The driving force role of ruthenacyclobutanes

1H NMR Analysis of the Metathesis Reaction between 1-Hexene and (E)-Anethole Using Grubbs 2nd Generation Catalyst: Effect of Reaction Conditions on (E)-1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1-hexene Formation and Decomposition

The metathesis of 1-hexene and (E)-anethole in the presence of Grubbs 2nd generation catalyst was monitored by in situ 1H NMR spectroscopy at different temperatures (15 °C, 25 °C, and 45 °C) and anethole mol fractions (XAnethole ≈ 0.17, 0.29, 0.5, 0.71, 0.83). Time traces confirmed the instantaneous formation of (E)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-hexene, the cross-metathesis product. A maximum concentration of (E)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-hexene is reached fairly fast (the time depending on the reaction conditions), and this is followed by a decrease in the concentration of (E)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-hexene due to secondary metathesis. The maximum concentration of (E)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-hexene was more dependent on the XAnethole than the temperature. The highest TOF (3.46 min−1) was obtained for the reaction where XAnethole was 0.16 at 45 °C. The highest concentration of the cross-metathesis product was however achieved after 6 min with an anethole mol fraction of 0.84 at 25 °C. A preliminary kinetic study indicated that the secondary metathesis reaction followed first order kinetics.

Comparison of the Spectroscopically Measured Catalyst Transformation and Electrochemical Properties of Grubbs' First- and Second-Generation Catalysts

According to UV-vis spectroscopy (0.10 mM, CH₂Cl₂ at 25 °C), the catalyst transformation (which could possibly include ligand dissociation with active catalyst formation, dimer formation, and decomposition) rate constants (k _obs) of Grubbs' first (1) and second (2) generation catalysts are 7.48 × 10^-5 and 1.52 × 10^-4 s^-1, respectively. From ³¹P NMR (0.1 M, CD₂Cl₂, at 25 °C), the catalyst transformation was 5.1% for 1 and 16.5% for 2 after 72 h. However, due to the larger concentrations of the NMR samples compared to the UV-vis samples, the extent of transformation did not correspond. The oxidation potential of the Ru^II/Ru^III couple of 2 (E°' = 27.5 mV at v = 200 mV s^-1) was considerably lower than that of 1 (E°' = 167 mV at v = 200 mV s^-1). In the case of 1, a second reduction peak appeared at slow scan rates. This may probably be ascribed to an electrochemically active compound that was formed from the intermediate cation 1 ^•+ and the subsequent reduction of the latter. The oxidation/reduction of 1 proceeds according to an E_rC_i electrochemical mechanism (E_r = electrochemically reversible step, C_i = chemically irreversible step), whereas 2 proceeds according to an E_rC_r electrochemical mechanism (E_r = electrochemically reversible step, C_i = chemically reversible step).

Theoretical characterization of first and second generation Grubbs catalysts in styrene cross-metathesis reactions: insights from conceptual DFT

Reorganization energy and DFT-based reactivity descriptors revealed important issues regarding the performance of Grubbs catalysts.

Computational study of productive and non-productive cycles in fluoroalkene metathesis

A detailed DFT study of the mechanism of metathesis of fluoroethene, 1-fluoroethene, 1,1-difluoroethene, cis- and trans-1,2-difluoroethene, tetrafluoroethene and chlorotrifluoroethene catalysed with the Hoveyda-Grubbs 2(nd) generation catalyst was performed. It revealed that a successful metathesis of hydrofluoroethenes is hampered by a high preference for a non-productive catalytic cycle proceeding through a ruthenacyclobutane intermediate bearing fluorines in positions 2 and 4. Moreover, the calculations showed that the cross-metathesis of perfluoro- or perhaloalkenes should be a feasible process and that the metathesis is not very sensitive to stereochemical issues.

Hypercoordinate β-carbon in Grubbs and Schrock olefin metathesis metallacycles

From the analysis of structural, bond order, electron density and ¹³C NMR data of a large variety of ruthenacyclobutanes and tungstenacyclobutanes, we show that the C_β of the metallacycle is pentacoordinate.