Insertion reactions involving metal-ligand bonds

Many cases are known in which a ligand or molecular fragment appears to insert into a metal-ligand bond. Although some of these reactions are believed to occnr by direct, single-step insertion, many insertion reactions do not involve a direct insertion step. The most studied of these reactions are carbonyl insertions. 

In the context of C—H bond insertion reactions involving metal nitrenoids, Mn and Ru catalysts hold important positions. These catalysts often contain multidentate ligands, such as porphyrins and salen ligands. With these catalysts, the enantioselectivity can be well controlled in many cases. 

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the chemistry of carbon dioxide, stimulated by current anxieties about alternative petrochemical feedstocks. One aspect under active exploration involves carbon dioxide activation via coordination to a transition metal, and indeed transition metal ions do form C02 complexes.177 The number of simple and reasonably stable complexes is still relatively small and usually limited to low oxidation state metal ions. There are many systems where C02 is used as a reagent giving rise to systems which, while not true C02 complexes, may simplistically be viewed as the products of insertion into metal-ligand bonds, e.g. reaction (9), where if L = H, formates are produced if L = OH, carbonates or bicarbonates result L = NR2 yields dialkylcarbamates and if L = R, carboxylate products result. Much of this area has recently been reviewed and will not be considered further.149... 

An important group of reactions of coordinated ligands which does involve the metal-ligand bond are the so-called insertion reactions. They are often of importance in the catalysis of organic reactions by transition metal complexes, although insertion reactions have a history dating back to the mid-19th century in the reaction... 

It should be noted that formation of trans-product can be achieved in an anti-addition reaction through the outer-sphere mechanism. Theoretical studies have demonstrated that syn-addition and anti-addition reactions may start from the same 7i-complex, and direction of the multiple bond activation depends on the polarity of solvent [17, 18]. Relative reactivity in the inner-sphere and outer-sphere mechanisms contributes to the overall -/Z- selectivity of the addition reaction to alkynes (stereoselectivity issue). In some cases it is possible to switch the direction of C-Het bond formation by finding a suitable ligand [19]. In case of alkenes syn-addition and a f -addition processes do not necessarily result in different stereochemistry (unrestricted rotation around the single C-C bond in the product). Occurrence of these mechanisms for the N [20, 21], P [22, 23], O [24-26], S, Se [27, 28] heteroatom groups and application of different metal catalysts are discussed in detail in the other chapters of this book. Stereochemical pathways of nucleometallation and development of enantioselective catalytic procedures were reviewed [29]. In this chapter we focus our attention on the mechanism of irmer-sphere insertion reaction involving double and triple carbon-carbon bonds. 

Another very interesting reaction involving insertion of dicyclopentadienyl-stannylene into metal-hydrogen bond with displacement of its ligands has been described by J. G. Noltes et al.16S). The resulting product was identified by X-ray structural analysis. 

These carbene (or alkylidene) complexes are used as either stoichiometric reagents or catalysts for various transformations which are different from those of free carbenes. Reactions involving the carbene complexes of W, Mo, Cr, Re, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ti and Zr are known. Carbene complexes undergo the following transformations (i) alkene metathesis (ii) alkene cyclopropanation (iii) carbonyl alkenation (iv) insertion to C—H, N—H and O—H bonds (v) ylide formation and (vi) dimerization. Their chemoselectivity depends mainly on the metal species and ligands, as discussed in the following sections. 

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