Nickel complexes alkylation-protonation

The process involves reacting butenes and mixtures of propenes and butenes with either a phosphoric acid type catalyst (UOP Process) or a nickel complex-alkyl aluminum type catalyst (IFP Dimersol Process) to produce primarily hexene, heptene, and octene olefins. The reaction first proceeds through the formation of a carbocation which then combines with an olefin to form a new carbocation species. The acid proton donated to the olefin initially is then released and the new olefin forms. Hydrotreatment of the newly formed olefin species results in stable, high-octane blending components. 

Agostic interactions Ni- H-G between the electron-rich metal center and alkyl protons were observed in the X-ray structure. A cyclic voltammetric study of the complex Ni(TIMEN " ) shows two quasi-reversible redox couples at —2.5 and —1.09V versus Ec/Ec , and these correspond to the Ni(0)/Ni(i) and Ni(i)/Ni(ii) couples, respectively. The observed electrochemical reversibility underscores the structural flexibility of the tripodal NHG ligand that makes it capable of stabilizing three different oxidation states of nickel. 

The starting material is an 18 electron nickel zero complex which is protonated forming a divalent nickel hydride. This can react further with alkenes to give alkyl groups, but it also reacts as an acid with hard bases to regenerate the nickel zero complex. Similar oxidative addition reactions have been recorded for phenols, water, amines, carboxylic acids, mineral acids (HCN), etc. 

Nickel-cyclam and related complexes can also be used though previous reports indicated that the turnover of Ni/(tet a) in acetonitrile is low [85]. The process has now been reinvestigated to show that Ni/(tet a) can been used in catalytic conditions (2%) in DMF containing NH4CIO4 as proton source to perform the alkylation of unsaturated esters, ketones, or nitriles (Table 9) [86]. Yields are good if the terminal carbon of the double bond is not substituted (Ri = H). 

In a proton NMR experiment in which 1,4-pentadiene was added to a solution of HNi[P(OMe)3]4, it was possible to watch the isomerization of 1,4- to 1,3-pentadiene, followed by formation of l,3-dimethyl-7t-allyl complexes (53). The observation of 7t-allyl products in the reaction of the hydride with the conjugated diene, but not in the ff-alkyl intermediates involved in isomerization, illustrates the much greater stability of zr-allyl complexes of nickel compared to tr-alkyls, a feature which is also observed in the hydrocyanation reactions. 

While most of the work has been done commencing with the nickel(II) complex (51), the chemistry is quite general. The enamine complex (53) can be deprotonated on nitrogen to yield the neutral imine complex (55). Even the protons of the methyl group in the enol ether complex (52) are sufficiently acidic for the formation of the neutral complex (54). Both of these reactivity features occur together in the alkylation reaction shown in Scheme 18.126 The macrocyclic rings in complexes such as (52), (53) and especially the more flexible complex (56) are not planar but bowl-... 

The. V-alkylation of ephedrine is a convenient method for obtaining tertiary amines which are useful as catalysts, e.g., for enantioselective addition of zinc alkyls to carbonyl compounds (Section D. 1.3.1.4.), and as molybdenum complexes for enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols (Section D.4.5.2.2.). As the lithium salts, they are used as chiral bases, and in the free form for the enantioselective protonation of enolates (Section D.2.I.). As auxiliaries, such tertiary amines were used for electrophilic amination (Section D.7.I.), and carbanionic reactions, e.g., Michael additions (Sections D. 1.5.2.1. and D.1.5.2.4.). For the introduction of simple jV-substituents (CH3, F.t, I-Pr, Pretc.), reductive amination of the corresponding carbonyl compounds with Raney nickel is the method of choice13. For /V-substituents containing further functional groups, e.g., 6 and 7, direct alkylations of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have both been applied14,15. 

---