Abstract The reaction of Cp(CO)2(NO)Cr with Me3P = CH2 yields the tetramethylphosphonium -[(trimethylphosphoranyliden)acetyl-Chromate] Me4P[Cp(CO)(NO)Cr-C(O)-CH = PMe3] (1) via ylide addition at the carbonyl carbon and transylidation. A reversible equilibrium is established between 1 and the starting materials, which is responsible for the facile conversion of 1 into the ylide complex Cp(CO)(NO)Cr-CH2PMe3 (2) on photolysis. In the presence of Mel, 1 is degradated to [Me4P]I, [Me3PEt]I, [Me2PEt2]I and Cp(CO)2(NO)Cr. Treatment of 1 with an equimolar amount of MeOSO2F leads to the formation of the "zwitterionic" phosphoniovinyl complexes Cp(CO)(NO)Cr-C(OMe) = CH-PMe3 (3a) and Cp(CO)(NO)Cr-C(OMe) = C(Me)-PMe3 (3b). With excess MeOSO2F the phosphoniocarbene complex [Cp(CO)(NO)Cr = C(OMe)-CH(Me)-PMe3]SO3F (4a) is obtained. Me3P = CH2 de-protonates 4a to 3b, which adds HCl to give [Cp(CO)(NO)Cr=C(OMe)-CH(Me)-PMe3]Cl (4b). The phosphonium cobaltacylates Me4P[(CO)(NO)(L)CO-C(O)-CH = PMe3] (5a, b), generated from the cobalt complex (CO)2(NO)(L)Co (L = CO, Me3P) and Me3P = CH2, readily transform to the ylide complexes (CO)(NO)(L)Co-CH2-PMe3 (6a, b). MeX (X = I, SO3F) cleaves 6b to give (CO)2(NO)(Me-P)Co and [Me3PEt]X. The new complexes are characterized by elementary analysis and spectroscopy.
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