Tantalum carbonyl olefination

Similarly, neither zirconium, tantalum, molybdenum, nor tungsten carbene complexes have been applied extensively by organic chemists for carbonyl olefination [609,727-729], probably because of the difficulty of their preparation and the high price of some of these compounds. These reagents can, however, have appealing chemo- and stereo-selectivity (Table 3.11). 

Carbonyl Olefination Using Zirconium, Tantalum, Niobium, Molybdenum 18S Tab. 4.15. Olefination of carbonyl compounds with a gem-dichloride-titanocene(ll) system. 

Carbonyl Olefination Using Zirconium, Tantalum, Niobium, Molybdenum M87... 

Scheme 4.52. Carbonyl olefination utilizing the tantalum carbene complex 1.

It is particularly interesting, that some titanium and tantalum carbene complexes olefinate derivatives of carboxylic acids. These reagents are, moreover, much less basic than phosphorus ylides, and thus enable the olefination of strongly C-H acidic carbonyl compounds. 

Selectivity in the dehydration of olefins is improved with pillared clays. Clays with aluminum oxide or mixed aluminum and iron oxide pillars converted isopropyl alcohol to propylene with more than 90% selectivity.256 A small amount of isopropyl ether was formed. When zeolite Y is used, the two products are formed in roughly equal amounts. A tantalum-pillared montmorillonite converted 1-butanol to butenes at 500°C with 100% selectivity at 41% conversion.257 The product contained a 17 20 16 mixture of 1 -butene/c/s-2-butene/fra/ s-2-butene. No butyraldehyde or butyl ether was formed. A pillared clay has been used for the alkylation of benzene with 1-dodecene without formation of dialkylated products.258 The carbonylation of styrene proceeded in 100% yield (6.50).259... 

The Wittig-type olefination of carbonyl compounds is one of the characteristic reactions of carbene complexes. High-valent carbene complexes of early transition metals show ylide-like reactivity to vards carbonyl compounds. In 1976, Schrock first demonstrated that niobium and tantalum neopentylidene complexes 1 and 2, the typical nucleophilic Schrock-type carbene complexes, olefinate various carbonyl compounds including carboxylic acid derivatives [4]. 

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