A strategy for polymerization catalyst design has been developed based on the steric and electronic analogy of bulky phosphinimides to cyclopentadienyl ligands. To this end, the family of complexes of the form (Cp†)TiCl2(NPR3) has been prepared and characterized. Alkyl and aryl derivatives of these species have also been synthesized, and a number have been evaluated for use as catalyst precursors in olefin polymerization. The polymerization of ethylene has been examined employing several types of cocatalyst activators. Trends and patterns in the structure−activity relationship are discussed, and the implications for catalyst design are evaluated.

Addition of bulky primary silanes to the osmium benzyl compound, Cp*(iPr3P)OsCH2Ph, afforded two neutral hydrogen-substituted silylene complexes via activation of two Si-H bonds. These species have been structurally characterized, and their reactivity has been examined experimentally and computationally. Comparison of these neutral silylene complexes with their cationic analogue highlights the dramatic influence of charge distribution on the reaction chemistry of metal silylene complexes.

The syntheses of tantalum derivatives with the potentially tridentate diamido-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand are described. Aminolysis and alkane elimination reactions with the diamine-NHC ligands, (Ar)[NCN]H(2) (where (Ar)[NCN]H(2) = (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)(C(3)N(2)); Ar = Mes, p-Tol), provided complexes with a bidentate amide-amine donor configuration. Attempts to promote coordination of the remaining pendent amine donor were unsuccessful. Metathesis reactions with the dilithiated diamido-NHC ligand ((Ar)[NCN]Li(2)) and various Cl(x)Ta(NR'(2))(5-)(x) precursors were successful and generated the desired octahedral (Ar)[NCN]TaCl(x)(NR'(2))(3-)(x) complexes. Attempts to prepare trialkyl tantalum complexes by this methodology resulted in the formation of an unusual metallaaziridine derivative. DFT calculations on model complexes show that the strained metallaaziridine ring forms because it allows the remaining substituents to adopt preferable bonding positions. The calculations predict that the lowest energy pathway involves a tantalum alkylidene intermediate, which undergoes C-H bond activation alpha to the amido to form the metallaaziridine moiety. This mechanism was confirmed by examining the distribution of deuterium atoms in an experiment between (Mes)[NCN]Li(2) and Cl(2)Ta(CD(2)Ph)(3). The single-crystal X-ray structures of (p)(-Tol)[NCNH]Ta(NMe(2))(4) (3), (Mes)[NCNH]Ta=CHPh(CH(2)Ph)(2) (4), (p)(-Tol)[NCN]Ta(NMe(2))(3) (7), (Mes)[NCCN]Ta(CH(2)(t)Bu)(2) (11), and (Mes)[NCCN]TaCl(CH(2)(t)Bu) (14) are included.

The mechanism of ethylene hydrosilation catalyzed by the ruthenium silylene cation [Cp*(P(i-Pr)3)Ru(H)2(SiH2)-OEt2]+ has been investigated with B3LYP density functional theory. Calculations using the model cation [Cp(PH3)Ru(H)2(SiH2)-OMe2]+ indicate that the most favorable catalytic cycle is the new mechanism proposed by Glaser and Tilley that involves ethylene insertion into a silicon-hydrogen bond remote from the ruthenium center. All other pathways, including those based on Chalk-Harrod and modified Chalk-Harrod mechanisms that include ethylene coordination to ruthenium, are energetically disfavored.

