6228 Organometallics 2009, 28, 6228–6233
DOI: 10.1021/om900700d
Nucleophilic Degradation of a β-Diketiminato Ancillary by a Transient
Scandium Hydride Intermediate
Korey D. Conroy, Warren E. Piers,* and Masood Parvez
University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Canada, T2N 1N4
Received August 7, 2009
Reactions of a β-diketiminato-supported scandium dichloride LScCl2 (L = (Ar)NC(tBu)CHC-
(tBu)N(Ar); Ar = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3) with boro- and aluminohydride reagents result in transient
scandium hydrides, which undergo hydride transfer to the ligand backbone, inducing fragmentation
of the ancillary. The products of this fragmentation have been characterized and include an organic
enamine (2) and scandium imido containing clusters. One such product, formed via reaction with
LiBEt3H and LScCl2, is the trimer [ArNScCl(THF)]3[LiH(THF)], 1, which includes an occluded
molecule of lithium hydride. The reactions involving LiAlH4, along with labeling studies, helped to
clarify the fragmentation pathway and account for the observed products.
Introduction
cycles dominated by σ-bond metathesis and migratory in-
sertion reactions.2 For example, Cp*2Sc-H1a has been shown
by Tilley to mediate hydromethylation of olefins3 and de-
hydrosilylation of alkanes,4 albeit with low turnovers. Aside
from Cp*2Sc-H and Ind*2YH(THF),1b group 3 hydrides are
typically dimeric,5 oligomeric,6 or heteromultimetallic,7
although reactivity may be funneled through highly active
monomeric species. Most of the known examples of group 3
hydrides are stabilized by cyclopentadienyl-type donors;8
given their demonstrated potential for hydrocarbon functio-
nalization, new examples supported by other ancillary ligand
frameworks9 are of considerable interest.
Well-defined, monomeric hydrides of the group 3 metals
are rare,1 but potentially useful as mediators of catalytic
*To whom correspondence may be addressed. Tel: 403-220-5746.
E-mail: wpiers@ucalgary.ca.
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We,10 and others,11 have utilized the β-diketiminato ligand
framework to develop the chemistry of dialkyl organo group
3 compounds, and a logical extension of this work is to
explore the suitability of this ancillary for supporting reac-
tive scandium hydrides. Typically, early transition metal
hydrides are generated from alkyl precursors via hydrogeno-
lysis; in early studies, we found the dialkyl complexes I
(R = Me, CH2SiMe3) to react only slowly with H2 (4 atm)
and generate a complex mixture of products. Thus, we
turned to another more classical method,12 that of treatment
of scandium chloride antecedents with LiMH4 (M = B, Al),
to generate the desired hydride derivatives. While this tech-
nique has been utilized extensively to generate hydrides for
most metals in the d-block,13 typically group 3 hydridoborate
or hydridoaluminate complexes arise from such reactions. For
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Published on Web 10/09/2009
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