Osmium with acetylenes

The reactions of a neutral 10 as well as a cationic dihydrido(acetato)osmium complex 12 with acetylenic compounds were examined (Scheme 6-17) [11-13]. A vinyU-dene 99, an osmacyclopropene 100, or a carbyne complex 101 were obtained, depending on the starting hydrido(acetato) complexes or the kind of acetylene used. In any case, the reaction proceeded by insertion of a C C triple bond into one of the two Os-H bonds, but the acetato ligands do not take part in the reaction and act as stabilizing ligands. 

This observation may well explain the considerable difference between metal-olefin and metal-acetylene chemistry observed for the trinuclear metal carbonyl compounds of this group. As with iron, ruthenium and osmium have an extensive and rich chemistry, with acetylenic complexes involving in many instances polymerization reactions, and, as noted above for both ruthenium and osmium trinuclear carbonyl derivatives, olefin addition normally occurs with interaction at one olefin center. The main metal-ligand framework is often the same for both acetylene and olefin adducts, and differs in that, for the olefin complexes, two metal-hydrogen bonds are formed by transfer of hydrogen from the olefin. The steric requirements of these two edgebridging hydrogen atoms appear to be considerable and may reduce the tendency for the addition of the second olefin molecule to the metal cluster unit and hence restrict the equivalent chemistry to that observed for the acetylene derivatives. 

Terminal acetylenes and Ru3(CO)j2 yield complexes of the type [57] (9,190, 336), whereas internal acetylenes form either complexes [56] or acetylene-substituted RU4 complexes (229). Alternatively, two acetylene moieties are incorporated with formation of metallacyclopentadienes (229), a class of compounds more familiar in osmium cluster chemistry (cf. Chapter 3.4.). Instead of two acetylene molecules, one molecule of an arylbutadiene may be the precursor of the metallacycle (382). 

Ruthenium catalysts, coordinated with an N-heterocyclic carbene allowed for the ROMP of low-strain cyclopentene and substituted cyclopentenes (10,23). Suitable ruthenium and osmium carbene compounds may be synthesized using diazo compounds, by neutral electron donor ligand exchange, by cross metathesis, using acetylene, cumulated olefins, and in an one-pot method using diazo compounds and neutral electron donors (24). The route via diazo compounds is shown in Figure 1.7. 

The focus of this chapter is to acquaint the reader with details of catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation with osmium tetroxide and the scope of results that one can expect to achieve with current optimum conditions. The literature through mid-1992 has been reviewed in compiling this chapter. Osmium tetroxide catalyzed hydroxy]ations of olefins and acetylenes are the subject of an extensive review by Schroder published in 1980 [2a]. A comprehensive review of research and industrial applications of asymmetric dihydroxylations is in preparation [2b]. 

The terminal acetylene derivatives Osg(CO)i6(RCCH) (R = Me, Et, Ph) have been shown to react with CO to give Osg(CO)i7(RCCH), (89), in which the acetylene ligand is still intact and sits on the base of the capped pyramidal osmium polyhedron. This compound was found to convert by the action of heat to an isomer in which the proton from the acetylene has been transferred to the metal array. The process is accompanied by an opening up of the metal cluster (Scheme 34). 

Several groups have completed computational studies on the relative stabilities of osmium carbyne, carbene, and vinylidene species. DFT calculations on the relative thermodynamic stability of the possible products from the reaction of OsH3Cl(PTr3)2 with a vinyl ether CH2=CH(OR) showed that the carbyne was favored. Ab initio calculations indicate that the vinylidene complex [CpOs(=C=CHR)L]+ is more stable than the acetylide, CpOs(-C=CR)L, or acetylene, [CpOs() -HC=CR)L]+, complexes but it doesn t form from these complexes spontaneously. The unsaturated osmium center in [CpOsL]+ oxidatively adds terminal alkynes to give [CpOsH(-C=CR)L]+. Deprotonation of the metal followed by protonation of the acetylide ligand gives the vinylidene product. 

Table XXIII has shown that, for each of the seven metals studied, the hydrogen available for reaction is composed of about 80% D and 20% H when acetylene reacts with deuterium. Therefore, if an adsorption/de-sorption equilibrium is set up for hydrogen, and is fast compared to the rate of hydrogen atom addition to adsorbed hydrocarbon species, then HD should be observed in the gas phase. The concentrations of HD observed in the gas phase at about 50% reaction are shown in Table XXVI. Most exchange was observed over ruthenium and osmium, less...

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