Vinylidene complexes bonding

One-electron oxidation of the vinylidene complex transforms it from an Fe=C axially symmetric Fe(ll) carbene to an Fe(lll) complex where the vinylidene carbon bridges between iron and a pyrrole nitrogen. Cobalt and nickel porphyrin carbene complexes adopt this latter structure, with the carbene fragment formally inserted into the metal-nitrogen bond. The difference between the two types of metalloporphyrin carbene, and the conversion of one type to the other by oxidation in the case of iron, has been considered in a theoretical study. The comparison is especially interesting for the iron(ll) and cobalt(lll) carbene complexes Fe(Por)CR2 and Co(Por)(CR2) which both contain metal centers yet adopt... 

The dominant factors reversing the conventional ds-hydroboration to the trans-hydroboration are the use of alkyne in excess of catecholborane or pinacolborane and the presence of more than 1 equiv. of EtsN. The P-hydrogen in the ris-product unexpectedly does not derive from the borane reagents because a deuterium label at the terminal carbon selectively migrates to the P-carbon (Scheme 1-5). A vinylidene complex (17) [45] generated by the oxidative addition of the terminal C-H bond to the catalyst is proposed as a key intermediate of the formal trans-hydroboration. 

In 1998, Wakatsuki et al. reported the first anti-Markonikov hydration of 1-alkynes to aldehydes by an Ru(II)/phosphine catalyst. Heating 1-alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [RuCljlCgHs) (phosphine)] phosphine = PPh2(QF5) or P(3-C6H4S03Na)3 in 2-propanol at 60-100°C leads to predominantly anti-Markovnikov addition of water and yields aldehydes with only a small amount of methyl ketones (Eq. 6.47) [95]. They proposed the attack of water on an intermediate ruthenium vinylidene complex. The C-C bond cleavage or decarbonylation is expected to occur as a side reaction together with the main reaction leading to aldehyde formation. Indeed, olefins with one carbon atom less were always detected in the reaction mixtures (Scheme 6-21). 

It should also be mentioned that very recently, a new cycloisomerization of enynes has been shown to proceed via a rhodium-vinylidene complex,187 which, after [2 + 2]-cycloaddition and ring opening of a rhodacyclobutane, furnishes versatile cyclic dienes (Scheme 47).188 Not only does this constitute a fifth mechanistic pathway, but it also opens new opportunites for C-C bond constructions. 

In the transformation of a 1-alkyne to a vinylidene in the coordination sphere of a transition metal, the migrating hydrogen atom plays a key role. Usually, ancillary ligands on the metal are only spectators and do contribute to small modifications of the bonding properties of the metal fragment. However, if a hydride is present as a ligand to the transition metal center, it may interfere with the alkyne to vinylidene transformation. This may open up new selective and efficient routes to vinylidene complexes. 

The acetylene coordinates trans to the least o electron donor group, chlorine. Coordination of the C-H bond is a less favorable alternative to coordination of the n system. The o C-H complex is 17.1 kcal.mol 1 less stable than the rc-alkyne complex (Figure 5). From this c C-H intermediate the 1,2 shift is possible with a relatively small activation barrier (+15.5 kcaLmol 1) to yield the vinylidene complex. However this mechanism is in contradiction with the labeling experiment. 

Alkynes react readily with a variety of transition metal complexes under thermal or photochemical conditions to form the corresponding 7t-complexes. With terminal alkynes the corresponding 7t-complexes can undergo thermal or chemically-induced isomerization to vinylidene complexes [128,130,132,133,547,556-569]. With mononuclear rj -alkyne complexes two possible mechanisms for the isomerization to carbene complexes have been considered, namely (a) oxidative insertion of the metal into the terminal C-Fl bond to yield a hydrido alkynyl eomplex, followed by 1,3-hydrogen shift from the metal to Cn [570,571], or (b) eoneerted formation of the M-C bond and 1,2-shift of H to Cp [572]. 

