Nucleophilic reactions cobalt carbonyl complexes

Neither the palladium nor nickel catalyst described will promote the carbonylation of saturated aliphatic halides as noted above. However, this reaction can be catalyzed with cobalt (17) or iron (77) and probably with manganese (18) carbonyl anion salts. These carbonyl anions are strongly nucleophilic species and readily displace halide or other good leaving groups from primary or secondary positions giving alkyl metal carbonyl complexes. 

In conclusion, the hydrolytic and other reactions of co-ordinated amino acid derivatives with nucleophiles may proceed by two major routes. The first involves a moderate acceleration by general acid catalysis of a monodentate TV-bonded ligand, whilst the second may involve very dramatic rate increases (by a factor of a million or so) associated with didentate chelating TV O-bonded ligands. There is little evidence for the widespread involvement of co-ordinated nucleophiles attacking the carbonyl in amino acid derivatives, although some special, and well characterised, examples with cobalt(m) complexes are considered in the next chapter. 

The oxidation of the metal complexes of l,10-phenanthroline-5,6-quinone is thought to proceed in a similar manner, with the first step being a benzilic acid rearrangement. Rearrangements of this type may also be followed directly in nickel(u) and cobalt(m) complexes of 2,2 -pyridil. The first step of the reaction involves nucleophilic attack on an O-bonded carbonyl group to form a hydrate, followed by a benzilic acid rearrangement. In this case, the benzilic acid rearrangement products may be isolated as metal complexes (Fig. 8-43). 

Completely different behavior toward liquid NH3 is shown by the three iron carbonyls Fe(CO)s, Fe3(CO)9, and Fes(CO),2 (98, 99) and the two cobalt carbonyls Co2(CO)8 and Co4(CO)i3 (100). Between -21 and 0°C, Fe(CO)5 and liquid NH3 give a homogeneous, pale-yellow solution from which Fe(CO)5 may be recovered on evaporating off the NH3. The solution contains the carbamoyl complex NHJfOC Fe—CONHJ which cannot be isolated and which is formed by nucleophilic attack of an NH3 molecule on a CO ligand, followed by proton release (101). At 20°C after 14 days of reaction, (NHJ FefCOlJ and CO(NH2)2 are obtained (99) ... 

Recent studies have shown that coordinated ammonia and amine ligands under basic conditions may effect nucleophilic attack at carbonyl centres in organic compounds, " These reactions occur due to formation of deprotonated amido species which can act as nucleophiles. For example, reaction of cobalt(III) and platinum(IV)ammines with ketones gives the corresponding Co and Pt imine complexes. A similar reaction between [Ru(NH3)6] and diones produces the corresponding Ru diimine (108). It has also been found that nitrilepentaammineruthenium(II)... 

The proposed mechanism, which is based on the double carbonylation of styrene oxide, is shown in Scheme 6.2. The generation of an acylcobalt carbonyl complex from the reaction of cobalt tetracarbonyl anion with an alkyl halide is followed by reaction with a thiirane. This species can undergo carbonylation, the thioester function can undergo hydrolysis to reveal a sulfido nucleophile, and intramolecular cydization then produces thietan-2-one. The thietan-2-one can undergo ring cleavage and the mercapto acid results by protonahon. 

In general, carbonylation proceeds via activation of a C-H or a C-X bond in the olefins and halides or alcohols, respectively, followed by CO-insertion into the metal-carbon bond. In order to form the final product there is a need for a nucleophile, Nu". Reaction of an R-X compound leads to production of equivalent amounts of X", the accumulation of which can be a serious problem in case of halides. In many cases the catalyst is based on palladium but cobalt, nickel, rhodium and mthenium complexes are also widely used. 

Sargeson and his coworkers have developed an area of cobalt(III) coordination chemistry which has enabled the synthesis of complicated multidentate ligands directly around the metal. The basis for all of this chemistry is the high stability of cobalt(III) ammine complexes towards dissociation. Consequently, a coordinated ammonia molecule can be deprotonated with base to produce a coordinated amine anion (or amide anion) which functions as a powerful nucleophile. Such a species can attack carbonyl groups, either in intramolecular or intermolecular processes. Similar reactions can be performed by coordinated primary or secondary amines after deprotonation. The resulting imines coordinated to cobalt(III) show unusually high stability towards hydrolysis, but are reactive towards carbon nucleophiles. While the cobalt(III) ion produces some iminium character, it occupies the normal site of protonation and is attached to the nitrogen atom by a kinetically inert bond, and thus resists hydrolysis. 

Carbonic anhydrase is a zinc(II) metalloenzyme which catalyzes the hydration and dehydration of carbon dioxide, C02+H20 H+ + HC03. 25 As a result there has been considerable interest in the metal ion-promoted hydration of carbonyl substrates as potential model systems for the enzyme. For example, Pocker and Meany519 studied the reversible hydration of 2- and 4-pyridinecarbaldehyde by carbonic anhydrase, zinc(II), cobalt(II), H20 and OH. The catalytic efficiency of bovine carbonic anhydrase is ca. 108 times greater than that of water for hydration of both 2- and 4-pyridinecarbaldehydes. Zinc(II) and cobalt(II) are ca. 107 times more effective than water for the hydration of 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde, but are much less effective with 4-pyridinecarbaldehyde. Presumably in the case of 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde complexes of type (166) are formed in solution. Polarization of the carbonyl group by the metal ion assists nucleophilic attack by water or hydroxide ion. Further studies of this reaction have been made,520,521 but the mechanistic details of the catalysis are unclear. Metal-bound nucleophiles (M—OH or M—OH2) could, for example, be involved in the catalysis. 

The rate of cobalt-catalyzed carbonylation is strongly dependent on both the pressure of carbon monoxide and methanol concentration. Complex 4.7, unlike 4.1, is an 18-electron nucleophile. This makes the attack on CH3I by 4.7 a comparatively slow reaction. High temperatures are required to achieve acceptable rates with the cobalt catalyst. This in turn necessitates high pressures of CO to stabilize 4.7 at high temperatures. 

With the same concept, but using the more reactive Ti(III) cationic radical [Cp2TiCl(THF)2] or a cationic salphen aluminum complex in combination with the cobalt anion [Co(CO)4] , Coates et al. succeeded to make the epoxide or aziridine carbonylative ring expansion reaction catalytic (Scheme 60) [149]. For both substrates, it is proposed a nucleophilic attack of the cobalt anion at the least-substituted carbon atom of the three-membered ring, the latter being activated by the Lewis acidic part of the catalyst. Of note, catalysts 106 and 107 used in this reaction are described as ion pairs rather than M-Co bond containing complexes. 

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