Metathesis based reactions

Remarkable development over the last 10-15 years in the synthesis of well-defined functional-group-tolerant ruthenium carbenes (Grubbs-related catalysts) also caused real development of the metathesis-based reactions in organosilicon polymers. For recent reviews on metathesis of organosilicon compounds see Refs. [6,7]. Unsaturated organosilicon polymers can be synthesized via ruthenium carbene catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of silylsubstituted cycloalkenes (Eq. 113). 

Similar reactivity is observed in the cyclization of enynes in the presence of the yttrium-based catalyst 70 and a silane reductant [53,54]. The 1,6- and 1,7-enynes 90 and 91 provide -E-alkylidene-cyclopentancs 92 and -cyclohexanes 93 in very good yield (Eq. 15, Scheme 20) [55]. These transformations likely proceed by syn hydrometallation of the 7r-basic alkyne, followed by insertion of the alkene and a-bond metathesis. The reaction of 1,6-enynes tolerated... 

Acid-base reactions (neutralization). An acid, which contributes H+ (H30+) ions, and a base, which contributes OH- ions, undergo metathesis to produce water (HOH or H2O) and a salt. Isn t this a special case of a double displacement reaction ... 

In a first approximation supra-Cp metal complexes can be prepared the same way as normal or other Cp-metal and organo-metal bonds in general. The methods used most often (see Appendix) are the metathesis reaction [Eq. (1)] followed in number by oxidative additions (Eq. (2)] and metallation/deprotonation reactions [Eq. (3)]. The latter is especially important for the cyclpentadienyl alkali metal compounds. A useful variation of reaction (3) is the formation of CpTl in an acid/base reaction from cyclopentadiene and thallium ethoxide [Eq. (3b)]. This represents a convenient route to cyclopentadienylthallium compounds, which are also valued (in place of Cp alkalis) as mild Cp-transfer reagents for the synthesis of difficultly isolable cyclopentadienyl derivatives (77). 

More than half a century ago it was observed that Re207 and Mo or W carbonyls immobilized on alumina or silica could catalyze the metathesis of propylene into ethylene and 2-butene, an equilibrium reaction. The reaction can be driven either way and it is 100% atom efficient. The introduction of metathesis-based industrial processes was considerably faster than the elucidation of the mechanistic fundamentals [103, 104]. Indeed the first process, the Phillips triolefin process (Scheme 5.55) that was used to convert excess propylene into ethylene and 2-butene, was shut down in 1972, one year after Chauvin proposed the mechanism (Scheme 5.54) that earned him the Nobel prize [105]. Starting with a metal carbene species as active catalyst a metallocyclobutane has to be formed. The Fischer-type metal carbenes known at the time did not catalyze the metathesis reaction but further evidence supporting the Chauvin mechanism was published. Once the Schrock-type metal carbenes became known this changed. In 1980 Schrock and coworkers reported tungsten carbene complexes... 

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