Schrock-Osborn mechanism

Figure 9.3 represents the hydride mechanism in which H2 adds before the olefin. Sometimes, the olefin adds first (the olefin mechanism), as proposed for the Schrock-Osborn catalyst, [Rh(dpe)(MeOH)2]BF4, formed by hydrogenation in MeOH of the placeholder cyclooctadiene (cod) ligands of the catalyst precursor, [(cod)Rh(dpe)]BF4. 

The hydrogenation of simple alkenes using cationic rhodium precatalysts has been studied by Osborn and Schrock [46-48]. Although kinetic analyses were not performed, their collective studies suggest that both monohydride- and dihydride-based catalytic cycles operate, and may be partitioned by virtue of an acid-base reaction involving deprotonation of a cationic rhodium(III) dihydride to furnish a neutral rhodium(I) monohydride (Eq. 1). This aspect of the mechanism finds precedent in the stoichiometric deprotonation of cationic rhodium(III) dihydrides to furnish neutral rhodium(I) monohydrides (Eq. 2). The net transformation (H2 + M - X - M - H + HX) is equivalent to a formal heterolytic activation of elemental... 

A key feature of the mechanism of Wilkinson s catalyst is that catalysis begins with reaction of the solvated catalyst, RhCl(PPh3)2S (S=solvent), and H2 to form a solvated dihydride Rh(H)2Cl(PPh3)2S [1], In a subsequent step the alkene binds to the catalyst and then is transformed into product via migratory insertion and reductive elimination steps. Schrock and Osborn investigated solvated cationic complexes [M(PR3)2S2]+ (M=Rh, Ir and S= solvent) that are closely related to Wilkinson s catalyst. Similarly to Wilkinson s catalyst, the mechanistic sequence proposed by Schrock and Osborn features initial reaction of the catalyst with H2 followed by reaction of the dihydride with alkene for the case of monophosphine-ligated rhodium and iridium catalysts [12-17]. Such mechanisms commonly are characterized... 

With experimental support for the metal-carbene-mediated mechanism of olehn metathesis, a number of groups initiated studies with isolated metal-carbene and metallacyclobutane complexes. Early work by Chauvin and Katz on the polymerization of strained olefins using Fischer-type carbenes demonstrated the success of such an approach [56], The introduction of high oxidation state alkylidene complexes led to well-defined catalyst in which the propagating species could be observed and studied, such as the tungsten-based systems developed by Osborn, Schrock, and Basset [59,60], The best-studied and useful of these have been the Schrock arylimido alkylidene complexes, and we will return to these later in this chapter. 

Figure 10.1. Mechanism of ketone hydrogenation as proposed by Schrock and Osborn. ...

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