Transition metal complex catalyst systems

Dimerization, oligomerization, and similar reactions of olefins have been reported to be catalyzed by systems involving the majority of the Group VIII metals (3). The reasons for the particular interest in nickel-containing catalysts are their exceptionally high catalytic activity (catalytic reactions have been performed at temperatures as low as - 100°C), the diversity of catalytic reactions of obvious synthetic value, as well as the possibility to direct the course and control the selectivity of a catalytic reaction by tailoring the catalyst which are perhaps without parallel among transition metal complex catalysts. 

By combined use of molecular oxygen and aldehyde, various olefins are smoothly oxygenated into the corresponding epoxides catalyzed by bis(l,3-diketonato)nickel(II) complexes under an atmospheric pressure of oxygen at room temperature.[la, b] Transition-metal complex catalyst is quite influential over the reaction system of the present oxygenation, therefore, in order to develop the useful procedures, suitable selection of the catalyst is crucial. 

A second interesting feature of the first wave of research in this area was that very few oxidation systems were investigated. This was partly because fewer well characterised homogeneous transition metal complex catalysts were known and certainly their chemistry was not well understood and secondly because their was an implicit belief that polymers would be unsuitable as supports in oxidation reactions because of their own intrinsic thermo-oxidative instability. The situation was reviewed in 1988 [133]. 

Extensive efforts have been made to develop catalyst systems to control the stereochemistry, addition site, and other properties of the final polymers. Among the most prominant ones are transition metal-based catalysts including Ziegler or Ziegler-Natta type catalysts. The metals most frequentiy studied are Ti (203,204), Mo (205), Co (206-208), Cr (206-208), Ni (209,210), V (205), Nd (211-215), and other lanthanides (216). Of these, Ti, Co, and Ni complexes have been used commercially. It has long been recognized that by varying the catalyst compositions, the trans/cis ratio for 1,4-additions can be controlled quite selectively (204). Catalysts have also been developed to control the ratio of 1,4- to 1,2-additions within the polymers (203). 

Many transition metal complexes dissolve readily in ionic liquids, which enables their use as solvents for transition metal catalysis. Sufficient solubility for a wide range of catalyst complexes is an obvious, but not trivial, prerequisite for a versatile solvent for homogenous catalysis. Some of the other approaches to the replacement of traditional volatile organic solvents by greener alternatives in transition metal catalysis, namely the use of supercritical CO2 or perfluorinated solvents, very often suffer from low catalyst solubility. This limitation is usually overcome by use of special ligand systems, which have to be synthesized prior to the catalytic reaction. 

So-called reverse ATRP has been described where a conventional radical initiator (e.g. AIBN) and a transition metal complex in its Higher oxidation state are used. 85"288 One of the first systems explored was ( uBr- 133 AIBN VI VIA. It is important that the initiator is completely consumed early in the polymerization. The use of peroxide initiators in reverse ATRP can be problematical depending on the catalyst used and the reaction temperature.286 289 The system CuBr2/133/BPO/MMA at 60°C was found to provide no control,286 In ATRP at lower temperatures (40 °C), the system CuCl/133/BPO/MMA was successful though dispersities obtained were relatively broadf89 Radicals are produced from the redox reaction between the catalyst in its reduced form and BPO. 

Investigations of silicon-metal systems are of fundamental interest, since stable coordination compounds with low valent silicon are still rare [64], and furthermore, silicon transition-metal complexes have a high potential for technical applications. For instance, coordination compounds of Ti, Zr, and Hf are effective catalysts for the polymerization of silanes to oligomeric chain-silanes. The mechanism of this polymerization reaction has not yet been fully elucidated, but silylene complexes as intermediates have been the subject of discussion. Polysilanes find wide use in important applications, e.g., as preceramics [65-67] or as photoresists [68-83],... 

