Metallacycles carbonyl group alkenation

Dissociation of Me3P from the 18-electron complex gives a 16-electron complex. Association of the carbonyl group gives a Ti(II) n complex that can also be described as a Ti(IV) metallaoxirane. Dissociation of the second Me3P, association of the alkene, and migratory insertion into the C2-Ti bond gives a five-membered metallacycle. 

In any chain reaction, apart from initiation steps, the termination steps are also important. In metathesis there are many possibilities for termination reactions. Besides the reverse of the initiation step, the reaction between two carbene species is also a possibility (eq. (17)). The observation that, when using the Me4SnAVCl6 system, as well as methane traces of ethylene are also observed [26] is in agreement with this reaction. Further reactions which lead to loss of catalytic activity are (1) the destruction of the metallacyclobutane intermediate resulting in the formation of cyclopropanes or alkenes, and (2) the reaction of the metallacycle or metal carbene with impurities in the system or with the functional group in the case of a functionally substituted alkene (e. g., Wittig-type reactions of the metal carbene with carbonyl groups). 

Similarly to cyclopropanes, four-membered carbocyclic compounds undergo oxidative addition to low-valent transition metals to form five-membered metallacycles. Rhodium(I) inserts into C-C bonds next to the carbonyl group of ketones to form a rhodacycloalkanone species [49]. The C-C bond of cyclobutanone was cleaved, even at room temperature, by oxidative addition to a rhodium(I) complex having a PBP pincer ligand [50]. In the case of cyclobutanone 70, catalytic decarbonylation was possible and afforded the alkene 71 and cyclopropane 72 (Scheme 3.40). 

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