SYNTHESIS with nickel complexes

The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with a scenario of what can be accomplished with nickel complexes. It is useful to do this via a series of broad schemes, hypothetical in some cases, which show the main reaction patterns, without considering mechanistic details. Examples will illustrate the various processes, but extension to other substrates or to different conditions often requires use of alternative ligands or solvents, or a change from a neutral complex to a cationic or anionic species, as indicated above. For references to syntheses with nickel see Baker et al. (10). For criteria for the synthesis of coordination compounds and stability of organotransition metal complexes in general, see references (11. 12). Organometallic literature has been collected periodically by Bruce (13). 

The chemistry outlined in Scheme 24 was then put into effect catalytic hydrogenation of the tris-isoxazole (302) and recyclization with triethylamine gave a tricyclic ligand which was chelated with nickel ions to give (303). Introduction of the fourth nitrogen atom was accomplished by treatment of (303) with ammonium acetate, giving (304). Treatment with cyanide removed the nickel ion which was then replaced with zinc(II) to give (305). The reasons for this transmetallation step were two-fold firstly, zinc(II) corrins, as shown by Eschenmoser, can be readily demetallated, and this fact opens up many options later in the synthesis, but secondly, and more importantly, Eschenmoser s photochemical cyclization of seco-corrins (see Section 3.07.3.4.2.3) does not proceed with nickel complexes of seco-corrins, whereas zinc(II) seco-corrins can be cyclized in almost quantitative yield... 

Synthesis of 8,9-dihydroindenes with nickel complex compounds... 

The second approach consists of synthesizing first the complex MLra 1(L X) with the desired ratio (L )/(M) this complex bears the reactive fragment X which then reacts with the surface of the silica. This method is of limited interest, because the synthesis and isolation of these functionalized complexes is not straightforward. One of the successful examples concerns the synthesis of nickel carbonyl complexes anchored to the surface via two bonds in an attempt to increase the stability through a sort of chelate effect. Initial attempts to achieve this by the methods described in Equation(5) (initial functionalization of silica) and Equation(6) (initial functionalization of complex) failed, as demonstrated by 29Si and 31P CP MAS NMR spectroscopies.51... 

Nickel halides and nickel complexes resulting from oxidative addition can also give rise to subsequent replacement and insertion reactions. Replacement reactions have been described mainly with arylnickel halide complexes (examples 23, 29, and 31, Table III). Carbanionic species replace halide ions and can undergo coupling or insertion reactions. An example of application of a carbanionic reaction to the synthesis of a natural product is the coupling step between an aromatic iodo-derivative and an active methylene group to form cephalotaxinone (example 23, Table III). 

The nickel-catalyzed [4 + 4]-cycloaddition of butadiene to form cyclooctadiene was first reported by Reed in 1954.90 Pioneering mechanistic and synthetic studies largely derived from the Wilke group advanced this process to an industrially important route to cyclodimers, trimers, and other molecules of interest.91-94,943 95,96 While successful with simple dienes, this process is not useful thus far with substitutionally complex dienes as needed in complex molecule synthesis. In 1986, Wender and Ihle reported the first intramolecular nickel-catalyzed [4 + 4]-reaction of... 

Synthesis. These macrocycles are prepared from seven-membered ring dinitrile complexes, 84a-84c (Scheme 17), which contain either methylene, sulfur or oxygen in the five position (129). These cyclic dinitriles are synthesized by alkylating maleonitrile dithiolate or derivatives thereof with the corresponding dihalide. The dinitriles 84a-84c can be cyclized in magnesium propoxide to form porphyrazines 85a (33%), 85b (19%), and 85c (27%) (Scheme 17), which can be demetalated with trifluoroacetic to form 86a-86c. Additionally, 86a has been remetalated with nickel (87a, 92%), copper (88a, 95%), and zinc (89a, 94%). The sulfur and oxygen derivatives 85b, 85c, 86b, and 86c are of low solubility and are not suitable for further manipulation. 

Biaryl synthesis from aryl halides is a more interesting reaction due to the value of these molecules and their difficult access by chemical methods. The first electrosyntheses were simultaneously done in 1979-80 by three groups [21-23] who used NiCljPPha (1-20%) as catalyst precursor in the presence of excess PPhs. Later, several groups investigated the use of bidentate phosphines like dppe associated with nickel in the synthesis of various biaryls, and notably 2,2 -bipyridine and of 2,2 -biquinoline from respectively 2-chloropyridine and 2-chloroquinoline [24], More recently new nickel complexes with l,2-bis(di-2-alkyl-phosphino)benzene have been studied from both fundamental and synthetic points of view [25]. They have been applied to the coupling of aryl halides. 

Kockerling, M. and Henkel, G. (2000) Synthesis and structure of [Ni4(S2C7Hio)4], the first tetranuclear cyclic nickel complex with bifunctional thiolate ligands and of the mononuclear precursor compound Na2[Ni(S2C7Hio)2]- 4MeOH. (PrOH)-Pr-i, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 3, 117-9. 

A recent example, with references to previous literature, is in nickel(II) template synthesis of macrotricyclic complexes from formaldehyde and triamines, M. P. Suh, W. Shin, S.-G. Kang, M. S. Lah and T.-M. Chung, Inorg. Chem. 28, 1602 (1989). 

Carbonylation of halides with tetramethyltin This nickel complex is the most efficient catalyst for the synthesis of methyl ketones by reaction of aryl halides with carbon monoxide and tetramethyltin in HMPT at 120°. No reaction occurs when tetraphenyltin is used. A typical reaction is formulated in equation (I). 

Synthesis of the complex. In a 50-mL Schlenk flask, N,N-bis(2-mercapto-ethyl)2-methylthioethylamine (0.1 g, 0.47 mmole) is dissolved in methanol (10 mL) and subsequently cooled to 5°C in an ice bath. To the cooled solution, a solution of anhydrous nickel acetate (84 mg, 0.47 mmole) in methanol (10 mL) is added dropwise with rapid stirring. The product, a red-black, microcrystalline solid, forms immediately and is collected by filtration, washed several times with small amounts of methanol, and dried in vacuo. Yield = 160 mg (65%). The product obtained from purified ligand is pure by elemental analysis. If crude ligand is used, the complex may be purified by recrystallization from CH2C12 (minimum volume for dissolution) upon addition of petroleum ether or hexane (five times the volume of CH2C12 used). 

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