Ruthenium alkylidene

Table 3 Ruthenium alkylidene complexes with JV-heterocyclic carbene ligands...

More recently, a new metathesis catalyst involving a ruthenium-alkylidene complex with a sterically bulky and electron-rich phosphine ligand has been synthesized and applied to RCM in aqueous media (Figure 3.5).197 This catalyst has the benefit of being soluble in almost... 

The synthesis and olefin metathesis activity in protic solvents of a phosphine-free ruthenium alkylidene bound to a hydrophilic solid support have been reported. This heterogeneous catalyst promotes relatively efficient ring-closing and cross-metathesis reactions in both methanol and water.200 The catalyst-catalyzed cross-metathesis of allyl alcohol in D20 gave 80% HOCH2CH=CHCH2OH. 

Initial reports of cross-metathesis reactions using well-defined catalysts were limited to simple isolated examples the metathesis of ethyl or methyl oleate with dec-5-ene catalysed by tungsten alkylidenes [13,14] and the cross-metathesis of unsaturated ethers catalysed by a chromium carbene complex [15]. With the discovery of the well-defined molybdenum and ruthenium alkylidene catalysts 3 and 4,by Schrock [16] and Grubbs [17],respectively, the development of alkene metathesis as a tool for organic synthesis began in earnest. 

Snapper proposed that the selectivity for the formation of cross-metathesis products 41 observed in these reactions was due to the differing reactivities of the various ruthenium alkylidene species formed in the catalytic cycle (Scheme 6). 

The sterically bulky ruthenium alkylidene 42, formed via ring-opening of the cyclobutene, should react more rapidly with the terminal alkene than with a second molecule of the cyclobutene. This preference for reacting with the acyclic alkene is probably due to a combination of the greater steric hindrance of the cyclic alkene and the ability of the reaction with the terminal alkene to proceed... 

Metathesis of 1-octene leads cleanly to ethene and 7-tetradecene, but as the reaction proceeds also 2-octene is formed and metathesis products derived from the isomerisation reaction. It was found that after prolonged reaction times decomposition of the ruthenium alkylidene catalyst occurs. At least eight different products were formed and several of them have been identified [37], Figure 16.22 shows the identified compounds derived from Grubbs 1st generation catalyst (the 2nd generation gives basically the same result [38]). 

Water-Soluble Ruthenium Alkylidenes Synthesis, Characterization, and Application to Olefin Metathesis in Protic Solvents, D. M. Lynn, B. Mohr, R. H. Grubbs, et at, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 722, 6601-6609. 

Scheme 6. Synthesis of ruthenium-alkylidene complexes starting at the azolium salt without isolating the NHCs.

In situ deprotonation combined with a substitution of a phosphine ligand was reported as a convenient way for the synthesis of ruthenium-alkylidene complexes (Scheme For imidazolidin-2-ylidenes, this is the only way... 

NHCs are certainly not the best choice for requirement (ii), but seem to be superior with respect to (i). This has been quantified by theoretical calculations The dissociation energies of NHCs and phosphines for ruthenium alkylidene model compounds by density functional (DFT) methods according to Eq. (41) demonstrate that the ligand dissociation energies ascend in the series PH3 < PMei < NHC (Table... 

The in situ preparation of a ruthenium-alkylidene catalyst for olefin metathesis is the first step for extending this high-throughput approach toward other catalytic transformations and opens up the way to the screening of azolium salt libraries for olefin metathesis reactions. ... 

A Grubbs-type ruthenium complex and a Hoveyda ruthenium complex were compared under similar conditions for recycled activity. Both the reference catalysts showed a large drop in metathesis activity in the subsequent tests. For example, a Grubbs-type ruthenium alkylidene catalyst showed a drop of nearly 50% conversion in the second run. 

The proposed mechanism involves either path a in which initially formed ruthenium vinylidene undergoes nonpolar pericyclic reaction or path b in which a polar transition state was formed (Scheme 6.9). According to Merlic s mechanism, the cyclization is followed by aromatization of the ruthenium cyclohexadienylidene intermediate, and reductive elimination of phenylruthenium hydride to form the arene derivatives (path c). A direct transformation of ruthenium cyclohexadienylidene into benzene product (path d) is more likely to occnir through a 1,2-hydride shift of a ruthenium alkylidene intermediate. A similar catalytic transformation was later reported by Iwasawa using W(CO)5THF catalyst [14]. 

In reactions with other a,/ -unsaturated compounds, molybdenum catalyst 1 proved too oxophilic," and ruthenium catalyst 2 too unreactive, to effectively promote CM reactions with substrates containing vinyl carbonyl moieties. However, ruthenium alkylidenes 3, 5 64,64a,64b more recently, 7a have demonstrated unique activity toward... 

Research Focus Identification of high-activity ruthenium alkylidene catalysts for ringopening and ring-closing metathesis reactions. 

This finding is a significant improvement over aqueous ROMP systems using aqueous ROMP catalysts. The propagating species in these reactions is stable. The synthesis of water-soluble block copolymers can be achieved via sequential monomer addition. The polymerization is not of living type in the absence of acid. In addition to eliminating hydroxide ions, which would cause catalyst decomposition, the catalyst activity is also enhanced by the protonation of the phosphine ligands. Remarkably, the acids do not react with the ruthenium alkylidene bond. 

Operating within the framework of the Chauvin mechanism, the main consideration for the reaction mechanism is the order of events in terms of addition, loss and substitution of ligands around the ruthenium alkylidene centre. Additionally, there is a need for two pathways (see above), both being first order in diene, one with a first-order dependence on [Ru] and the other (which is inhibited by added Cy3P) with a half-order dependence on [Ru]. From the analysis of the reaction kinetics and the empirical rate equation thus derived, the sequence of elementary steps via two pathways was proposed, one non-dissociative (I) and the other dissociative (II), as shown in Scheme 12.20. The mechanism-derived rate equation is also shown in the scheme and it can thus be seen how the constants A and B relate to elementary forward rate constants and equilibria in the proposed mechanism. 

NMR studies of degenerate ligand exchange in generation I and generation II ruthenium alkylidene pro-catalysts for alkene metathesis... 

In order to investigate this point more fully, the rates of reaction of the two complexes with ethyl vinyl ether (EVE) were studied. This alkene was chosen as it is rather reactive towards ruthenium alkylidene complexes and forms an inert alkoxyalkylidene product in an essentially irreversible manner. This alkene, therefore, should rapidly capture any nascent complex from which a Cy3P ligand has dissociated (27 and 30 in Scheme 12.21). The two complexes displayed very different kinetics. The rate of reaction of the first generation pro-catalyst complex 24c with EVE was found to be dependent on EVE concentration (over a range of 30-120 equivalents of EVE) and did not reach pseudo-first-order conditions... 

Scheme 12.21 Contrasting kinetics for the irreversible reactions of first and second generation ruthenium alkylidene complexes 24c and 28 with ethyl vinyl ether (EVE).

Norbornene polymerization was initiated selectively on the surface of SWCNTs via a specifically adsorbed pyrene-linked ring-opening metathesis polymerization initiator (Fig. 1.20). The adsorption of the organic precursor was followed by cross-metathesis with a ruthenium alkylidene, resulting in a homogeneous noncovalent poly (norbornene) (PNBE) coating [249]. 

---