d0 Metal Olefin Complexes. Synthesis, Structures, and Dynamic Properties of (C5R5)2Zr(OCMe2CH2CH2CHCH2)+ Complexes: Models for the Elusive (C5R5)2Zr(R)(Olefin)+ Intermediates in Metallocene-Based Olefin Polymerization Catalysis

Platinum(II) Di-ω-alkenyl Complexes as "Slow-Release" Precatalysts for Heat-Triggered Olefin Hydrosilylation

We describe the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic hydrosilylation activity of platinum(II) di-ω-alkenyl compounds of stoichiometry PtR₂, where R = CH₂SiMe₂(vinyl) (1) or CH₂SiMe₂(allyl) (2), and their adducts with 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD), dibenzo[a,e]cyclooctatetraene (DBCOT), and norbornadiene (NBD), which can be considered as slow-release sources of the reactive compounds 1 and 2. At loadings of 0.5 × 10^-6-5 × 10^-6 mol %, 1-COD is an active hydrosilylation catalyst that exhibits heat-triggered latency: no hydrosilylation activity occurs toward many olefin substrates even after several hours at 20 °C, but turnover numbers as high as 200000 are seen after 4 h at 50 °C, with excellent selectivity for formation of the anti-Markovnikov product. Activation of the Pt^II precatalyst occurs via three steps: slow dissociation of COD from 1-COD to form 1, rapid reaction of 1 with silane, and elimination of both ω-alkenyl ligands to form Pt⁰ species. The latent catalytic behavior, the high turnover number, and the high anti-Markovnikov selectivity are a result of the slow release of 1 from 1-COD at room temperature, so that the concentration of Pt⁰ during the initial stages of the catalysis is negligible. As a result, formation of colloidal Pt, which is known to cause side reactions, is minimized, and the amounts of side products are very small and comparable to those seen for platinum(0) carbene catalysts. The latent reaction kinetics and high turnover numbers seen for 1-COD after thermal triggering make this compound a potentially useful precatalyst for injection molding or solvent-free hydrosilylation applications.

Mechanisms and Beyond: Elucidation of Fluxional Dynamics by Exchange NMR Spectroscopy

Detailed mechanistic information is crucial to our understanding of reaction pathways and selectivity. Dynamic exchange NMR techniques, in particular 2D exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) and its modifications, provide indispensable intricate information on the mechanisms of organic and inorganic reactions and other phenomena, for example, the dynamics of interfacial processes. In this Review, key results from exchange NMR studies of small molecules over the last few decades are systemised and discussed. After a brief introduction to the theory, the key types of dynamic processes are identified and fundamental examples given of intra- and intermolecular reactions, which, in turn, could involve, or not, bond-making and bond-breaking events. Following that logic, internal molecular rotation, intramolecular stereomutation and molecular recognition will first be considered because they do not typically involve bond breaking. Then, rearrangements, substitution-type reactions, cyclisations, additions and other processes affecting chemical bonds will be discussed. Finally, interfacial molecular dynamics and unexpected combinations of different types of fluxional processes will also be highlighted. How exchange NMR spectroscopy helps to identify conformational changes, coordination and molecular recognition processes as well as quantify reaction energy barriers and extract detailed mechanistic information by using reaction rate theory in conjunction with computational techniques will be shown.

Divergent Pathways Involving 1,3-Dipolar Addition and N-N Bond Splitting of an Organic Azide across a Zirconium Methylidene

The zirconium methylidene (PNP)Zr=CH₂ (OAr) (1) reacts with N₃ Ad to give two products (PNP)Zr=NAd(OAr) (2) and (PNP)Zr(η² -N=NAd)(N=CH₂ )(OAr) (3), both resulting from a common cycloaddition intermediate (PNP)Zr(CH₂ N₃ Ad)(OAr) (A). Using a series of control experiments in combination with DFT calculations, it was found that 2 results from a nitrene by a carbene metathesis reaction in which N₂ acts as a delivery vehicle and forms N₂ CH₂ as a side product. In the case of 3, N-N bond splitting of the azide at the α-position allowed the isolation of a rare example of a parent ketimide complex of zirconium. Isotopic labeling studies and solid-state X-ray analysis are presented for 2 and 3, in addition to an independent synthesis for the former.

