Transition metal, tetrafluoroborates

Formation of fluoride-containing coordination compounds by decomposition of transition-metal tetrafluoroborates. J. Reedijk, Comments Inorg. Chem., 1982,1, 379-389 (34). 

With regard to the mechanism of these Pd°-catalyzed reactions, little is known in addition to what is shown in Scheme 10-62. In our opinion, the much higher yields with diazonium tetrafluoroborates compared with the chlorides and bromides, and the low yields and diazo tar formation in the one-pot method using arylamines and tert-butyl nitrites (Kikukawa et al., 1981 a) indicate a heterolytic mechanism for reactions under optimal conditions. The arylpalladium compound is probably a tetra-fluoroborate salt of the cation Ar-Pd+, which dissociates into Ar+ +Pd° before or after addition to the alkene. An aryldiazenido complex of Pd(PPh3)3 (10.25) was obtained together with its dediazoniation product, the corresponding arylpalladium complex 10.26, in the reaction of Scheme 10-64 by Yamashita et al. (1980). Aryldiazenido complexes with compounds of transition metals other than Pd are discussed in the context of metal complexes with diazo compounds (Zollinger, 1995, Sec. 10.1). 

Recently, there has been considerable interest in developing molten salts that are less air and moisture sensitive. Melts such as l-methyl-3-butylimidazolium hexa-fluorophosphate [211], l-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate [212], and l-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [213] are reported to be hydro-phobic and stable under environmental conditions. In some cases, metal deposition from these electrolytes has been explored [214]. They possess a wide potential window and sufficient ionic conductivity to be considered for many electrochemical applications. Of course if one wishes to take advantage of their potential air stability, one loses the opportunity to work with the alkali and reactive metals. Further, since these ionic liquids are neutral and lack the adjustable Lewis acidity common to the chloroaluminates, the solubility of transition metal salts into these electrolytes may be limited. On a positive note, these electrolytes are significantly different from the chloroaluminates in that the supporting electrolyte is not intended to be electroactive. 

However, a number of limitations are still evident when tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate ionic liquids are used in homogeneous catalysis. The major aspect is that these anions are shll relatively sensitive to hydrolysis. The tendency to anion hydrolysis is of course much less pronounced than that of the chloroalu-minate melts, but it still occurs and this has major consequences for their use in transition metal catalysis. For example, the [PFg] anion of l-butyl-3-methylimida-zolium ([BMIM]) hexafluorophosphate was found (in the author s laboratories) to hydrolyze completely after addition of excess water when the sample was kept for 8 h at 100 °C. Gaseous HF and phosphoric acid were formed. Under the same conditions, only small amounts of the tetrafluoroborate ion of [BMIMjlBFJ was converted into HF and boric acid [10]. The hydrolyhc formation of HF from the anion of the ionic liquid under the reaction conditions causes the following problems with... 

The reactions of chlorosilicon and chlorogermanium transition metal complexes with silver hexafluoroantimonate, as well as with silver tetrafluoroborate or silver hexafluorophosphate. 

Arylations of weak organic nucleophiles are best achieved with iodonium salts possessing nucleofugic anions and, in some cases, can be facilitated with transition metal catalysts. Recent examples include Cu(II)-catalyzed S-phenyla-tions of 1-benzothiophenes with diphenyliodonium triflate [118], and Co(II)-catalyzed N-arylations of imidazoles with diaryliodonium tetrafluoroborates (Scheme 42) [119]. 

Dienes are generally much less reactive when coordinated to transition metals than when in an uncoordinated state. An important discovery was thus made by Fischer and Fischer (86) in 1960 when they found that cyclo-hexadiene-iron tricarbonyl (XV) (formed from 1,3-cyclohexadiene and iron pentacarbonyl) undergoes hydride ion abstraction by triphenylmethyl tetrafluoroborate to form 7r-cyclohexadienyl-iron tricarbonyl tetra-fluoroborate (XVI) ... 

Bipyridine is a strong field ligand that forms relatively stable complexes, with the inherent M—N bond strength enhanced by the chelate effect. These factors favor the formation of 4-coordinate bis and 6-coordinate tris complexes. The tris complexes of the first row transition metals in normal oxidation states (+2 or +3) are best prepared by the reaction of a suitable metal salt with an excess of bpy in water, methanol, or other organic solvent. The solid complexes can be obtained by crystallization or by the precipitation of the perchlorate, hexafluorophosphate, tetrafluoroborate, or other salts. Because bpy is a strong field ligand, the lower oxidation states tend to be favored, and reduction of M(III) complexes can occur in these preparations. The M(III) complexes are usually readily obtained by the chemical, aerobic, or electrochemical oxidation of the M(II) species. 

Electrophilic activation and hydrolysis of a-CF bonds in transition metal complexes is well precedented with strong Lewis or protic acids (Sect. 2.2). Abstraction of halide using AgBF4 in moist dichloromethane from the perfluor-obenzyl and perfluoropropyl complexes 1 and 2 affords the cationic aqua complexes 3+ and 4+ which exist as hydrogen bonded dimers in the solid state with tetrafluoroborate anions bridging the coordinated aqua ligands [69] (Scheme 4). 

The search for a catalyst suitable to promote addition of the less reactive silyl enol ethers of ketones has identified a novel class of cationic transition metal complexes in two independent laboratories. The use of a chiral palladium(II) di-aquo complex in the catalytic asymmetric addition of silyl enol ethers to aldehydes (first demonstrated by Shibasaki, Sodeoka et al. [52a, 52b]) provided a clear precedent for their subsequent use with a-imino esters [53] (Scheme 27). Initial experiments focused on the reaction of various a-imino esters 82a-c with silyl enol ether 83 (1.5equiv) in the presence of the Pd diaquo complex 80a (10 mol %) in DMF. Extensive experimentation led to the formation of 84c in 67% ee, and also underscored the importance of suppressing the generation of tetrafluoroboric acid during the course of the reaction. 

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