Liquid ammonia reactions with metal carbonyls

One frequently used solvent for the alkali metal reduction of metal carbonyls is liquid ammonia, in which alkali metals form blue solutions. These blue solutions are useful for some of the more drastic reductions, such as that of the very stable octahedral chromium hexacarbonyl to the anion [Cr(CO)s] ". Unfortunately, the reactivity of liquid ammonia toward most of the halide derivatives of interest for reaction with metal carbonyl anions has seriously limited its use in their preparation. Behrens and co-workers, however, have made an extensive study of the reactions of the [Cr(CO)5] anion prepared by the reduction of chromium hexacarbonyl with sodium metal in liquid ammonia these reactions will be discussed later. 

REACTIONS OF METAL CARBONYLS AND METAL CARBONYL DERIVATIVES WITH LIQUID AMMONIA... 

Polynuclear anionic metal carbonyl compounds are usually prepared by reduction reactions of metal carbonyls M(CO) with such reducing agents as the alkali metals, NaBH4 in ethers, hydrocarbons, liquid ammonia, and similar solvents [see, for example, reactions (2.54), (2.55), (2.84), (2.89), (2.95>-(2.102), and (2.108)-(2.113)]. In alkali medium the metal carbonyls may be reduced by certain solvents (e.g., alcohols) or by the CO ligand itself, and in the presence of Lewis bases the carbonyls disproportionate to give anionic clusters. The mixed metal clusters containing platinum and rhodium are formed by reduction reactions of chloro complexes... 

It should also be noted that some nonradical ionic and condensation reactions of monomers with cellulose are used to modify the properties of cellulosic products. In one type of anionic-initiated reaction of monomers, cellulose is reacted with concentrated aqueous solutions of alkali metal hydroxides to yield cellulose copolymer. Free alkali metal in liquid ammonia or alkali metal alkoxides in nonaqueous systems may also be used as initiators of cellulose alkoxide derivatives. In cationic-initiated formation of copolymers, cellulose is reacted with an acid, such as boron trifluoride, to yield a cellulosic carbonium ion which initiates reactions with vinyl monomers. Condensation reactions of cyclic monomers with cellulose also form copolymers. Cellulose is usually slightly oxidized and also has reactive hydroxyl groups on carbons C-2, C-3 and C-6 of the anhydroglucose unit. The reactions of cyclic monomers are initiated at these carbonyl groups. A heating step may increase cellulosic oxidation and thereby increase the yield of these condensation products of cellulose and cyclic monomers." ... 

Cobalt has an odd number of electrons, and does not form a simple carbonyl in oxidation state 0. However, carbonyls of formulae Co2(CO)g, Co4(CO)i2 and CoJCO),6 are known reduction of these by an alkali metal dissolved in liquid ammonia (p. 126) gives the ion [Co(CO)4] ". Both Co2(CO)g and [Co(CO)4]" are important as catalysts for organic syntheses. In the so-called oxo reaction, where an alkene reacts with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, under pressure, to give an aldehyde, dicobalt octacarbonyl is used as catalyst ... 

The methods of preparation of ferrocene have been reviewed by Pauson and by Fischer. Ferrocene has been made by the reaction of ferric chloride with cyclopentadienylmagnesium bromide, by the direct thermal reaction of cyclopentadiene with iron metal, by the direct interaction of cyclopentadiene with iron carbonyl, by the reaction of ferrous chloride with cyclopentadiene in the presence of organic bases such as diethyl-amine, by the reaction of ferrous chloride with sodium cyclo-[lentadienide in liquid ammonia, and from cyclopentadiene and... 

D. Caine, Reduction and related reaction of a, ji-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with metals in liquid ammonia. Organic Reaktions, Vol. XXIII, 1 (1976). 

Various examples of the use of dissolving metal reduction on exocyclic double bonds, conjugated either with another C —C double bond53 or a carbonyl group,54 have been reported. For example, reaction of 2,6,6-trimethyltricyclo[5-4.0.0I,5]undec-7-en-9-one with lithium metal in liquid ammonia gave, after trapping of the intermediate enolate, 2,6,6-trimethyl-9-tri-fyloxy[5.4.0.015]undec-8-enc (3).53... 

The amide ions are powerful bases and may be used (i) to dehydrohalogenate halo-compounds to alkenes and alkynes, and (ii) to generate reactive anions from terminal acetylenes, and compounds having reactive a-hydrogens (e.g. carbonyl compounds, nitriles, 2-alkylpyridines, etc.) these anions may then be used in a variety of synthetic procedures, e.g. alkylations, reactions with carbonyl components, etc. A further use of the metal amides in liquid ammonia is the formation of other important bases such as sodium triphenylmethide (from sodamide and triphenylmethane). 

For such experiments, however, liquid ammonia is not suitable. A much more promising reaction offered by that discovered by Wannagat and Seyffert (149) involves treatment of sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide with mononuclear metal carbonyls in which nucleophilic attack of the silyl amide on a CO ligand leads to monocyanocarbonyl metalates. 

Reaction of dihydroxyacetone with ammonia and hydrogen is a good illustration of the different reactivities of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups during amination over metal catalysts. When the reaction is performed at a relatively mild temperature (< 100 °C, 100 bar) in liquid ammonia, Raney Ni affords 2-amino-1,3-propanediol in 99 % yield [28]. Under these conditions activation of hydroxyl groups is negligible. Similarly, the carbonyl group of an aldose or ketose reacts with ammo-... 

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