Hydride complexes tungsten

An interesting series of molybdenum and tungsten hydride complexes with sterically hindered thiolate ligands has recently been established due to the interest in their possible relevance to hydrodesulfurization catalysis and to the active site of the enzyme nitrogenase. The complexes [MH(SAr)3(PMe2Ph)2l (M = Mo, W SAr = TIPT, TMT) were prepared as summarized in Eqs. (8) and (9). 

Molybdenum and tungsten carbonyl hydride complexes were shown (Eqs. (16), (17), (22), (23), (24) see Schemes 7.5 and 7.7) to function as hydride donors in the presence of acids. Tungsten dihydrides are capable of carrying out stoichiometric ionic hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones (Eq. (28)). These stoichiometric reactions provided evidence that the proton and hydride transfer steps necessary for a catalytic cycle were viable, but closing of the cycle requires that the metal hydride bonds be regenerated from reaction with H2. 

Conjugate hydride abstractions have also been used for the generation of carbon-metal double bonds. An interesting reaction sequence, in which a (thermally unstable) cationic, non-heteroatom-substituted tungsten carbene complex is prepared by conjugate hydride abstraction, is shown in Figure 3.9. 

Fig. 3.9. Preparation of a cationic, non-heteroatom-substituted tungsten carbene complex by conjugate hydride abstraction [435].

Further treatment of the above surface complexes under hydrogen at 150 °C affords surface tungsten hydrides that have been monitored by IR spectroscopy [76, 77]. 

The electrosynthesis of hydride complexes directly from molecular hydrogen at atmospheric pressure by reduction of Mo(II) and W(II) tertiary phosphine precursors in moderate yield has been described as also the electrosynthesis of trihydride complexes of these metals by reduction of M(IV) dihydride precursors [101,102]. Hydrogen evolution at the active site of molybdenum nitrogenases [103] is intimately linked with biological nitrogen fixation and the electrochemistry of certain well-defined mononuclear molybdenum and tungsten hydrido species has been discussed in this context [104,105]. 

HETEROBINUCLEAR NONACARBONYL COMPLEXES AND HYDRIDE COMPLEXES OF IRON-CHROMIUM, IRON-MOLYBDENUM, AND IRON-TUNGSTEN... 

Notably, early attempts to similarly prepare cyclopropenyl complexes of group 6 molybdenum and tungsten, using [CpM(CO),] anions (M = Mo, W) and [C,(Bu-/),]BF4, resulted in the electrophilic attack of the cyclopropenium cation on the peripheral cyclopentadienyl ligand, to give hydride complexes (equation 196)270. These air-sensitive hydride complexes readily react with CC14, to afford the corresponding air-stable chloro complexes. 

Anionic chromium hydride complexes proved to be efficient hydrogen atom donors. Newcomb determined PPN+ HCr(CO)5 to be an efficient radical initiator and reducing agent for radicals and determined the kinetics of the hydrogen abstraction reaction [214]. In line with the observation that 3d metal complexes are much more prone to radical pathways than the corresponding 4d and 5d complexes, an increase of the extent of competing S -pathways for the bromide abstraction was found for molybdenum and tungsten complexes compared to the chromium complex. 

Since silene is an unstable species, various transition metal-silene complexes coordinated by the silicon-carbon double bond have been reported. In 1970, Pannel reported the formation of silene by irradiation of an iron complex (Eq. 6) [8]. He obtained an iron-TMS complex that was apparently formed from silene and an iron-hydride complex generated from the starting iron complex by /3-hydrogen elimination [8]. Wrighton confirmed the existence of tungsten-and iron-silene complexes by examination of NMR spectra obtained at low temperature (Eqs. 7 and 8) [9]. 

The reaction of alkyl-substituted tungsten-carbene complexes of the type (88b) have been reported by Macomber to react with alkynes to give dienes of the type (319). One mechanism that has been proposed to account for this product is a 3-hydride elimination from the metallacyclobutene intermediate (320) and subsequent reductive elimination in the metal hydride species (321). An additional example of this type of reaction has been reported by Rudler, also for an alkyl tungsten carbene complex. Chromium complexes have not been observed to give diene products of this type the reaction of the analogous chromium complex (88a) with diphenylacetylene gives a cyclobutenone as the only reported product (see Scheme 31). Acyclic products are observed for both tungsten and chromium complexes in their reactions with ynamines. These reactions produce amino-stablized carbene complexes that are the result of the formal insertion of the ynamine into the metal-carbene bond. ... 

Under the same conditions, the analogous tungsten hydride reacts with fumaronitrile to form succinonitrile (95 %) and a mixture of fumaronitrile and maleonitrile complexed with tungstenocene (Eq. 60). 

There are several classic examples of the use of FTIR spectroelectrochemistry in elucidating the EC reactions of oxidized carbonyl complexes. These include the isomerization of 17e complexes for example, the isomerization of m-[Mo(CO)2(P-P)2]+ to the trans-isomer.139 Similarly, the cis-isomer of [Re(CO)2(P P)2]+ or [Re(CO)(P—P)2X] will isomerize on oxidation as monitored in a reflection IR cell.140 One-electron oxidation of [IrH(CO)(PPh3)3] is reversible, but further oxidation to the dication induces hydride oxidation and the appearance of bands due to the 16e complex [Ir(CO)(PPh3)3]+.141 Oxidation of arene tricarbonyls of Group 6 metals is frequently irreversible, especially in coordinating solvents at ambient temperature. However, the mesitylene tungsten tricarbonyl complex is oxidized by two electrons with the reversible take up of MeCN.142... 

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