Transition metal-lead double bond reactivity

D. Reactivity of the Transition Metal Lead Double Bond. 1314... 

Theoretical calculations have been fundamental in solving the controversy on the mechanism for the dihydroxylation of double bonds by transition metal oxo complexes. Nowadays, this topic which was the subject of a controversy just a few years ago seems to be solved in favor of the [3+2] pathway, at least in a vast majority of the cases. Despite this spectacular success there are still a number of open issues for this particular reaction which have not been solved, and which continue to be a challenge for computational chemists. Among this, one can mention the correlation between the nature of the substrate and its reactivity with permanganate, and the mechanisms leading to the proportion of products experimentally observed when CrC Cb is applied. Hopefully, these issues will be solved in the future with the help of theoretical calculations. 

The importance of transition-metal-catalysed reactions lies in their ability to facilitate reactions that would not occur under normal conditions. One such reaction is nucleophilic attack on an isolated double bond. While the presence of a conjugating group promotes the attack of nucleophiles, in its absence no such reaction occurs. Coordination of an alkene to a transition metal ion such as pal-ladium(II) changes its reactivity dramatically as electron density is drawn towards the metal and away from the n orbitals of the alkene. This leads to activation towards attack by nucleophiles just as for conjugate addition and unusual chemistry follows. Unusual, that is, for the alkene the palladium centre behaves exactly as expected. 

Whereas transition metal complexes of alkenes and their chemistry have been well explored, comparatively little is known about the structure and reactivity of n complexes obtained from strained olefins. The stability of transition metal complexes of alkenes in general is preferably discussed in terms of the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model (171). A mutual er-type donor-acceptor interaction accounts for the bonding overlap of the bonding 71-MO of the olefin with vacant orbitals of the metal together with interaction of filled d orbitals with the 7r -MO of the double bond (back bonding) leads to a partial transfer of. electron density in both directions (172). The major contribution to the stabilizing interaction is due to back-bonding. 

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