Catalytic dehydrocoupling of phosphines was investigated using the anionic zirconocene trihydride salts [Cp*2Zr(mu-H)3Li]3 (1 a) or [Cp*2Zr(mu-H)3K(thf)4] (1 b), and the metallocycles [CpTi(NPtBu3)(CH2)4] (6) and [Cp*M(NPtBu3)(CH2)4] (M=Ti 20, Zr 21) as catalyst precursors. Dehydrocoupling of primary phosphines RPH2 (R=Ph, C6H2Me3, Cy, C10H7) gave both dehydrocoupled dimers RP(H)P(H)R or cyclic oligophosphines (RP)n (n=4, 5) while reaction of tBu3C6H2PH2 gave the phosphaindoline tBu2(Me2CCH2)C6H2PH 9. Stoichiometric reactions of these catalyst precursors with primary phosphines afforded [Cp*2Zr((PR)2)H][K(thf)4] (R=Ph 2, Cy 3, C6H2Me3 4), [Cp*2Zr((PPh)3)H][K(thf)4] (5), [CpTi(NPtBu3)(PPh)3] (7) and [CpTi(NPtBu3)(mu-PHPh)]2 (8), while reaction of 6 with (C6H2tBu3)PH2 in the presence of PMe3 afforded [CpTi(NPtBu3)(PMe3)(P(C6H2tBu3)] (10). The secondary phosphines Ph2PH and (PhHPCH2)2CH2 also undergo dehydrocoupling affording (Ph2P)2 and (PhPCH2)2CH2. The bisphosphines (CH2PH2)2 and C6H4(PH2)2 are dehydrocoupled to give (PCH2CH2PH)2)(12) and (C6H4P(PH))2 (13) while prolonged reaction of 13 gave (C6H4P2)(8) (14). The analogous bisphosphine Me2C6H4(PH)2 (17) was prepared and dehydrocoupling catalysis afforded (Me2C6H2P(PH))2 (18) and subsequently [(Me2C6H2P2)2(mu-Me2C6H2P2)]2 (19). Stoichiometric reactions with these bisphosphines gave [Cp*2Zr(H)(PH)2C6-H4][Li(thf)4] (22), [CpTi(NPtBu3)(PH)2C6H4]2 (23) and [Cp*Ti(NPtBu3)(PH)2C6H4] (24). Mechanistic implications are discussed.

The reactions of Rh4(CO)12 and Ir4(CO)12 with Ph3SnH have yielded the new Rh-Sn and Ir-Sn cluster complexes M3(CO)6(mu-SnPh2)3(SnPh3)3, 1 (M=Rh) and 2 (M=Ir). Both compounds contain triangular M3 clusters with three bridging SnPh2 and three terminal SnPh3 ligands. The M-M bonds are unusually long. Molecular orbital calculations indicate that this is due to the importance of M-Sn bonding and weak direct M-M interactions. Reaction of 1 with Ph3SnH at reflux in 1,2-dichlorobenzene solvent yielded the complex Rh3(CO)3(SnPh3)3(mu-SnPh2)3(mu3-SnPh)2, 3, which contains eight tin ligands: three terminal SnPh3, three edge-bridging SnPh2, and two triply bridging SnPh ligands.

The compound Pt3Re2(CO)6(PBut3)3, 1, was obtained from the reaction of Re2(CO)10 with Pt(PBut3)2 in octane solvent at reflux. Compound 1 consists of a trigonal bipyramidal cluster of five metal atoms with three platinum atoms in the trigonal plane and the two rhenium atoms in the apical positions. The metal cluster is formally unsaturated by 10 electrons. Compound 1 sequentially adds 3 equiv of hydrogen at room temperature/1 atm to form the series of compounds Pt3Re2(CO)6(PBut3)3(mu-H)2, 2, Pt3Re2(CO)6(PBut3)3(mu-H)4, 3, and Pt3Re2(CO)6(PBut3)3(mu-H)6, 4. A small but significant kinetic isotope effect was observed, kH/kD = 1.3. The rate of addition of hydrogen is unaffected by the presence of a 20-fold excess of free PBut3 in solutions of 1. Compounds 2-4 each consist of a trigonal bipyramidal cluster of three platinum and two rhenium atoms similar to that of 1. The hydrido ligands in 2-4 bridge the platinum-rhenium bonds and are arranged to give structures having overall C2v symmetry for 2 and 3 and approximate D3h symmetry for 4. Some of the hydrido ligands were expelled from 4 in the form of hydrogen upon exposure of solutions to UV-vis irradiation to yield compound 3 and then 2 in reasonable yields, but the elimination of all hydrido ligands to yield 1 was achieved only under the most forcing UV irradiation and then only with a major loss of the complex due to decomposition. The electronic structures of 1-4 were investigated by DFT calculations. Additional DFT calculations have suggested some mechanisms for the activation of hydrogen at multicenter metal sites without ligand eliminations prior to the hydrogen additions.

The first silylyne complex of a metal beyond group 6, [Cp*((i)Pr3P)(H)Os≡Si(Trip)][HB(C6F5)3], was prepared by a new synthetic route involving hydride abstraction from silicon. NMR and DFT computations support the presence of a silylyne ligand, and NBO and ETS-NOCV analysis revealed the nature of this Os-Si interaction as a triple bond consisting of a covalent σ bond and two strong π back-donations. The discovery of this complex allowed observations of the first cycloadditions involving a silylyne complex, and terminal alkynes are shown to react via C-H bond additions across the Os≡Si bond.