Toward the Prediction of Activity in the Ethylene Polymerisation of ansa-Bis(indenyl) Zirconocenes: Effect of the Stereochemistry and Hydrogenation of the Indenyl Moiety

A combined experimental and quantum chemical study has been performed on rac- and meso-[Zr{1-Me₂ Si(3-η⁵ -C₉ H₅ Et)₂ }Cl₂ ] (rac- and meso-1) and their hydrogenated forms (rac- and meso-2) to understand ligand effects and guide ligand design for more active ansa-bis(indenyl) zirconocenes for the polymerisation of ethylene. The rac-ansa-zirconocene rac-[Zr(1-Me₂ Si{3-Et-(η⁵ -C₉ H₉ )}₂ )Cl₂ ] (rac-2) has been prepared and fully characterised by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular structure of rac-2 has also been determined by single-crystal XRD. The behaviour of the catalysts was analysed in the polymerisation of ethylene and higher activities were obtained for rac-1 and its hydrogenated form rac-2. The influence of the stereochemistry and hydrogenation of the indenyl ligand on the experimental activities has been evaluated by computational studies. The differences along the reaction pathway are dominated by changes in the relative stabilities of the catalytic intermediates. A hybrid density functional B3LYP study, in the presence of toluene as the solvent, indicates that the rac forms give rise to more active species than their meso counterparts. The hydrogenation of the rac forms is a very promising approach to increase activities in polymerisation, in contrast to the meso forms. Finally, the global mechanism rate constants for the polymerisation reaction for each metallocene were calculated by using the thermodynamic formulation of transition-state theory to complement the computational study.

Synthesis, structural characterization, and reactivity of Group 4 metallacarboranes bearing the ligand [H2C(C5Me4)(C2B9H10)]3-

A new organic-inorganic hybrid ligand H(2)C(C(5)Me(4)H)(C(2)B(10)H(11)) (2) has been prepared. A selective deboration reaction with piperidine in ethanol resulted in the isolation of [Me(3)NH][H(2)C(C(5)Me(4)H)(C(2)B(9)H(11))] (3). An amine-elimination reaction of 3 with [Zr(NMe(2))(4)] produced a neutral metal-amide complex [η(5):η(5)-H(2)C(C(5)Me(4))(C(2)B(9)H(10))]Zr(NMe(2))(NHMe(2)) (4). The double-ring-opening reaction of 4 with tetrahydrofuran (THF) afforded [η(5):η(5)-H(2)C(C(5)Me(4))(C(2)B(9)H(10))]Zr (OCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)CH(2))(2)N(CH(3))(2) (5). Treatment of the trianionic salt of 3 with [MCl(4)(thf)(2)] gave complexes [{η(5):η(5)-H(2)C(C(5)Me(4))(C(2)B(9)H(10))}M(μ-Cl)(2)][Li(thf)(2)] (M=Zr (6), Hf (7)). Reaction of 6 with LiCH(2)TMS generated the ionic species [{η(5):η(5)-H(2)C(C(5)Me(4))(C(2)B(9)H(10))}Zr(CH(2)TMS)(2)][Li(thf)(3)] (9). Interaction of complex 6 with KCH(2)(NMe(2))-o-C(6)H(4) led to the formation of the neutral metal alkyl complex [η(5):η(5)-H(2)C(C(5)Me(4))(C(2)B(9)H(10))]Zr[σ:σ-CH(2)(NMe(2))-o-C(6)H(4)] (10). All complexes have been fully characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and elemental analyses. Some were further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analyses.

