Carbon–hydrogen versus carbon–chalcogen bond cleavage of furan, thiophene and selenophene by ansa molybdenocene complexes

Ring-expansion and desulfurisation of thiophenes with an aluminium(I) reagent

Reactions of thiophene, 2-methylthiophene, 2-methoxythiophene, 2,3-dimethylthiophene, and benzothiophene with the aluminium(I) complex [{ArNC(Me)2H}Al] (Ar = 2,6-di-isopropylphenyl) are reported. In all cases, carbon-sulfur bond activation and ring-expansion of the heterocycle is observed. For thiophene, we identify a reaction network for desulfurisation that includes an unusual second carbon-sulfur bond activation step.

Multiple activations of CH bonds in arenes and heteroarenes

Re₂(CO)₈(μ-C₆H₅)(μ-H) reacts with anthracene four times to yield the quadruply CH activated complex [Re₂(CO)₈(μ-H)]₄(μ-η²-1,2-μ-η²-3,4-μ-η²-5,6-μ-η²-7,8-C₁₄H₆).

Reactivity of Mo(PMe3)6 towards benzothiophene and selenophenes: new pathways relevant to hydrodesulfurization

Mo(PMe(3))(6) cleaves a C-S bond of benzothiophene to give (kappa(2)-CHCHC(6)H(4)S)Mo(PMe(3))(4), which rapidly isomerizes to the olefin-thiophenolate and 1-metallacyclopropene-thiophenolate complexes, (kappa(1),eta(2)-CH(2)CHC(6)H(4)S)Mo(PMe(3))(3)(eta(2)-CH(2)PMe(2)) and (kappa(1),eta(2)-CH(2)CC(6)H(4)S)Mo(PMe(3))(4). The latter two molecules result from a series of hydrogen transfers and are differentiated according to whether the termini of the organic fragments coordinate as olefin or eta(2)-vinyl ligands, respectively. The reactions between Mo(PMe(3))(6) and selenophenes proceed differently from those of the corresponding thiophenes. For example, whereas Mo(PMe(3))(6) reacts with thiophene to give eta(5)-thiophene and butadiene-thiolate complexes, (eta(5)-C(4)H(4)S)Mo(PMe(3))(3) and (eta(5)-C(4)H(5)S)Mo(PMe(3))(2)(eta(2)-CH(2)PMe(2)), selenophene affords the metallacyclopentadiene complex [(kappa(2)-C(4)H(4))Mo(PMe(3))(3)(Se)](2)[Mo(PMe(3))(4)] in which the selenium has been completely abstracted from the selenophene moiety. Likewise, in addition to (kappa(1),eta(2)-CH(2)CC(6)H(4)Se)Mo(PMe(3))(4) and (kappa(1),eta(2)-CH(2)CHC(6)H(4)Se)Mo(PMe(3))(3)(eta(2)-CH(2)PMe(2)), which are counterparts of the species observed in the benzothiophene reaction, the reaction of Mo(PMe(3))(6) with benzoselenophene yields products resulting from C-C coupling, namely [kappa(2),eta(4)-Se(C(6)H(4))(CH)(4)(C(6)H(4))Se]Mo(PMe(3))(2) and [mu-Se(C(6)H(4))(CH)C(CH)(2)(C(6)H(4))](mu-Se)[Mo(PMe(3))(2)][Mo(PMe(3))(2)H].

Silicon-Carbon bond cleavage reactions of Ansa tungstenocene compounds: the [Me2Si] bridge as a site for metallocene functionalization

[Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]W(H)Cl is obtained via reaction of WCl(6) with a mixture of [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]Li(2) and NaBH(4), from which the dichloride [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]WCl(2) is obtained via treatment with CHCl(3). [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]WCl(2) provides a means to access other ansa tungstenocene compounds, such as [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]WH(2), [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]WMe(2), and [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]WCO. Of most interest, the reactions of [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]W(H)Cl with organolithium reagents do not yield simple ansa tungstenocene derivatives. Specifically, the reactions of [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]W(H)Cl with MeLi, Bu(n)Li, or PhLi result in the formation of mixed-ring tungstenocene compounds resulting from C-Si cleavage and functionalization of the ansa bridge, namely (Cp(Me(2)))(eta(5),kappa(1)-C(5)H(2)Me(2)SiMe(2)CH(2))WH, (Cp(Me(2)))[eta(5),kappa(1)-C(5)H(2)Me(2)Si(Me)(Bu(n))CH(2)]WH, and (Cp(Me(2)))[eta(5),kappa(1)-C(5)H(2)Me(2)SiMe(2)(C(6)H(4))]WH, respectively. In contrast to the C-Si cleavage achieved by MeLi, Bu(n)Li, and PhLi, the ansa bridge of [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(2)]W(H)Cl is inert to Bu(t)Li and the product obtained is the fulvene ("tuck-in") complex [Me(2)Si(Cp(Me(2)))(eta(6)-C(5)MeH(2)CH(2))]WH derived from dehydrohalogenation.