Results are reported for the UV photolysis of the
rhenium dinitrogen phosphite and
phosphine complexes Cp*Re(CO)(L)(N2) (L =
P(OEt)3 (1), P(OPh)3 (2),
P(OCH2)3CCH3
(3),
P(OMe)3 (4), PPh3 (5)) in
hydrocarbon solvents. Irradiation of 1 in hexane
yielded cis and
trans isomers of the cyclometalated complex
Cp*Re(CO){η2-P(OCH2CH2)(OEt)2}H
(6) and a
third product identified as
agostic
-6, in which a
methyl C−H bond of one of the ethoxy
groups forms an agostic interaction with the metal. This complex
decayed to give the other
two isomers of 6 over time. Irradiation of 1
in benzene afforded the above compounds plus
two isomers of a benzene C−H activation product
Cp*Re(CO){P(OEt)3}(Ph)H (7).
The latter
isomers and the agostic complex all decayed over time to leave only the
cis and trans isomers
of 6. The final observed ratio of
cis(P,H)-
6 to
trans(P,H)-
6 was 76:24. Irradiation of
2 in
hexane, cyclohexane, or benzene produced no evidence of any
intermolecular C−H activation
product. In each case, two products resulted, one of which was the
cis(P,H) isomer of the
orthometalated complex
Cp*Re(CO){η2-P(OC6H4)(OPh)2}H
(8) and the other of which was
the agostic complex
agostic-
8, which slowly
decayed away in favor of
cis(P,H)-
8. In
a similar
way, the triphenylphosphine complex 5 gave no observable
benzene C−H activation product,
and agostic and cis isomers of the intramolecular complex 11
were formed. These results
indicate an overwhelming thermodynamic preference for cyclometalation
over intermolecular
C−H activation with these phosphorus ligands. The cage phosphite
complex 3, for which
cyclometalation is hindered, gave an observable, but unstable, benzene
C−H activation
product 9 on irradiation in this solvent but no identifiable
products when irradiated in hexane
or cyclohexane. The product from irradiation of the trimethyl
phosphite complex 4 in
benzene, cyclohexane, or hexane is completely different from any of the
above and does not
result from C−H activation. It is formulated as the binuclear
phosphonate complex [Cp*Re(CO){PO(OMe)2}(CH3)]2
(10) involving methyl migration from a trimethyl phosphite
ligand
to the metal.