Reactions Involving Other Transition Metals

The early synthetic processes using organonickel compounds involved the coupling of allylic halides, which react with nickel carbonyl, Ni(CO)4, to give TT-allyl complexes. These complexes react with a variety of halides to give coupling products.255 

2S3j R. Grigg, P. Kennewall, and A. J. Teasdale, Tetrahedron Lett., 33, 7789 (1992). 

Nickel carbonyl effects coupling of allylic halides when the reaction is carried out in very polar solvents such as DMF or DMSO. This coupling reaction has been used intramolecularly to bring about cyclization of to-allylic halides and was found useful in the preparation of large rings. 

Nickel carbonyl is an extremely toxic substance, but a number of other nickel reagents with generally similar reactivity can be used in its place. The Ni(0) complex of 1,5-cyclooctadiene, Ni(COD)2, can effect coupling of allylic, alkenyl, and aryl halides. 

7 efrflto-(triphenylphosphine)nickel(0) is an effective reagent for coupling aryl halides,261 and medium rings can be formed in intramolecular reactions. 

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As is clear from the introductory discussion, most, if not all, of the d-block transition metals are expected to participate in reactions that are related to those discussed here. In addition to the Co-based methodology mentioned earlier, some related reactions of Pd and are known. Also related are the cyclization reactions of metal-carbene complexes containing Cr, Mo, W and other transition metals with alkynes and alkenes and a recently reported Nb- or Ta-promoted diyne-alkyne cyclization reaction, which appears to be closely related to a number of previously developed alkyne cyclotrimerization reactions, such as those catalyzed by Co. Investigations of reactions involving other transition metals may prove to be important especially from the viewpoint of developing asymmetric and catalytic procedures. 

Reactions with palladium compounds share many common features with reactions involving other transition metals. During a reaction, palladium is coordinated to a variety of groups called ligands, which donate electron density to (or sometimes withdraw electron density from) the metal. A common electron-donating ligand is a phosphine, such as triphenylphosphine, tri(o-tolyl)phosphine, or tricyclohexylphosphine. 

Other catalytic reactions involving a transition-metal allenylidene complex, as catalyst precursor or intermediate, include (1) the dehydrogenative dimerization of tributyltin hydride [116], (2) the controlled atom-transfer radical polymerization of vinyl monomers [144], (3) the selective transetherification of linear and cyclic vinyl ethers under non acidic conditions [353], (4) the cycloisomerization of (V2V-dia-llyltosylamide into 3-methyl-4-methylene-(V-tosylpyrrolidine [354, 355], and (5) the reduction of protons from HBF4 into dihydrogen [238]. 

The best characterized of these reactions involve the mercuric ion, Hg ", as the cation. The same process occurs for other transition-metal cations, especially Pd, but the products often go on to react fiirther. Synthetically important reactions involving Pd will be discussed in Section 8.2 of Part B. The mercuration products are stable, and this allows a relatively uncomplicated study of the addition reaction itself The usual nucleophile is the solvent, either water or an alcohol. The tenn oxymercuration is used to refer to reactions in... 

Cu-mediated Ullman reaction has been used for the polymerization of dihaloaryls. For example, see ref. 3. This type of polymerization as well as other transition-metal-mediated reactions that involve radicals in the polymerization process is not included in this chapter. 

These reactions are covered in other chapters of Volume 11 (Chapters 11.06 and 11.07). This part deals only with examples which are in connection with other sections of this chapter. Additions of metallocarbenoids to unsaturated partners have been extensively studied. Most of the initial studies have involved the transition metal-catalyzed decomposition of cr-carbonyl diazo compounds.163,164 Three main reaction modes of metallocarbenoids derived from a-carbonyl diazo precursor are (i) addition to an unsaturated C-C bond (olefin or alkyne), (ii) C-H insertion, and (iii) formation of an ylid (carbonyl or onium).1 5 These reactions have been applied to the total synthesis of natural... 

The possible states of electrons are called orbitals. These are indicated by what is known as the principal quantum number and by a letter—s, p, or d. The orbitals are filled one by one as the number of electrons increases. Each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, which must have oppositely directed spins. Fig. A shows the distribution of the electrons among the orbitals for each of the elements. For example, the six electrons of carbon (B1) occupy the Is orbital, the 2s orbital, and two 2p orbitals. A filled Is orbital has the same electron configuration as the noble gas helium (He). This region of the electron shell of carbon is therefore abbreviated as He in Fig. A. Below this, the numbers of electrons in each of the other filled orbitals (2s and 2p in the case of carbon) are shown on the right margin. For example, the electron shell of chlorine (B2) consists of that of neon (Ne) and seven additional electrons in 3s and 3p orbitals. In iron (B3), a transition metal of the first series, electrons occupy the 4s orbital even though the 3d orbitals are still partly empty. Many reactions of the transition metals involve empty d orbitals—e.g., redox reactions or the formation of complexes with bases. 

Other transition-metal oxidants can convert alkenes to epoxides. The most useful procedures involve /-butyl hydroperoxide as the stoichiometric oxidant in combination with vanadium, molybdenum, or titanium compounds. The most reliable substrates for oxidation are allylic alcohols. The hydroxyl group of the alcohol plays both an activating and a stereodirecting role in these reactions. /-Butyl hydroperoxide and a catalytic amount of VO(acac)2 convert allylic alcohols to the corresponding epoxides in good yields.44 The reaction proceeds through a complex in which the allylic alcohol is coordinated to... 

Another chemical approach to the chemical conversion of methane involves organometallic reactions.85-89 Interesting work with iridium complexes and other transition metal insertion reactions (rhodium, osmium, rhenium, etc.) were carried out. Even iron organometallics were studied. These reactions take place in the coordination spheres of the metal complexes, but so far the reactions are stoichiometric and noncatalytic.77 In terms of synthetic hydrocarbon chemistry, these conversions are thus not yet practical, but eventually it is expected that catalytic reactions will be achieved. 

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