Metal complex catalysts basic principles

Asymmetric catalytic addition of dialkylphosphites to a C=0 double bond is a powerful method, and probably the most general and widely applied, for formation of optically active a-hydroxy phosphonates [258], The basic principle of this reaction is shown in Scheme 6.108. Several types of catalyst have been found to be useful. The transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric hydrophosphonylation using chiral titanium or lanthanoid complexes was developed by several groups [259, 260], The most efficient type of chiral catalyst so far is a heterobimetallic complex consisting... 

A recent discovery that has significantly extended the scope of asymmetric catalytic reactions for practical applications is the metal-complex-catalyzed hydrolysis of a racemic mixture of epoxides. The basic principle behind this is kinetic resolution. In practice this means that under a given set of conditions the two enantiomers of the racemic mixture undergo hydrolysis at different rates. The different rates of reactions are presumably caused by the diastereo-meric interaction between the chiral metal catalyst and the two enantiomers of the epoxide. Diastereomeric intermediates and/or transition states that differ in the energies of activation are presumably generated. The result is the formation of the product, a diol, with high enantioselectivity. One of the enantiomers of... 

The most intense investigations were carried out in the development of catalysts and in studies of the reaction mechanisms. To date there are at least six mechanistic proposals for the reaction pathway of the dehydro-coupling, which have been reviewed by Gauvin et al. [77] two for catalysis by later transition metal complexes, and four for catalysis by group 4 metallocenes. Although the mechanism is still under discussion, the basic principle can be depicted in Scheme 6 [78a-ej. 

A wide variety of solid materials are used in catalytic processes. Generally, the (surface) structure of metal and supported metal catalysts is relatively simple. For that reason, we will first focus on metal catalysts. Supported metal catalysts are produced in many forms. Often, their preparation involves impregnation or ion exchange, followed by calcination and reduction. Depending on the conditions quite different catalyst systems are produced. When crystalline sizes are not very small, typically > 5 nm, the metal crystals behave like bulk crystals with similar crystal faces. However, in catalysis smaller particles are often used. They are referred to as crystallites , aggregates , or clusters . When the dimensions are not known we will refer to them as particles . In principle, the structure of oxidic catalysts is more complex than that of metal catalysts. The surface often contains different types of active sites a combination of acid and basic sites on one catalyst is quite common. 

In principle pentadienyls can bond to transition elements in at least three basic ways, tj3, and tjs (Fig. 1). These can be further subdivided when geometrical factors are considered. If r 5 coordination could be converted to rj3 orr/1, one or two coordination sites could become available at the metal center, and perhaps coordinate substrate molecules in catalytic processes. Little is known about the ability of pentadienyl complexes to act as catalysts. Bis(pentadienyl)iron derivatives apparently show naked iron activity in the oligomerization of olefins (144), resembling that exhibited by naked nickel (13). The pentadienyl groups are displaced from acyclic ferrocenes by PF3 to give Fe(PF3)5 in a way reminiscent of the formation of Ni(PF3)4 from bis(allyl)nickel (144). 

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