Rhodium porphyrin hydride

In contrast to the rhodium porphyrin hydride complexes, Rh(Por)H, which play a central role in many of the important developments in rhodium porphyrin chemistry, the corresponding cobalt porphyrin hydride complexes have been implicated as reaction intermediates in a variety of processes, but a stable, i.solable example has yet to be achieved. 

The addition of metal hydrides to C—C or C—O multiple bonds is a fundamental step in the transition metal catalyzed reactions of many substrates. Both kinetic and thermodynamic effects are important in the success of these reactions, and the rhodium porphyrin chemistry has been important in understanding the thermochemical aspects of these processes, particularly in terms of bond energies. For example, for first-row elements. M—C bond energies arc typically in the range of 2, i-. i() kcal mol. M—H bond energies are usually 25-30 kcal mol. stronger, and as a result, addition of M—CH bonds to CO or simple hydrocarbons is thermodynamically unfavorable. 

One of the most interesting reactions of Rh(II) porphyrins is the setting up of equilibria like (20) with methane [61] (paths — q, and then — p and — r in parallel R = Me), yielding rhodium(III) hydride and alkyl moieties at the same... 

Bridged species such as 76 are well documented in rhodium porphyrin chemistry.240-241 An acetylene bonded to one metal-centered radical is presumed to be trapped by addition of a second metal-centered radical. Lower bond dissociation energies of cobalt relative to rhodium would disfavor species such as 76 and facilitate the reaction with metal—hydride intermediates to form a trans product. 

The chemistry of organorhodium and -iridium porphyrin derivatives will be addressed in a separate section. Much of the exciting chemistry of rhodium (and iridium) porphyrins centers around the reactivity of the M(ll) dimers. M(Por) 2-and the M(III) hydrides, M(Por)H. Neither of these species has a counterpart in cobalt porphyrin chemistry, where the Co(ll) porphyrin complex Co(Por) exists as a monomer, and the hydride Co(Por)H has been implicated but never directly observed. This is still the case, although recent developments are providing firmer evidence for the existence of Co(Por)H as a likely intermediate in a variety of reactions. 

Radiolytic reduction has been investigated as a means of producing transient Rh(II) porphyrin products, and as in the above study, the observed products were strongly dependent on pH and solvent. Radiolytic reduction of Rh(TMP)Cl in alcohol formed transient Rh(TMP)- which was prevented from dimerization by the bulky TMP ligand. In alkaline 2-propanol the product is [Rh(TMP)r. in weakly acidic 2-propanol the hydride Rh(TMP)H is formed, and in strongly acidic 2-propanol the alkylated rhodium(III) porphyrins Rh(TMP)CH3 and Rh(TMP) (C(CH 3)20H) are observed. The alkyl products result from reaction of Rh(TMP)-with CH3- and C(CH3)20H formed by radiolysis of the 2-propanol solvent. 

A MOF constructed from rhodium paddlewheel clusters linked to porphyrinic ligands already discussed in Section 4.3.1.1 shows an interesting synergetic behavior when the porphyrinic rings are loaded with metals like Cu , Ni , or Pd . In the hydrogenation of olefins, the hydride species at the rhodium center is transferred to the coordinated olefin adsorbed on a metal ion in the center of the porphyrin ring to form an alkyl species, and next this alkyl species reacts with a hydride species activated at the rhodium center to form the alkane [81]. 

A clean formation of [Rh(OEP)]2 proceeds via thermolysis [269] or photolysis [273] with loss of dihydrogen from or autoxidation of the hydride RhH(OEP) (path p). The tetramesitylporphyrin complex, Rh(TMP) [61], does not dimerize at all due to the sterically hindrance created by the two ortho-methyl groups of each phenyl ring (see Ru(TMP) ), however, the meta-methyl groups of the rhodium(II) derivative prepared from tetra-kis(3,5-xylyl) porphyrin [H2(TXP)] do not prevent dimerization, and the complex is isolated as a dimer [Rh(TXP)] 2 which dissociates (path — q) prior to chemical reactions. Photolysis of RhMe(TMP) [274] (path r) is another suitable access to Rh(TMP) [271]. 

The dimeric iridium(II) porphyrinates, [Ir(P)]2, are far less well studied [222,270] than their rhodium analogs. The formation of [Ir(OEP)]2 is cleanly achieved by photolysis of IrMe(OEP) (path r, q) [272]. Hydrogenolysis of the dimer (paths — q, — p) yields the hydride, neat toluene a mixture of the hydride and the benzyliridium(III) compound [paths — q, — p, — r, similarly to Rh(II) porphyrins]. 

Rhodium-based catalysis suffers from the high cost of the metal and quite often from a lack of stereoselectivity. This justifies the search for alternative catalysts. In this context, ruthenium-based catalysts look rather attractive nowadays, although still poorly documented. Recently, diruthenium(II,II) tetracarboxylates [42], polymeric and dimeric diruthenium(I,I) dicarboxylates [43], ruthenacarbor-ane clusters [44], and hydride and silyl ruthenium complexes [45 a] and Ru porphyrins [45 b] have been introduced as efficient cyclopropanation catalysts, superior to the Ru(II,III) complex Ru2(OAc)4Cl investigated earlier [7]. In terms of efficiency, electrophilicity, regio- and (partly) stereoselectivity, the most efficient ruthenium-based catalysts compare rather well with the rhodium(II) carboxylates. The ruthenium systems tested so far seem to display a slightly lower level of activity but are somewhat more discriminating in competitive reactions, which apparently could be due to the formation of less electrophilic carbenoid species. This point is probably related to the observation that some ruthenium complexes competitively catalyze both olefin cyclopropanation and olefin metathesis [46], which is at variance with what is observed with the rhodium catalysts. 

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