Osborn catalysts

While the Schrock and Osborn catalysts worked well in the Rh series, the analogous iridium compounds, also studied by them, did not show any special... 

The results of mechanistic studies are much less secure than in the case of the hydrogenation reaction. A mechanism similar to that of the classic oxidative addition onto a metal center has been proposed with olefin insertion into the M-H bond or more hypothetically into the M-SiR 3 bond. The Wilkinson-Osborn catalyst, among others, follows this mechanism. 

Figure 9.3 represents the hydride mechanism in which H2 adds before the olefin. Sometimes, the olefin adds first (the olefin mechanism), as proposed for the Schrock-Osborn catalyst, [Rh(dpe)(MeOH)2]BF4, formed by hydrogenation in MeOH of the placeholder cyclooctadiene (cod) ligands of the catalyst precursor, [(cod)Rh(dpe)]BF4. 

The development of homogeneous olefin hydrogenation catalysts based on soluble rhodium and iridium complexes, in particular Wilkinson s catalyst (33) [27], Crabtree s catalyst (34) [41], and the Schrock-Osborn catalyst (35)... 

The first successful hydrogenation reactions in ionic liquids were studied by the groups of de Souza [45] and Chauvin [46] in 1995. De Souza et al. investigated the Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of cyclohexene in l-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ([BMIM]) tetrafluoroborate. Chauvin et al. dissolved the cationic Osborn complex [Rh(nbd)(PPh3)2][PFg] (nbd = norbornadiene) in ionic liquids with weakly coordinating anions (e.g., [PFg] , [BFJ , and [SbF ] ) and used the obtained ionic catalyst solutions for the biphasic hydrogenation of 1-pentene as seen in Scheme 5.2-7. 

During our research in this field of small-ring heterocycles we found that functionahzed aziridines are attractive chiral catalysts, e.g., in the diethylzinc addition to aldehydes. Aspects of such uses of aziridines will be discussed as well. This overview does not pretend to be an exhaustive coverage of all existing literature on small-ring aza-heterocycles as that would require a separate monograph. Instead, emphasis is put on functionahzed three-membered aza-heterocycles, that were investigated in the author s laboratory [1], and relevant related literature. The older literature on these heterocycles is adequately summarized in some extensive reviews [2]. Chiral aziridines have been reviewed recently by Tanner [3], by Osborn and Sweeney [4], and by McCoull and Davis [5]. 

The cationic complexes Rh(diene)L >+ (L is a tertiary phosphine, phosphite, or arsine) were reported by several groups in 1969- 1970 (7, p. 270), but Osborn et al. 129-132) first reported on their potential for hydrogenation of olefins, acetylenes, and ketones. Full details on these systems have now appeared 133-135), and the important equilibria governing the active catalysts are given in Eqs. (23)-(25). An important difference from... 

The synthesis of cationic rhodium complexes constitutes another important contribution of the late 1960s. The preparation of cationic complexes of formula [Rh(diene)(PR3)2]+ was reported by several laboratories in the period 1968-1970 [17, 18]. Osborn and coworkers made the important discovery that these complexes, when treated with molecular hydrogen, yield [RhH2(PR3)2(S)2]+ (S = sol-vent). These rhodium(III) complexes function as homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts under mild conditions for the reduction of alkenes, dienes, alkynes, and ketones [17, 19]. Related complexes with chiral diphosphines have been very important in modern enantioselective catalytic hydrogenations (see Section 1.1.6). 

The catalytic activity of cationic rhodium precursors of formula [Rh(diene)(di-phosphine)]+ was also explored by Schrock and Osborn [28]. Halpern and coworkers made very detailed mechanistic studies of olefin hydrogenation by [RhS2(diphos)]+ species (diphos = l,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane S = solvent) [31]. Significant differences have been observed in the reaction of the catalyst precursors [Rh(NBD)(PPh3)2]+ and [Rh(NBD)(diphos)]+ in methanol, as shown in Eqs. (8) and (9) ... 

A remarkable feature of iridium enantioselective hydrogenation is the promotion of the reaction by large non-coordinating anions [73]. This has been the subject of considerable activity (anticipated in an earlier study by Osborn and coworkers) on the effects of the counterion in Rh enantioselective hydrogenation [74]. The iridium chemistry was motivated by initial synthetic limitations. With PFg as counterion to the ligated Ir cation, the reaction ceases after a limited number of turnovers because of catalyst deactivation. The mechanism of... 

A key feature of the mechanism of Wilkinson s catalyst is that catalysis begins with reaction of the solvated catalyst, RhCl(PPh3)2S (S=solvent), and H2 to form a solvated dihydride Rh(H)2Cl(PPh3)2S [1], In a subsequent step the alkene binds to the catalyst and then is transformed into product via migratory insertion and reductive elimination steps. Schrock and Osborn investigated solvated cationic complexes [M(PR3)2S2]+ (M=Rh, Ir and S= solvent) that are closely related to Wilkinson s catalyst. Similarly to Wilkinson s catalyst, the mechanistic sequence proposed by Schrock and Osborn features initial reaction of the catalyst with H2 followed by reaction of the dihydride with alkene for the case of monophosphine-ligated rhodium and iridium catalysts [12-17]. Such mechanisms commonly are characterized... 

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