Stability metal alkyls

Early investigations showed that even donor-stabilized metal alkyl cations are potent electrophiles which do not tolerate conventional anions such as BFF and Ply, but form insoluble salts with B(Q,I I5)4 (87-89). These investigations showed that the formation of cationic catalysts leads to a... 

There are still some factors that stabilize metal-alkyl complexes ... 

Polyacetaldehyde, a mbbery polymer with an acetal stmcture, was first discovered in 1936 (49,50). More recentiy, it has been shown that a white, nontacky, and highly elastic polymer can be formed by cationic polymerization using BF in Hquid ethylene (51). At temperatures below —75° C using anionic initiators, such as metal alkyls in a hydrocarbon solvent, a crystalline, isotactic polymer is obtained (52). This polymer also has an acetal [poly(oxymethylene)] stmcture. Molecular weights in the range of 800,000—3,000,000 have been reported. Polyacetaldehyde is unstable and depolymerizes in a few days to acetaldehyde. The methods used for stabilizing polyformaldehyde have not been successful with poly acetaldehyde and the polymer has no practical significance (see Acetalresins). 

Transition metal alkyls are often relatively unstable earlier views had attributed this either to an inherently weak M—C bond and/or to the ready homolysis of this bond to produce free radicals. Furthermore, the presence of stabilizing ir-acceptor ligands such as Cp , CO, or RjP was regarded as almost obligatory. However, (1) the M—C bond is not particularly weak compared say to the M—N bond, and (2) the presence of the new type of ligand on the metal could make the complex kinetically stable thus, even isoleptic complexes, i.e., compounds of the form MR , might be accessible 78, 239). These predictions have largely been borne out (see Table VII). 

The energies are usually expressed as electron volts. The IRE for the bond in ethane is zero and for CHgNa it is 2.56 ev. The stability of alkyl carbon-metal bonds for a variety of metals has been evaluated by Jaffe and Doak (5). They point out that not only is the (the measure of covalent energy) for the C—M bonds of transition metals appreciably smaller (perhaps one-half) than the corresponding values for other elements, but the ionic resonance energy of the alkyl-transition metal bonds is also appreciably smaller (perhaps one-third) than that of alkyl-alkali or alkyl-alkaline earth metal bonds. 

From the relative stabilities of the actinide homoalkyls or -allyls and the tris(cyclopentadienyl) actinide alkyls, it appears that a coordinatively saturated metal center is necessary for kinetic stability. In contrast to f-transition metal alkyls, the absence of hydrogens appears to be of minor importance. In the case of the lanthanide alkyls and the tetrabenzylthorium, where the formal coordination number is only four, the steric bulkiness of the Hgands must be responsible for their observed thermal stability. 

Since group 4 derived species are of particular interest as catalysts for olefin polymerization and epoxidation reactions, the thermal stability of surface metal-alkyl species, as weU as their reactivity towards water, alcohols and water, deserve some attention. On the other hand, mono(siloxy) metaUiydrocarbyl species can be converted into bis- or tris(siloxy)metal hydrides by reaction with hydrogen [16, 41, 46-48]. Such species are less susceptible to leaching and can be used as pre-catalysts for the hydrogenolysis of C-C bonds, alkane metathesis and, eventually, for epoxidation and other reactions. 

Substitution, both at the alkyl and the olefin, has clear and easily explainable effects on both insertion and chain transfer reactions. These effects are best understood in terms of the (de)stabilization of olefin and metal alkyl by substitution. 

There would appear to be two distinct modes of reactivity of early transition metal alkyls with O2. When the metal is not in its highest oxidation state, an O2 complex of variable stability may form, and its subsequent reactivity may or may not involve the metal-carbon bond. The formation of remarkable stable 0x0 alkyls is an example of this pathway. In contrast, d°-alkyls react with O2 by a radical chain mechanism that invariable leads to formation of alkoxide complexes labile alkylperoxo ligands are clearly imphcated as intermediates in these reactions. 

Alternative stabilizing forces (Z) include (i) complexation with metal alkyls (or hydrides), forming hetero-and homodinuclear complexes such as [Cp 2M-(/i-Me)2AlMe2] Y and [(Gp 2M-Me)2(/i-Me)] Y (Figure... 

For example, alkyl ammonium-stabilized metal nanoparticles were generated by electrochemical process. A target bulk metal sheet is settled as an anode in an electrochemical cell as shown in Figure 9.1.1. Metal cations are generated at the anode and move to the cathode. Metal ions are reduced there by electrons generated from the cathode to form zero-valence metal atoms. In many cases, the zero-valence metal atoms are deposited onto the cathode metal sheet (usually platinum) or precipi-... 

It seems beyond debate that when an exchange reaction of a hydrocarbon (HC) with D2 is observed and the initial product distributions are binomial (random distribution of D atoms), single c-metal-carbon bonds are being formed. Nevertheless, this conclusion was puzzling in the period when virtually no homogeneous alkyl-metal complexes were known and the stability of alkyl-metal complexes was doubted for principal reasons (see, e.g., 169). However, it appeared that these complexes can be rather stable when one blocks a very fast and easy elimination of one of the H atoms in the jS-position, which step decomposes the alkyl-metal bond into an olefin and a bound hydrogen atom (170,171). On the other hand, this means that the transition... 

Three years ago, while we were considering possible reasons for the general inability of transition metals to insert into and activate C-H bonds, our attention turned to the question of the instability of transition metal alkyl hydride complexes. We have listed the few alkyl hydride complexes of which we are aware (i) (one additional case (2) recently came to our attention) as well as some of the only slightly more numerous cases of substituted alkyl hydrides stabilized by chelation (3). In contrast, there are enormous numbers of polyalkyls (4, 5) and poly hydrides (6). While rarity does not logically imply instability, it does suggest it, so we considered possible mechanistic explanations for the assumed rapid decomposition of ci -MLn(R)(H) relative to cis-MLnR2 and cis-MLnH2. We have focused on octahedral complexes since they are both more important and more numerous. 

The strongest evidence in favor of propagation at the transition metal-alkyl bond is the existence of one-component, that is, metal-alkyl-free polymerization catalysts. Of these systems the Phillips catalyst was studied most thoroughly because of its commercial importance. Originally it was believed that Cr(VI) ions stabilized in the form of surface chromate and perhaps dichromate resulting from the interaction of Cr03 with surface hydroxyl groups above 400°C are the active species in polymerization 286,294... 

In view of the synthetic applications, among carbanions stabilized by only one divalent sulfur atom, allylic thiocarbanions proved to be particularly valuable, as shown with Biellmann coupling of allylic groups, applied to an elegant synthesis of squalene from farnesyl bromide [301]. In this synthesis, the retention of the allylic double bond position and stereochemistry in both the metallation-alkylation and the desulfurization steps are noteworthy. However, the results are not always as clear-cut, and... 

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