Structures and properties of nonchelated, d0 alkyl alkene complexes of the type [Cp2ZrMe(alkene)]+: elusive intermediates during Ziegler-Natta polymerizations of alkenes

Caught in the act: An alkyl alkene Zr(IV) complex (see picture; Cp = C(5)H(5)) has been synthesized and characterized for the first time. The alkene bonding mode is highly asymmetric, and C2 is quite carbocationic. There is also evidence for rotation about the C1-C2 bond. This extremely unusual complex provides an exemplar of previously unknown intermediates in Ziegler-Natta and carbocationic polymerization reactions of alkenes.

Nonchelated Alkene and Alkyne Complexes of d0 Zirconocene Pentafluorophenyl Cations

This paper describes the generation and properties of nonchelated d(0) zirconocene-aryl-alkene and alkyne adducts that are stabilized by the presence of beta-SiMe(3) substituents on the substrates and the weak nucleophilicity of the -C(6)F(5) ligand. The cationic complexes [(C(5)H(4)R)(2)Zr(C(6)F(5))][B(C(6)F(5))(4)] (4a: R = H, 4b: R = Me) were generated by methide abstraction from (C(5)H(4)R)(2)Zr(C(6)F(5))Me by Ph(3)C(+). NMR studies show that 4a,b contain an o-CF...Zr dative interaction and probably coordinate a PhCl molecule in PhCl solution. Addition of allyltrimethylsilane (ATMS) to 4a,b in C(6)D(5)Cl solution at low temperature produces an equilibrium mixture of (C(5)H(4)R)(2)Zr(C(6)F(5))(H(2)C=CHCH(2)SiMe(3))(+) (7a,b), 4a,b, and free ATMS. Similarly, addition of propargyltrimethylsilane (PTMS) to 4a produces an equilibrium mixture of Cp(2)Zr(C(6)F(5))(HCCCH(2)SiMe(3))(+) (8a), 4a, and free PTMS. The NMR data for 7a,b,and 8a are consistent with highly unsymmetrical substrate coordination and substantial polarization of the substrate multiple bond with significant positive charge buildup at C(int) and negative charge buildup at C(term). PTMS binds to 4a more strongly than ATMS does. The ATMS adducts undergo nondissociative alkene face exchange ("alkene flipping"), i.e., exchange of the (C(5)H(4)R)(2)Zr(C(6)F(5))(+) unit between the two alkene enantiofaces without decomplexation of the alkene, on the NMR time scale.

Nonchelated d0 Zirconium−Alkoxide−Alkene Complexes

The reaction of Cp'2Zr(O(t)Bu)Me (Cp' = C5H4Me) and [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] yields the base-free complex [Cp'2Zr(O(t)Bu)][B(C6F5)4] (6), which exists as Cp'2Zr(O(t)Bu)(ClR)+ halocarbon adducts in CD2Cl2 or C6D5Cl solution. Addition of alkenes to 6 in CD2Cl2 solution at low temperature gives equilibrium mixtures of Cp'2Zr(O(t)Bu)(alkene)+ (12a-l), 6, and free alkene. The NMR data for 12a-l are consistent with unsymmetrical alkene bonding and polarization of the alkene C=C bond with positive charge buildup at C(int) and negative charge buildup at C(term). These features arise due to the lack of d-pi* back-bonding. Equilibrium constants for alkene coordination to 6 in CD2Cl2 at -89 degrees C, K(eq) = [12][6](-1)[alkene](-1), vary in the order: vinylferrocene (4800 M(-1)) >> ethylene (7.0) approximately alpha-olefins > cis-2-butene (2.2) > trans-2-butene (<0.1). Alkene coordination is inhibited by sterically bulky substituents on the alkene but is greatly enhanced by electron-donating groups and the beta-Si effect. Compounds 12a-l undergo two dynamic processes: reversible alkene decomplexation via associative substitution of a CD2Cl2 molecule, and rapid rotation of the alkene around the metal-(alkene centroid) axis.