Iridium-complex catalyzed carbonylation reaction mechanism

Iridium complexes in the presence of iodide also catalyze the carbonylation of methyl acetate to acetic anhydride (equation 69). The reaction mechanism is similar to that of Scheme 33. The ester reacts with HI to give methyl iodide which is carbonylated as in Scheme 33 to acetyl iodide. This reacts with acetic acid to give the anhydride.429 430... 

The Ir-catalyzed methanol carbonylation reaction has been studied extensively by several groups 9f-h. The mechanism for the reaction is more complex than for the Rh reaction. The reaction involves a neutral and an anionic catalytic cycle. The extent of participation by each cycle depends on the reaction conditions. The anionic carbonylation pathway predominates in the Cativa process. The active Ir catalyst species is the iridium carbonyl iodide complex, [Ir(CO)2l2]. The carbonylation reaction proceeds through a series of reaction steps similar to the Rh catalyst process shown in Figure 1 however, the kinetics involve a different rate determining step. 

The original mechanistic investigations of iridium/iodide-catalyzed methanol carbonylation were conducted by Forster [6,7,19,115,132-135]. Some other studies were also reported in the late 1970s [136-138]. Since the 1990s, interest in the fundamental aspects of the reaction mechanism has been rekindled by the industrial significance of iridium-complex catalysts. 

The first example of direct enantioselective addition of a C—H bond to a ketone was reported by Shibata and co-workers in 2009 using the cationic Ir/ (S)-Hg-BINAP as the catalyst in the synthesis of a chiral 4-acetyl-3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-oxindole with 72% ee. Recently, Yamamoto and co-workers developed a cationic Ir/(R,R)-Me-BIPAM catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular direct hydroarylation of a-keto amides 178 affording the chiral 3-substi-tuted 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles 179 in high yields with complete regioselectivity and high enantioselectivity (84-98% ee). In their proposed reaction mechanism, the aryl iridium complex formed via C—H bond activation is coordinated with the two carbonyl groups of the amide (Scheme 5.65). 

The mechanism of the cobalt- (BASF), rhodium- (Monsanto), and iridium- (Cativa) catalyzed reaction is similar but the rate-determining steps differ and different intermediate catalyst complexes are involved. In all three processes two catalytic cycles occur. One cycle involves the metal carbonyl catalyst (II) and the other the iodide promoter (i). For a better overview only the catalytic cycle of the rhodium-catalyzed Monsanto process is presented in detail (Figure 6.15.4). Initially the rhodium iodide complex is activated with carbon monoxide by forming the catalytic active [Rhi2(CO)2] complex 4. Further the four-coordinated 16-electron complex 4 reacts in the rate-determining step with methyl iodide by oxidative addition to form the six-coordinated 18-electron transition methyl rhodium (I II)... 

The reactivity of [Ir(GO)2l3Me] with other species has also been investigated, in particular, reactions leading to methane, a known byproduct of iridium-catalyzed carbonylation. Methane formation occurs on reaction of [Ir(GO)2l3Me] either with carboxylic acids or with H2 at elevated temperature. In both cases, the reaction is inhibited by the presence of GO, suggesting that GO dissociation from the reactant complex is required. For the protonolysis reaction with carboxylic acids, a mechanism was proposed (Scheme 8(a)) in which the acid coordinates to a vacant site created by GO loss, and methane is then liberated via a cyclic transition state. The hydrogenolysis reaction, which leads cleanly to [Ir(GO)2l3H] , could proceed via oxidative addition of H2 or an rf-Hz complex as shown in Scheme 8(b). 

If ethylene is present during the carbonylation of methanol catalyzed by IrCl4, once again with Mel as promoter, methyl propionate is formed.416 The reaction depends on the presence of iridium hydride species in solution, and a rhodium analogue of the reaction exists. The full details of the mechanism are not known but the basic steps are shown in Scheme 34. The intermediates are all believed to be complexes of iridium(IIl). 

The mechanism of the reaction is as shown in equations (13.139) and (13.140). This reaction is also catalyzed by compounds of other metals of groups 8 and 9 such as ruthenium and iridium. Higher alcohols EtOH, Pr"OH, Pr OH also undergo carbonylation to give corresponding carboxylic acids.However, the rate of the reaction is lower. It is assumed that in this case, the oxidative addition of alkyl iodide to the rhodium(I) complex proceeds according to a radical mechanism. Hydrocarboalkoxylation, carbonylation of esters, reductive carbonylation of... 

Kinetic studies have allowed the optimum conditions to be defined for the synthesis of acetic anhydride by the carbonylation of methyl acetate using a variety of Group VIII metal catalysts. Such studies, complemented by IR and UV spectroscopic studies, have helped to elucidate the main catalytic pathways for the rhodium- and iridium-catalyzed reactions in the presence of iodide. Although complex, both mechanisms essentially involve oxidative addition of Mel to [M(CO)2l2] (M = Rh or Ir) followed by CO insertion into the metal-methyl bond and subsequent reductive elimination of MeCOI the latter reacts with acetate ion to give acetic anhydride and regenerate iodide. ... 

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