Phosphites with organometallics

The employment of bulky phosphite ligands , e.g., tri(o-t-butylphenyl)phos-phite, yields high reactivity catalysts for the hydroformylation of very low reactivity j8-alkyl-a-olefins, e.g. isoprene. Diorganophosphites such as 3 overcome many of the problems associated with the employment of simple triarylphosphites under hydroformylation reaction conditions such as reaction of the phosphite with the product aldehyde, trans-esterification and organometallic degradation reactions. 

A simple, high-yield procedure for the conversion of ArTlXj into ArjTlX compounds has recently been described 90). This symmetrization reaction, the mechanism of which is not known, can be effected by treatment of the ArTlX2 compound either with triethyl phosphite or with hot aqueous acetone. As a wide variety of ArTlXj compounds can now be easily prepared by electrophilic thallation of aromatic substrates with thallium(III) trifluoroacetate (q. v.), symmetrization represents the method of choice for the preparation of the majority of ArjTlX compounds. Only about twenty mixed compounds, RR TIX, have been prepared so far, and the only general synthetic procedure available consists of a disproportionation reaction between an RTIX2 species and another organometallic reagent [e.g., Eqs. (5)-(7)]. 

The large group of inhibitors of free radical chain reactions are frequently used in combination with metal salts or organometallic stabilizers. They are amines, sulfur- or phosphorus-containing compounds, phenols, alcohols, or chelates. Aromatic phosphites at about 1 p.p.r. chelate have undesirable metal impurities and inhibit oxidative free radical reactions. Some of the more popular are pentaerythritol, sorbitol, melamine, dicyan-diamide, and benzoguanamine. Their synergistic effect is utilized in vinyl floors where low cost is imperative. 

This is, as expected, the rarest oxidation state as far as non-organometallic complexes of rhenium are concerned. The dirhenium phosphite complex Re2[P(OMe)3]10 has been prepared12,13 in low yield by several methods, viz. the potassium-potassium iodide reduction of ReOCl3(py)2 or an ReCLj-pyridine complex, followed by treatment with trimethyl phosphite. This yellow complex displays a 31P H) NMR spectrum that appears as a first order AB4 pattern, and is isoelectronic with Re2(CO)l0. It reacts with H2 upon photolysis in THF solution to produce hydridorhenium(III) and other species.13 The related triphenyl phosphite derivative Re2[P(OPh)3]l0 has been described14 as a product of the reaction between ReH3(PPh3)4 and P(OPh)3. 

A relatively novel class of derivatives is obtained by the covalent incorporation of organometallic moieties into cellulose. For example, cellulose ferro-cenyl derivatives have been prepared by esterification of cellulose with an intermediate derived from ferrocene carboxylic acid and triphenyl phosphite in the presence of pyridine [84]. An enzymatically cleavable cellulose ester has been developed [85], and prodrugs have been coupled to the hydroxyl or carboxyl functions of C-terminal aromatic amino acids of cellulose peptide derivatives for controlled release applications [86]. 

Optically active organometallic complexes have been used to study stereochemical reactions. Substituted cobalt nitrosyl complexes are interesting chiral see Chiral) complexes because they exhibit tetrahedral structures, whereas most optically active organometallic complexes are half-sandwich structmes with octahedral geometries. Diastereomeric cobalt complexes of the type Co(CO)(NO)(L)( L) (L = phosphite or phosphane L = optically active phosphane or isocyanide) have been synthesized from (4) via substitution (Scheme 6). ... 

Finally, dinuclear Pd complexes can be prepared, which contain bridging cyclopentadienyl ligands (see Dinuclear Organometallic Cluster Complexes). WheuPdl/j -CsHsK ) -2-MeC3Hs) is reacted with two equivalents of phosphines or phosphites, dinuclear species Pd2(/r-C5H5)(/u,-2-MeC3H5)L2 are formed (equation 50). 

Phosphites, in comparison with phosphines, tend to give lower oxidation state complexes [Re2 P(OR)3 io], [ReH P(OR)3 s], and [ReH3 P(OR)3 4]. Much of the chemistry of Re involves carbonyl complexes (see Rhenium Organometallic Chemistry). 

The transition metal catalyzed asymmetric addition of aryl organometallic reagents to aldehydes, ketones, and imines has provided efficient access to chiral aryl alcohols or aryl amines [89]. Arylboronic acids are less toxic, stable toward air and moisture, and tolerant towards a variety of functional groups, and are ideal reagents for the addition to aldehydes. However, when Sakai et al. [90] attempted the enantioselective Rh-catalyzed addition of phenylboronic acid to naphthaldehyde, only 41% ee was obtained. Chiral spiro phosphite complex (S)-18c was found to be an efficient catalyst for asymmetric addition reactions of arylboronic acids to aldehydes, providing diarylmethanols in excellent yields (88-98%) with up to 87% ee (Scheme 30) [20c]. 

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