzimidazolin-2-ylidene 9. In a more exotic procedure, imidazolium salts have been reduced electrochemically to give the free imidazolin-2-ylidenes [48]. 

The carbenes derived from six- [20-22] and seven-membered heterocycles [22-24, 70] of type 14 can be obtained both with an aliphatic or an aromatic backbone. The characteristic NMR resonances for the C2 carbon atoms in six-membered carbene heterocycles (8 236-248 ppm) [20, 21] have been recorded in the same range as the Ccarbene resonances for saturated imidazolidin-2-ylidenes of type 7. Dimerization to enetetramines occurs for some carbenes derived from a six-membered heterocycle [21] and this behavior is independent from the nature of the backbone (saturated or unsaturated), but depends strongly on the steric bulk of the N,N -substituents. 

Recently, the oxidative addition of C2-S bond to Pd has been described. Methyl levamisolium triflate reacts with [Pd(dba)2] to give the cationic palladium complex 35 bearing a chiral bidentate imidazolidin-2-ylidene ligand [120]. The oxidative addition of the levamisolium cation to triruthenium or triosmium carbonyl compounds proceeds also readily to yield the carbene complexes [121], The oxidative addition of imidazolium salts is not limited to or d transition metals but has also been observed in main group chemistry. The reaction of a 1,3-dimesitylimidazolium salt with an anionic gallium(I) heterocycle proceeds under formation of the gaUium(III) hydrido complex 36 (Fig. 12) [122]. 

Additional factors which lead to an increased stability of the carbene complexes towards reductive ehmination are the type of NHC ligand and the NA -substitution pattern. The stability of NHC complexes depends strongly on the electronic situation at the carbene center. The oxidative addition of p-tolyl chloride to linear Pd° complexes bearing two unsaturated imidazolin-2-ylidenes (type 5, Fig. 6) or two saturated imidazolidin-2-ylidenes (t3q>e 7, Fig. 6) proceeds readily. The Pd complex with the imidazolin-2-yhdene ligands is stable, while the one with the imida-zolidin-2-ylidene ligands reductively ehminates the C2-arylated imidazolidinium salt [134]. 

Within the last decade many variations of the basic imidazole-2-ylidene structure (Scheme 2,A) have been synthesized [14-19]. They are not limited to sterically hindered unsaturated cyclic diaminocarbenes like 1, also 1,2,4-triazolin-5-ylidenes (Scheme 2,B), saturated imidazolidin-2-ylidenes [6,7,20] (Scheme 2,C), tetrahydropyrimid-2-yhdenes [21,22] (Scheme 2,D), acychc structures [23,24] (Scheme 2,E), systems with larger ring sizes [25,26] (Scheme 2,F) or constrained geometry [27,28] (Scheme 2,G). Reviews on the different possible synthetic routes from various precursors can be found in the literature [29-31]. 

The search for stable diaminocarbenes dates back to the early 1960s and is associated with the name of Wanziick." At that time the preparation of the 1,3-diphenyl imidazolidin-2-ylidenes (Ilia) was first examined (Scheme 8.4). Precursors of Ilia included the dimeric and electron-rich olefin IIIa 2 and the chloroform adduct 3a of the desired carbene. By means of cross-coupling experiments, however, it was shown that IIIa 2 was not in equilibrium with the two carbene units. On the other... 

In a similar transformation of ylidene 104, obtained from Appel salt 20 and Meldrum s acid, with primary aliphatic amines, the reaction has been stopped at the stage of (alkylamino)cyanomethylidene 105 <2000J(P1)3107>. Ethylene diamine and other diamines gave under the same conditions imidazolidin-2-ylidenes... 

The vast majority of N-heterocyclic carbenes are based on 5-membered ring systems. It was found that sterically demanding substituents on the NHC are not only beneficial for the stability of the NHC, but also for its catalytic properties. Arguably, the most important and most often employed N-heterocyclic carbenes are imidazol-2-ylidenes IMes and IPr and the imidazolidin-2-ylidenes SIMes and SIPr (Fig. 3). The reactivity of the corresponding transition metal complexes is described in detail in the following sections. 

Fig. 3 Most important imidazol-2-ylidenes and imidazolidin-2-ylidenes...

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