Isocyanide complexes of nickel

Tetrakis(alkyl isocyanide) complexes of nickel(O), Ni(CNR)4, and the mixed isocyanide complexes with phosphines and unsaturated molecules are strictly analogous to the corresponding carbonyl complexes.23,24 They are generally more stable than [Ni(CN)4]4-. Mixed isocyanide complexes have been prepared by the reaction of Ni(cod)2 and CNBu followed by reaction with the appropriate phosphine or unsaturated molecules (alkenes, arylnitroso compounds, azo compounds, etc.) as outlined in equations (7) and (S).25... 

The t-butyl isocyanide complexes of nickel(O) are used as starting materials for the synthesis of a number of complexes with unsaturated groups n bonded to the nickel atom in reactions similar to those given by dioxygen or diazo complexes (Sections 50.2.7.2 and 50.2.6.3). 

One other reaction deserves mention. From bis(cyclooctadiene)nickel and butadiene (31), and in the presence of an isocyanide (RNC, R = cyclohexyl, phenyl, tcrt-butyl) two organic oligomeric products are obtained, 1 -acylimino-11 -vinyl-3,7-cycloundecadiene and 1 -acylimino-3,7,11 -cyclo-dodecatriene. In each, one isocyanide has been incorporated. An analogous reaction with carbon monoxide had been reported earlier. The proposed mechanism of these reactions, via a bis-7r-allyl complex of nickel, is probably related to the mechanism described for allylpalladium complexes above. 

A first terminal imido complex of nickel (121) was prepared according to Equation (3).468 The synthesis goes via the Ni11 amido compound (122) and uses the steric bulk of the arylimido group for stabilization. The Ni11 center in (121) is planar and three-coordinate. Reaction of (121) with CO or benzyl isocyanide leads to formal nitrene transfer with formation of (124) and (125), respectively. Further reaction with CO liberates the isocyanate and carbodiimide (Equation (4)). 69... 

As a further illustration of the dependence of n i 7t pi-backbonding interactions on metal and ligand character, we may compare simple NiL complexes of nickel with carbonyl (CO), cyanide (CN-), and isocyanide (NC-) ligands, as shown in Fig. 4.41. This figure shows that the nNi 7rL pi-backbonding interaction decreases appreciably (from 28.5 kcal mol-1 in NiCO to 6.3 kcalmol-1 in NiNC-, estimated by second-order perturbation theory) as the polarity of the 7Tl acceptor shifts unfavorably away from the metal donor orbital. The interaction in NiCO is stronger than that in NiCN- partially due to the shorter Ni—C distance in the... 

OLEFIN, ACETYLENE, PHOSPHINE, ISOCYANIDE, AND DIAZENE COMPLEXES OF NICKEL(0)... 

The red-brown polynuclear complex Ni4[(CH3)3CNC]7 can be recrystallized from diethyl ether in a Dry Ice-acetone bath to give a microcrystalline material which displays terminal and bridging isocyanide stretching frequencies at 2020 and 1605 cm"1, respectively. This highly air-sensitive material may be used as an intermediate in the preparation of nickel isocyanide complexes of unsaturated molecules simply by the addition of the desired molecules to a hexane or ether suspension. 

J. S. Miller, and A. L. Balch, Preparation and Reactions of Tetrakis(methyl isocyanide) Complexes of Divalent Nickel, Palladium, and Platinum, Inorg. Chem. 11, 2069-2074 (1972). 

An interesting addition reaction has been found with the isocyanide complexes of the nickel triad and dialkylamines [Eq. (142)]. The metal atom is oxidized, with formation of diaminocarbenes (77). The ligand cis to the metal-bonded oxygen is attacked. This is shown in the X-ray structure of 177b (197). 