The most common catalyst used to date is chloroplatinic acid (also known, after its discoverer, as Speier s catalyst) it is now clear that, contrary to earlier views (23), hydrosilylation is a homogeneous process (25, 208). A major problem is that of reproducibility, and efforts are being made to utilize soluble transition metal complexes. Information about such systems has been used in the interpretation of some related catalytic heterogeneous reactions (232). 

Chiral phosphine based transition metal complexes are nsed as a powerful tool for asymmetric synthesis (3). A fundamental mechanistic nnderstanding is required for rhodium and mthenium catalyzed reactions. The starting point of those investigations was the clear and detailed stractnral description of the isolated pre catalyst system. 

The mechanism for the reaction catalyzed by cationic palladium complexes (Scheme 24) differs from that proposed for early transition metal complexes, as well as from that suggested for the reaction shown in Eq. 17. For this catalyst system, the alkene substrate inserts into a Pd - Si bond a rather than a Pd-H bond [63]. Hydrosilylation of methylpalladium complex 100 then provides methane and palladium silyl species 112 (Scheme 24). Complex 112 coordinates to and inserts into the least substituted olefin regioselectively and irreversibly to provide 113 after coordination of the second alkene. Insertion into the second alkene through a boat-like transition state leads to trans cyclopentane 114, and o-bond metathesis (or oxidative addition/reductive elimination) leads to the observed trans stereochemistry of product 101a with regeneration of 112 [69]. 

One possible strategy in the development of low-overpotential methods for the electroreduction of C02 is to employ a catalyst in solution in the electrochemical cell, A few systems are known that employ homogeneous catalysts and these are based primarily on transition metal complexes. A particularly efficient catalyst is (Bipy)Re[CO]3Cl, where Bipy is 2,2 bipyridine, which was first reported as such by Hawecker et al. in 1983. In fact, this first report concerned the photochemical reduction of C02 to CO. However, they reasoned correctly that the complex should also be capable of catalysing the electrochemical reduction reaction. In 1984, the same authors reported that (Bipy)Re[C013CI catalysed the reduction of C02 to CO in DMF/water/ tetraalkylammonium chloride or perchlorate with an average current efficiency of >90% at —1.25 V vs. NHE (c. —1.5V vs. SCE). The product analysis was performed by gas chromatography and 13C nmr and showed no other products. 

The polymerization of olefins and di-olefins is one of the most important targets in polymer science. This review article describes recent progress in this field and deals with organo-transition metal complexes as polymerization catalysts. Recent developments in organometallic chemistry have prompted us to find a precise description of the mechanism of propagation, chain transfer, and termination steps in the homogeneously metal-assisted polymerization of olefins and diolefins. Thus, this development provides an idea for designing any catalyst systems that are of interest in industry. 

Metal complexes, especially involving transition metals, are known for their role as catalysts in a broad variety of chemical processes including isomerization, oxidization, hydrogenation, and polymerization. Such catalytic reactions play an important role not only in many industrial processes, such as petroleum and polymer industries, but also in many biological systems, e.g., a variety of selective oxidation catalysts with heme (1) and nonheme (2) iron centers. The transition metals in these systems usually constitute a fundamental part of the catalyst, due to their... 

The catalytic cyclo-oligomerization of 1,3-butadiene mediated by transition-metal complexes is one of the key reactions in homogeneous catalysis.1 Several transition metal complexes and Ziegler-Natta catalyst systems have been established that actively catalyze the stereoselective cyclooligomerization of 1,3-dienes.2 Nickel complexes, in particular, have been demonstrated to be the most versatile catalysts.3... 

Some general reviews on hydrogenation using transition metal complexes that have appeared within the last five years are listed (4-7), as well as general reviews on asymmetric hydrogenation (8-10) and some dealing specifically with chiral rhodium-phosphine catalysts (11-13). The topic of catalysis by supported transition metal complexes has also been well reviewed (6, 14-29), and reviews on molecular metal cluster systems, that include aspects of catalytic hydrogenations, have appeared (30-34). 

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