Synthesis and Reactivity of Oxametallacyclic Niobium Compounds by Using α,β‐Unsaturated Carbonyl Ligands

Abstract

AbstractReduction of mono(cyclopentadienyl)niobium complexes [NbCpRCl4] [CpR = C5Me4H (1), C5H4SiMe2Cl (2), C5H4SiMe3 (3)] with Na/Hg in the presence of methyl methacrylate [MMA, CH2=C(Me)C(O)OMe (a)], methyl acrylate [MA, CH2=CHC(O)OMe (b)] and mesityl oxide [MO, CMe2=CHC(O)Me (c)] afforded the corresponding derivatives [NbCpRCl2(LL)] [CpR = C5Me4H, LL = MMA (1a); CpR = C5H4SiMe2Cl, LL = MMA (2a), MA (2b), MO (2c); CpR = C5H4SiMe3, LL = MMA (3a), MA (3b)] in variable yields depending on both the cyclopentadienyl and the α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The reactivity of these complexes was studied toward protic and Lewis acids. Addition of triflic acid TfOH (Tf = CF3SO2) to 3b gave the triflate complex [NbCpRCl2{(CH2)2C(O)OMe}(OTf)] [CpR = C5H4SiMe3 (4)]. The Lewis acids E(C6F5)3 (E = B, Al) reacted with complexes 2b and 3b to give the three‐membered metallacyclic (or η2‐enone) compounds [NbCpRCl2{η2‐CH2=CHC(OMe){O·E(C6F5)3}}] [CpR = C5H4SiMe2Cl, E = B (5), Al (6); CpR = C5H4SiMe3, E = B (7), Al (8)], which decomposed to the corresponding adducts MA·E(C6F5)3. The same reaction with the 2a and 3a derivatives only allowed the observation of the corresponding adducts MMA·E(C6F5)3. Complexes 2a,b and 3a,b reacted with CO with elimination of the acrylate compounds, MA and MMA, respectively, to give the carbonylniobium(III) compounds [NbCpRCl2(CO)2]2 [CpR = C5H4SiMe2Cl (9), C5H4SiMe3 (10)]. Analogous reactions with CNAr showed the elimination of the free MA and MMA compounds. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)