Hydroarylation reactions of olefins are catalyzed by the octahedral Ru(II) complex TpRu-(CO)(NCMe)(Ph) (1) (Tp ) hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate). Experimental studies and density functional theory calculations support a reaction pathway that involves initial acetonitrile/ olefin ligand exchange and subsequent olefin insertion into the ruthenium-phenyl bond. Metal-mediated C-H activation of arene to form a Ru-aryl bond with release of alkyl arene completes the proposed catalytic cycle. The cyclopentadienyl complex CpRu(PPh 3 ) 2 (Ph) produces ethylbenzene and styrene from a benzene/ethylene solution at 90 °C; however, the transformation is not catalytic. A benzene solution of (PCP)Ru(CO)(Ph) (PCP ) 2,6-(CH 2 P t -Bu 2 ) 2 C 6 H 3 ) and ethylene at 90 °C produces styrene in 12% yield without observation of ethylbenzene. Computational studies (DFT) suggest that the C-H activation step does not proceed through the formation of a Ru(IV) oxidative addition intermediate but rather occurs by a concerted pathway.

Bu 2 ) 2 C 6 H 3 ) has been prepared by two independent routes that involve deprotonation of Ru-(II) ammine complexes. Complex 2 reacts with phenylacetylene to yield the Ru(II) acetylide complex (PCP)Ru(CO)(CtCPh) (5) and ammonia. In addition, complex 2 rapidly activates dihydrogen at room temperature to yield ammonia and the previously reported hydride complex (PCP)Ru(CO)(H). The ability of the amido complex 2 to cleave the H-H bond is attributed to the combination of a vacant coordination site for binding/activation of dihydrogen and a basic amido ligand. Complex 2 also undergoes an intramolecular C-H activation of a methyl group on the PCP ligand to yield ammonia and a cyclometalated complex. The reaction of (PCP)Ru(CO)(Cl) with MeLi allows the isolation of (PCP)Ru(CO)-(Me) (8), and complex 8 undergoes an intramolecular C-H activation analogous to the amido complex 2 to produce methane and the cyclometalated complex. Determination of activation parameters for the intramolecular C-H activation transformations of 2 and 8 reveal identical ∆H q {18(1) kcal/mol} with ∆S q ) -23(4) eu and -18(4) eu, respectively. Density functional theory has been applied to the study of intermolecular activation of methane and dihydrogen by (PCP′)Ru(CO)(NH 2 ) to yield (PCP′)Ru(CO)(NH 3 )(X) (X ) Me or H; PCP′ ) 2,6-(CH 2 -PH 2 ) 2 C 6 H 3 ). The results indicate that the activation of dihydrogen is both exoergic and exothermic. In contrast, the addition of a C-H bond of methane across the Ru-NH 2 bond has been calculated to be endoergic and endothermic. The surprising endoergic nature of the methane C-H activation has been attributed to a large and unfavorable change in Ru-N bond dissociation energy upon conversion from Ru-amido to Ru-ammine.

The reaction of 2‐[bis(2‐methoxy‐phenyl)phosphanyl]‐4‐methyl‐benzenesulfonic acid (a) and 2‐[bis(2′,6′‐dimethoxybiphenyl‐2‐yl)phosphanyl]benzenesulfonic acid (b) with dimethyl(N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine)‐palladium(II) (PdMe2(TMEDA)) leads to the formation of TMEDA bridged palladium based polymerization catalysts (1a and 1b). Upon reaction with pyridine, two mononuclear catalysts are formed (2a and 2b). These catalysts are able to homopolymerize ethylene and also copolymerize ethylene with acrylates or with norbornenes. With ligand b, high molecular weight polymers are formed in high yields, but higher comonomer incorporations are obtained with ligand a.magnified image

Synthesis and isolation of the Cu(I) amido complex (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) (dtbpe = 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethane) is accomplished upon reaction of [(dtbpe)Cu(mu-Cl)](2) with LiNHPh. The anilido complex has been fully characterized by IR spectroscopy and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy as well as by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Salient features of the solid-state structure include an amido orientation that allows pi-interaction of the nitrogen-based lone pair with both the empty copper p-orbital and the pi-system of the phenyl substituent. A solid-state X-ray diffraction study of [(dtbpe)Cu(NH(2)Ph)][BF(4)] has allowed a direct comparison of the structural features upon conversion of the amine ligand to an amido. The reactivity of the amido ligand of (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) is consistent with nucleophilic character. For example, the formation of Ph(3)CNHPh is observed upon treatment with [Ph(3)C][BF(4)], and reaction at room temperature with EtX (X = Br or I) yields N-ethylaniline. The reactivity of (dtbpe)Cu(NHPh) is compared to that of the octahedral and d(6) complex TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NHPh) (Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate).

