Transition metal complexes alkene metathesis

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]. 

Effectively, this is another example of the addition of a functional aromatic compound to an alkene, as the Murai reaction, but the mechanism is different. Alkyl substituted pyridine derivatives are interesting molecules for pharmaceutical applications. The a-bond metathesis reaction is typical of early transition metal complexes as we have learnt in Chapter 2. 

The properties of siloxide as ancillary ligand in the system TM-O-SiRs can be effectively utilized in molecular catalysis, but predominantly by early transition metal complexes. Mono- and di-substituted branched siloxy ligands (e.g., incompletely condensed silsesquioxanes) have been employed as more advanced models of the silanol sites on silica surface for catalytically active centers of early TM (Ti, W, V) that could be effectively used in polymerization [5], metathesis [6] and epoxidation [7] of alkenes as well as dehydrogenative coupling of silanes [8]. 

The alkene metathesis reaction arose serendipitously from the exploration of transition-metal-catalysed alkene polymerisation. Due to the complexity of the polymeric products, the metathetic nature of the reaction seems to have been overlooked in early reports. However, in 1964, Banks and Bailey reported on what was described as the olefin disproportionation of acyclic alkenes where exchange was evident due to the monomeric nature of the products [8]. The reaction was actually a combination of isomerisation and metathesis, leading to complex mixtures, but by 1966 Calderon and co-workers had reported on the preparation of a homogeneous W/Al-based catalyst system that effected extraordinarily rapid alkylidene... 

At present, Mo, W, Re and Ru complexes are known to catalyse alkene metathesis [7]. This unique reaction, catalysed by transition metal complexes, is impossible to achieve by other means. Later, based on studies of the reactivities of Fischer-type carbene complexes, it was discovered that carbene complexes are the intermediates in alkene metatheses. WClg reacts with EtAlCl2 to afford the diethyltungsten complex 3 by transmetallation, and subsequent elimination of a-hydrogen generates ethane and the carbene complex 4 which is the active catalyst. 

Alkenylsilanes, mainly vinyl silanes and allyl silanes or related compounds, being widely used intermediates for organic synthesis can be efficiently prepared by several reactions catalyzed by transition-metal complexes, such as dehy-drogenative silylation of alkenes, hydrosilylation of alkynes, alkene metathesis, silylative coupling of alkenes with vinylsilanes, and coupling of alkynes with vinylsilanes [1-7]. Ruthenium complexes have been used for chemoselective, regioselective and stereoselective syntheses of unsaturated products. 

Carbenes can be stabilized as transition metal complexes decomposition of phenyldiazomethane in the presence of a ruthenium(II) complex gives a carbene complex stable enough to be isolated and stored for months. These complexes are among the most important of carbene-derived reagents because of a remarkable reaction known as alkene (or more commonly olefin) metathesis. 

Alkene metathesis is one of the more important of the many new useful reactions that use transition metal complexes as catalysts. You will see more in Chapters 45 and 48. 

The mechanism of the alkene metathesis reaction is now very well understood and is shown in Scheme 1. The initial mechanistic proposal of a pairwise reaction (the pairwise mechanism) of two alkenes at a transition metal center in a pseudocyclobutane transition metal complex has been discarded in favor of the carbene mechanism (the Chauvin Mechanism) of Scheme 1. ... 

Metathesis, which is reversible and can be catalyzed by a variety of organometallic complexes, has been the subject of considerable investigation, and many reviews on this topic have been published.In 1970, Herisson and Chauvin proposed that these reactions are catalyzed by carbene (alkylidene) complexes that react with alkenes via the formation of metallacyclobutane intermediates, as shown in Figure 14-20. This mechanism, now known as the Chauvin mechanism, has received considerable support and is believed to be the pathway of the majority of transition metal-catalyzed olefin metathesis reactions. 

Metallacyclic complexes play an important role as reactive intermediates in catalytic cycles initiated by homogeneous transition-metal complexes. Thus, metallacyclobutanes are discussed as intermediates in alkene metathesis, isomerization of strained cyclopropane compounds and many other reactions. On the other hand, numerous examples of isolable me-tallacyclobutane complexes have been reported. These can be formed by different routes such as carbon-carbon bond cleavage of cyclopropane compounds (A), cyclometallation via C — H bond cleavage (B), nucleophilic addition to allyl complexes (C), rearrangement of metallacyc-lopentanes (D) or transmetalation of 1,3-dimetallalated carbon chains (E). ... 

Another important reaction of alkenes with coordinatively unsaturated transition metal complexes is the alkene metathesis reaction ° [Eq. (6.158)] ... 

Functionalization of highly fluorinated molecules at transition metal centers is limited not only by the difficulty of G-F bond activation, but also by the well-established observations that metal-fluoroalkyl and metal-fluoroaryl bonds are stronger and much more kinetically inert than the corresponding metal-alkyl and metal-aryl bonds. Thus, migration, alkene metathesis, GO insertion, alkene insertion, a- and / -elimination of fluorinated substrates are all very challenging to achieve. The reactions described in this chapter form the reaction repertoire for the transition metal complexes interacting with fluorocarbons, a very different set from those for hydrocarbons. 

The chemistry of sulfur ylids as diazocarbonyl equivalents has been covered from the viewpoint of their generation and use in metal-catalysed reactions." The contribution of molecular modelling on the understanding of alkene metathesis has been detailed from the perspective of the properties of transition metal complexes, the theoretical description of metal carbene interaction and the computations carried out on these species. ... 

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