Unusual iron-porphyrin vinylidene complexes were obtained from DDT [l,l-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-tricMoroethane] and Fe(tpp) [tpp = meso-tetraphenylporphinato (2-)] in the presence ofa reducing agent [10a, 264]. The derived N,N -vinylene-bridged porphyrin reacts with metal carbonyls [Fe3(CO)i2, Ru3(CO)i2] to break one or both N—C bonds with insertion of the vinylidene into an M—N bond. While the iron complex was formed in 90% yield, the reaction with Ru3(CO)i2 afforded three products, the vinylidene being formed in only 40% yield [265]. 

Species (A) and (B) constitute the main class of unsaturated carbenes and play important roles as reactive intermediates due to the very electron-deficient carbon Cl [1]. Once they are coordinated with an electron-rich transition metal, metal vinylidene (C) and allenylidene (D) complexes are formed (Scheme 4.1). Since the first example of mononuclear vinylidene complexes was reported by King and Saran in 1972 [2] and isolated and structurally characterized by Ibers and Kirchner in 1974 [3], transition metal vinylidene and allenylidene complexes have attracted considerable interest because of their role in carbon-heteroatom and carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions as well as alkene and enyne metathesis [4]. Over the last three decades, many reviews [4—18] have been contributed on various aspects of the chemistry of metal vinylidene and allenylidene complexes. A number of theoretical studies have also been carried out [19-43]. However, a review of the theoretical aspects of the metal vinylidene and allenylidene complexes is very limited [44]. This chapter will cover theoretical aspects of metal vinylidene and allenylidene complexes. The following aspects vdll be reviewed ... 

In 2003, Gimeno, Bassetti and coworkers reported an unusual diastereoselective [2 + 2] cycloaddition of two C=C bonds under mild thermal conditions (Scheme 4.18) [128]. Heating the vinylidene complexes Rul leads to the bicyclic alkylidene complexes Ru2. In 2004, Sordo and coworkers investigated the mechanism of this [2 + 2] cycloaddition theoretically [25]. With model complexes in which the indenyl ligand was modeled with a Cp ligand, two different pathways (paths a and b) were studied, shown in Scheme 4.19. Path a considers a concerted process. In the stepwise pathway (path b), the vinylidene-to-alkyne tautomerization of R1 followed by... 

Ruthenium vinylidene species can be transformed into small carbocyclic rings via carbocyclization reactions. Ruthenium vinylidene complex 2, generated from the electrophilic reaction of alkyne complex 1 with haloalkanes, was deprotonated with "BU4NOH to give the unprecedented neutral cyclopropenyl complex 3 (Scheme 6.2) [5]. Gimeno and Bassetti prepared ruthenium vinylidene species 4a and 4b bearing a pendent vinyl group when these complexes were heated in chloroform for a brief period, cyclobutylidene products 5a and Sb formed via a [2 + 2] cycloaddition between the vinylidene Ca=Cp bond and olefin (Scheme 6.3) [6]. 

Esteruelas and coworkers reported the stoichiometric Diels-Alder type addition of dienes to the Cp-Cy double bond of allenylidene complexes to give the corresponding substituted vinylidene complexes (Equation 7.7) [33]. The results of this stoichiometric reaction prompted us to investigate the diruthenium complex-catalyzed allenylidene-ene reaction between alkenes and the Cp-Cy double bond of an allenylidene moiety. Results of inter- and intramolecular allenylidene-ene reactions providing novel coupling products between alkynes and alkenes are described in this section [34]. 

Intermolecular reactions of propargylic alcohols with a-methylstyrene gave the corresponding 1-hexene-5-ynes in moderate yields with complete regioselectivity (Scheme 7.30). The incorporation of a deuterium atom at the C-6 position (acetylenic terminal carbon) of the product and a substantial isotope effect (kH/fco = 4) were observed when a-methylstyrene-methyl-dj was used in place of a-methylstyrene. It is considered that the Cp-Cy double bond of an allenylidene complex reacts with a-methylstyrene, where the allenylidene complex works as an enophile, to afford the corresponding vinylidene complex via an allenylidene-ene reaction, as shown in Scheme 7.30. 

