Vinylidene from alkenyl complexes

Protonation of alkenyl complexes has been used [56,534,544,545] for generating cationic, electrophilic carbene complexes similar to those obtained by a-abstraction of alkoxide or other leaving groups from alkyl complexes (Section 3.1.2). Some representative examples are sketched in Figure 3.27. Similarly, electron-rich alkynyl complexes can react with electrophiles at the P-position to yield vinylidene complexes [144,546-551]. This approach is one of the most appropriate for the preparation of vinylidene complexes [128]. Figure 3.27 shows illustrative examples of such reactions. 

Formation from Alkenyl, Vinylidene or Carbyne Complexes... 

The stoichiometric interaction of an enyne and [RuCl(PCy3)(pcymene)]B(Ar )4 XVIIIa containing a bulky non-coordinating anion B(ArF)4 showed by NMR at —30 ° C the formation of the alkenyl alkylidene ruthenium complex and acrolein. This formation could be understood by the initial formation of a vinylidene intermediate and transfer of a hydride from the oxygen a-carbon atom to the electrophilic vinylidene carbon, as a retroene reaction step (Scheme 8.13) [54]. 

The formation of metal vinylidene complexes directly from terminal alkynes is an elegant way to perform anti-Markovnikov addition of nucleophiles to triple bonds [1, 2], The electrophilic a-carbon of ruthenium vinylidene complexes reacts with nucleophiles to form ruthenium alkenyl species, which liberate this organic fragment on protonolysis (Scheme 1). 

The formation of allenylidene derivatives from ethynyl-hexanol and alkenyl-vinylidene mononuclear complexes (9), the formation of mononuclear ruthenium allenyl complexes from terminal alkynes (10), the intermediacy of ruthenium-allenylidene complexes in forming propargylic alcohols (II), and in the cyclization of propargyl alcohols (12), and the use of mononuclear ruthenium compounds in allylic alkylation catalysis (13) have also been reported. 

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