Isomerization ligand effects

Blagg RJ, Connelly NG, Haddow MF, et al. Isomerism in rhodium(I) N,S-donor heteroscorpionates ring substituent and ancillary ligand effects. Dalton Trans. 2010 39 11616-11627. 

H3Ru4 Au(PPh3) (CO), 3 Isomerization 1-penetene Ligand effect... 

Thiocarbamate (tc, RHNCSO-) is a monodentate ambidentate ligand, and both oxygen- and sulfur-bonded forms are known for the simple pentaamminecobalt(III) complexes. These undergo redox reactions with chromium(II) ion in water via attack at the remote O or S atom of the S- and O-bound isomers respectively, with a structural trans effect suggested to direct the facile electron transfer in the former.1045 A cobalt-promoted synthesis utilizing the residual nucleophilicity of the coordinated hydroxide in [Co(NH3)5(OH)]2+ in reaction with MeNCS in (MeO)3PO solvent leads to the O-bonded monothiocarbamate, which isomerizes by an intramolecular mechanism to the S-bound isomer in water.1046... 

Optical activity in metal complexes may also arise either if one of the ligands bound to the metal in the first co-ordination sphere is itself optically active or if the complex as a whole lacks a centre of inversion and a plane of symmetry. Thus all octahedral cts-complexes of the tris-or bis-chelate type have two isomeric forms related by a mirror plane, the d- and /-forms. These species have circular dichroism spectra of identical intensities but opposite in sign. The bands in the circular dichroism spectrum are, of course, modified if ligand exchange occurs but they are also exceedingly sensitive to the environment beyond the first co-ordination sphere. This effect has been used to obtain association constants for ion-pair formation. There also exists the possibility that, if such compounds display anti-tumour activity, only one of the mirror isomers will be effective. 

The ligands synthesized were also apphed to the isomerizing hydroformylation of more reactive 2-pentene. At 120 °C/ 20 bar quantitative conversion of olefin to aldehydes was achieved within 40 min. Trends similar to those described for internal octene hydroformylation were found. The regioselectivity obtained for the individual ligands tends to be 5% higher compared to that for the octenes. Thus, in the presence of 10 75% of n-hexanal were determined, compare Table 3. Obviously, 2-pentene is able to react more smoothly to the terminal isomer compared to olefins having the double bond in an more internal position. Illustrative for this effect are also literature results obtained for 2- and 4-octene.4,5... 

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