Optimized reaction conditions call for the use of Wilkinson s catalyst in conjunction with the organocatalyst 2-amino-3-picoline (60) and a Br0nsted add. Jun and coworkers have demonstrated the effectiveness of this catalyst mixture for a number of reactions induding hydroacylation and C—H bond fundionalization [25]. Whereas, in most cases, the Lewis basic pyridyl nitrogen of the cocatalyst ads to dired the insertion of rhodium into a bond of interest, in this case the opposite is true - the pyridyl nitrogen direds the attack of cocatalyst onto an organorhodium spedes (Scheme 9.11). Hydroamination of the vinylidene complex 61 by 3-amino-2-picoline gives the chelated amino-carbene complex 62, which is in equilibrium with a-bound hydrido-rhodium tautomers 63 and 64. 

The proposed reaction mechanism is shown in Scheme 9.15. Starting from the phenyl-rhodium complex 87, alkyne rearrangement is expected to furnish the phenyl-vinylidene complex 88. Migration of a phenyl ligand onto the vinylidene moiety of 88 must occur such that the vinyl Rh-C bond and the enone tether of the resultant complex (89) attain a cis-relationship to one another. Intramolecular conjugate... 

Unusual bridging (//-cyclopropyIidene)diiron complexes having a tetrahedral carbene carbon have been studied as model intermediates in carbon-carbon bond formation in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis248. The cyclopropylidene complexes cis- and trans-[Cp(Co)Fe]2(/(-Co)(//-C,H4) were readily prepared by cyclopropanation in ether, of the corresponding cis- and mww-vinylidene complexes [CpCoFe](//-CO)(//-CH2) with diazomethane in the presence of CuCl (equation 181). Both isomers are air stable in the solid state. Solutions of the complexes are air stable for several hours, provided they are kept in the dark. The pure //-cyclopropylidene isomers slowly interconvert in solution, like their parent /z-vinylidene and other alkylidene complexes. The final equilibrium ratio cis .trans = 4.8 1 is reached after two weeks. 

Vinylidene complexes have been obtained from reactions between PhC=CEPh3 (E = Si, Ge, or Sn) and manganese complexes (11, 18) solvolysis of the C-E bond is followed by transfer of a proton from the solvent. The yields (E = Si, 0% Ge, 1% Sn, 15%) are inversely proportional to the stability of the intermediate tp-alkyne complex. 

Electrophilic attack on //-vinylidene complexes can occur either on the methylene carbon, or at the metal-metal bond. With the manganese complexes (45, R = H or Me), protonation affords the//-carbyne complexes (46), which in the case of R = Me, exist in the stereoisomeric forms shown (57). Interconversion of the two forms is slow at room temperature ... 

BONDING AND STRUCTURE IN MONONUCLEAR AND BINUCLEAR VINYLIDENE COMPLEXES... 

In their metal complexes, bonding of either species to the metal atom is via a ligand - > metal a donor bond and a metal - >ligand n bond, enabling back donation of electron density to the n orbitals of the C-C multiple bond system to take place. Vinylidene is one of the best 7t-acceptors known, and is exceeded only by S02 and CS in this respect the relationship between phenylvinylidene and other common ligands has been determined (18) from the CO force constants exhibited by a series of Mn(CO)2(q-C5H5) complexes, which increase in this order ... 

Tables I and II summarize the structural studies of mononuclear and binuclear vinylidene complexes, and Table III those of propadienylidene complexes which had been reported to mid-1982. As can be seen, the C=C bond lengths range from 1.29 to 1.38 A, and the M-C bond (1.7-2.0 A) is considerably shorter than those found in alkyl or simple carbene complexes. Both observations are consistent with the theoretical picture outlined above, and in particular, the short M-C bonds confirm the efficient transfer of electron density to the n orbitals. In mononuclear complexes, the M—C=C system ranges from strictly linear to appreciably bent, e.g., 167° in MoCl[C=C(CN)2][P(OMe3)2]2(fj-C5H5) these variations have been attributed to electronic rather than steric factors. In the molybdenum complex cited, the vinylidene ligand bends towards the cyclopentadienyl ring (111).

---