The octahedral Ru(II) amine complexes [TpRu(L)(L')(NH(2)R)][OTf] (L = L' = PMe(3), P(OMe)(3) or L = CO and L' = PPh(3); R = H or (t)Bu) have been synthesized and characterized. Deprotonation of the amine complexes [TpRu(L)(L')(NH(3))][OTf] or [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)(t)Bu)][OTf] yields the Ru(II) amido complexes TpRu(L)(L')(NH(2)) and TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(t)Bu). Reactions of the parent amido complexes or TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(t)Bu) with phenylacetylene at room temperature result in immediate deprotonation to form ruthenium-amine/phenylacetylide ion pairs, and heating a benzene solution of the [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)(t)Bu)][PhC(2)] ion pair results in the formation of the Ru(II) phenylacetylide complex TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(C[triple bond]CPh) in >90% yield. The observation that [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)(t)Bu)][PhC(2)] converts to the Ru(II) acetylide with good yield while heating the ion pairs [TpRu(L)(L')(NH(3))][PhC(2)] yields multiple products is attributed to reluctant dissociation of ammonia compared with the (t)butylamine ligand (i.e., different rates for acetylide/amine exchange). These results are consistent with ligand exchange reactions of Ru(II) amine complexes [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)R)][OTf] (R = H or (t)Bu) with acetonitrile. The previously reported phenyl amido complexes TpRuL(2)(NHPh) [L = PMe(3) or P(OMe)(3)] react with 10 equiv of phenylacetylene at elevated temperature to produce Ru(II) acetylide complexes TpRuL(2)(C[triple bond]CPh) in quantitative yields. Kinetic studies indicate that the reaction of TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NHPh) with phenylacetylene occurs via a pathway that involves TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(OTf) or [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)Ph)][OTf] as catalyst. Reactions of 1,4-cyclohexadiene with the Ru(II) amido complexes TpRu(L)(L')(NH(2)) (L = L' = PMe(3) or L = CO and L' = PPh(3)) or TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(t)Bu) at elevated temperatures result in the formation of benzene and Ru hydride complexes. TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(H), [Tp(PMe(3))(2)Ru[double bond]C[double bond]C(H)Ph][OTf], [Tp(PMe(3))(2)Ru=C(CH(2)Ph)[N(H)Ph]][OTf], and [TpRu(PMe(3))(3)][OTf] have been independently prepared and characterized. Results from solid-state X-ray diffraction studies of the complexes [TpRu(CO)(PPh(3))(NH(3))][OTf], [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(3))][OTf], and TpRu(CO)(PPh(3))(C[triple bond]CPh) are reported.

We report the first well-defined palladium-based system for the liVing homopolymerization of ethene, as well as the liVing copolymerization of ethene with carbon monoxide. We demonstrate this by the synthesis of polyethene-block-poly-(ethene-alt-carbon monoxide). In addition, it has been possible to monitor chain growth by sequential insertions of carbon monoxide and ethene into palladium-carbon bonds. The mechanistic studies haVe also allowed us to pinpoint the hitherto not well-understood reason for the general failure to obtain alkene/carbon monoxide copolymers with low carbon monoxide content.

It has been suggested that the reactivity of pi-donating ligands bound to late-transition-metal complexes is heightened due to high d-electron counts. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of the Ru(II) amine and Ru(II) amido complexes [TpRuL(2)(NH(2)Ph)][OTf] (OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate) and TpRuL(2)(NHPh) (L = PMe(3) or P(OMe)(3)) are presented, including solid-state X-ray diffraction studies of [TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NH(2)Ph)][OTf], [TpRu[P(OMe)(3)](2)(NH(2)Ph)][OTf], and TpRu[P(OMe)(3)](2)(NHPh). The pK(a)'s of the Ru(II) amine complexes and the previously reported [TpRu(CO)(PPh(3))(NH(2)Ph)](+) have been estimated to be comparable to that of malononitrile in methylene chloride. In addition, the impact of the filled dpi-manifold (i.e., Ru(II) and d(6) octahedral systems) on barriers to rotation of the Ru-NHPh moieties has been studied. For TpRu(PMe(3))(2)(NHPh) and TpRu[P(OMe)(3)](2)(NHPh), evidence for hindered rotation about the amido nitrogen and phenyl ipso carbon has been observed, and the relative N-C and Ru-N bond rotational barriers for the series of three amido complexes are discussed in terms of the pi-conflict.

Ethylene was copolymerized with acrylates in solution and in emulsion using sulfonated arylphosphine Pd-based catalysts. The copolymerization of C 2 H 4 and methyl acrylate in toluene was slowed by the σ-coordination of the acrylate on Pd. The substitution of pyridine by itself was shown to proceed via an associative mechanism with activation parameters ΔH ‡ =16.8 kJ/mol and ΔS ‡ =-98 J mol -1 K -1 whereas the activation parameters for the substitution of pyridine by methyl acrylate were found to be ΔH ‡ =18.1 kJ/mol and ΔS ‡ =-87 J mol -1 K -1 . Using these Pd-based catalysts in an emulsion polymerization process, latexes of copolymers of ethylene with various acrylates having particle diameters ∼200 nm were obtained for the first time. Their solid contents did not exceed 5% because of the low activity of the catalyst resulting from the coordination of water and from the slow decomposition of the active site by water.