In the reaction of Ni(CNBu )4 and methyl iodide oligomerization of the isocyanide was observed the only isolable nickel complex was (I), shown below. This product is believed to arise through sequential insertions of three isocyanides into a nickel-carbon bond. Upon further treatment with additional isocyanide at a temperature greater than 60° C one obtains a polymer (RNC) presumably through multiple isocyanide insertion reactions. The addition of benzoyl chloride to Ni(CNBu )4 gave two isolable compounds Ni(CNBu )3(COPh)Cl (74%) and (II) (8.2%). This latter reaction, and the isolation of (II) in particular, suggests that the proposed mechanism for polymerization of isocyanides is reasonable. 

Virtually all work on nickel isocyanide complexes centers on nickel(O) species. Malatesta and Bonati 90) describe complexes of the formula NiL4 and Ni(CO) L4 jj. The former are formed in a variety of reactions, including reductions of nickel(II) in the presence of isocyanides, and by the replacement of other ligands by isocyanides. The latter are, of course, derivatives of Ni(CO)4. In addition, a few ill-defined nickel(II) complexes are reported, as is the formally nickel(I) species (C5H5NiCNC6Hj)2. 

Some of the most interesting work on nickel(O) complexes has been carried out by Otsuka et al. (107, 110). These workers have succeeded in obtaining a complex, [Ni(CNBu )2],. This complex is prepared from bis(l,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel and the isocyanide, carefully restricting the amount of the latter to 2 moles per mole of nickel [Eq. (28)]. 

Stone et al. 43, 60, 61) have studied reactions of nickel and palladium isocyanides and a number of fluorocarbons which give a remarkable variety of products. With Ni(CNBu )4 and fluoroolefins [C2F4, (CF3)2C=C(CN)2 and CF2 = CFCF = CF2] themetallocyclic complexes (XXXIV), (XXXV), and (XXXVI) are observed 60,61) the complex Ni(CNBu )2(CjF5), analo-... 

A novel polysiloxane, containing the isocyanide group pendent to the backbone, has been synthesized. It is observed to react with the metal vapors of chromium, iron and nickel to afford binary metal complexes of the type M(CN-[P])n, where n = 6, 5, 4 respectively, in which the polymer-attached isocyanide group provides the stabilization for the metal center. The product obtained from the reaction with Fe was found to be photosensitive yielding the Fe2(CN-[P])q species and extensive cross-linking of the polymer. The Cr and Ni products were able to be oxidized on exposure of thin films to the air, or electrochemically in the presence of an electron relay. The availability of different oxidation states for the metals in these new materials gives hope that novel redox-active polymers may be accessible. 

Complex 61 is also accessible from the 2-nitrophenyl isocyanide complex 68 by reduction of the nitro group with Sn/HCl. Incomplete reduction of the nitro group in 68 with Raney-Nickel/hydrazine yields, after intramolecular cyclization, the complex 70 with the NH,NOH-stabilized benzimidazolin-2-ylidene ligand. Complex 69 with the 2-hydoxylamin-substituted phenyl isocyanide ligand presumably occurs as an intermediate in this reaction. The alkylation of both the NH,NH- and the NH, NOH-stabilized NHC ligands in 67 and 70, respectively, proceeds readily (Fig. 23) [184, 185]. 

The metal(O) isocyanide clusters Ni4(CNBu )7 (45)5 (60), Pt3(CNBu )6 (46) (23) and Pt7(CNXylyl),2 (47) (20) have been characterized crystallographi-cally. In the nickel complex the nickel atoms define the vertices of a highly compressed C3v tetrahedron, with each nickel having a terminal isocyanide and three basal nickel atoms joined by three four-electron donor isocyanide ligands. The unusual feature of the structure of Pt7(CNXylyl),2 is that one... 

Isocyanide complexes have found numerous applications in organic synthesis and catalysis. Isocyanides undergo polymerization in the presence of many transition metal complexes, for instance, metal carbonyls, metallocenes, cyclopentadienyl carbonyls, nickel(II), palladium(II), and cobalt(II) complexes. Exceptionally high activity is exhibited by nickel and cobalt carbonyls. The resulting polymers are Schiff bases ... 

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