Diphenylamido precursors to bisalkoxide molybdenum olefin metathesis catalysts

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/om060430j

We have found that Mo(NAr)(CHR′)(NPh₂)₂ (R′ = t-Bu or CMe₂Ph) and Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe ₂Ph)-(NPh₂)₂ (Ar = 2,6-i-Pr₂C ₆H₃; Ar′ = 2,6-Me₂C₆H ₃) can be prepared through addition of 2 equiv of LiNPh₂ to Mo(NR″)(CHR′)(OTf)₂(dme) species (R″ = Ar or Ar′, dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane), although yields are low. A high-yield route consists of addition of LiNPh₂ to bishexafluro-tert-butoxide species. An X-ray structure of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe₂Ph)(NPh ₂)₂ reveals that the two diphenylamido groups are oriented in a manner that allows an 18-electron count to be achieved. The diphenylamido complexes react readily with t-BuOH and (CF₃)₂MeCOH, but not readily with the sterically demanding biphenol H₂[Biphen] (Biphen^2- = 3,3′-di-tert-butyl-5,5′,6,6′- tetramethyl-1,1′-biphenyl-2,2′-diolate). The diphenylamido complexes do react with various 3,3′-disubstituted binaphthols to yield binaphtholate catalysts that can be prepared in situ and employed for a simple asymmetric ring-closing metathesis reaction. In several cases conversions and enantioselectivities were comparable to reactions in which isolated catalysts were employed.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/om060430j

Organometallics 2006, 25, 4621-4626
4621
Diphenylamido Precursors to Bisalkoxide Molybdenum Olefin
Metathesis Catalysts
Amritanshu Sinha,† Richard R. Schrock,*,† Peter Mu¨ller,† and Amir H. Hoveyda‡
Department of Chemistry 6-331, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139,
and Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center, Boston College,
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
ReceiVed May 17, 2006
We have found that Mo(NAr)(CHR′)(NPh2)2 (R′ ) t-Bu or CMe2Ph) and Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)-
(NPh2)2 (Ar ) 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3; Ar′ ) 2,6-Me2C6H3) can be prepared through addition of 2 equiv of LiNPh2
to Mo(NR′′)(CHR′)(OTf)2(dme) species (R′′ ) Ar or Ar′, dme ) 1,2-dimethoxyethane), although yields are
low. A high-yield route consists of addition of LiNPh2 to bishexafluro-tert-butoxide species. An X-ray
structure of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 reveals that the two diphenylamido groups are oriented in a
manner that allows an 18-electron count to be achieved. The diphenylamido complexes react readily with
t-BuOH and (CF3)2MeCOH, but not readily with the sterically demanding biphenol H2[Biphen] (Biphen2-
) 3,3′-di-tert-butyl-5,5′,6,6′-tetramethyl-1,1′-biphenyl-2,2′-diolate). The diphenylamido complexes do
react with various 3,3′-disubstituted binaphthols to yield binaphtholate catalysts that can be prepared in
situ and employed for a simple asymmetric ring-closing metathesis reaction. In several cases conversions
and enantioselectivities were comparable to reactions in which isolated catalysts were employed.
to them, Mo(NAr)(CH2-t-Bu)3(OR) species,4 even on silica
surfaces.5 Although Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(CH2-t-Bu)(OR) and
related species are surprisingly active catalysts and are of funda-
mental interest in their own right, we had to reevaluate our
approach to bisalkoxide precursors.
Amido groups have been employed extensively in transition
metal chemistry, especially early metal chemistry, and it is well
known that they often can be protonated readily.6 Some high
oxidation state Mo chemistry reported by Cummins is especially
noteworthy. He and his group have prepared trisalkoxide com-
plexes of the type Mo(X)(OAd)3 through addition of 3 equiv of
adamantanol to Mo(X)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]3 species (X )
CCH2SiMe3,7 N,8 P9). Moore has extended this approach in
order to prepare alkylidyne catalysts of molybdenum for the
metathesis of alkynes.10 Therefore we turned to the possibility
of preparing bisamido catalyst precursors, Mo(NR)(CHR′)-
(amido)2.
Introduction
We have been searching for methods of synthesizing Mo-
(NR)(CHR′)(OR′′)2 species (or related species that contain
enantiomerically pure biphenolate or binaphtholate ligands1) in
situ. The main reason is that an increasing number of applica-
tions (e.g., asymmetric olefin metathesis1) require an evaluation
of many catalysts having different combinations of imido and
alkoxide ligands for a given chemical transformation and there-
fore the synthesis, isolation, and storage of many catalysts. It
also would be desirable to synthesize well-defined supported
catalysts (e.g., on partially dehydroxylated silica2). We have
reported the synthesis of catalysts in situ in a manner that is
essentially the same as that employed to prepare and isolate
each catalyst, i.e., addition of the potassium salt of a biphenolate
or a binaphtholate to a Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OTf)2(dme) species in
THF.3 However, the most attractive goal would be to prepare a
Mo(NR)(CHR′)X2 precursor that could be transformed readily
into Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OR′′)2 (or a related biphenolate or binaph-
tholate species) simply through addition of the monoalcohol or
diol to the Mo(NR)(CHR′)X2 precursor. This method would
require that the HX product of this reaction not interfere to any
significant degree with subsequent reactions that involve Mo-
(NR)(CHR′)(OR′′)2 and also not react with any organic species
in the reaction. A wide variety of Mo(NR)(CHR′)(OR′′)2 cata-
lysts then could be generated in situ and evaluated relatively
rapidly. We first focused on species in which X ) CH2CMe3,
but we found that Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(CH2-t-Bu)2 and related
species react with only 1 equiv of alcohols to yield complexes
of the type Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(CH2-t-Bu)(OR), or precursors
The only known M(NR)(CHR′)(amido)2 (M ) Mo or W)
species is W(NAr)(CHEt)(NPh2)2, which was prepared in 73%
yield as golden-orange crystals upon treating W(CHEt)(NAr)-
[OCMe(CF3)2]2(3-hexene)0.8 with 2 equiv of LiNPh2.11 (W(CHEt)-
(4) Sinha, A.; Lopez, L. P. H.; Schrock, R. R.; Hock, A. S.; Mu¨ller, P.
Organometallics 2006, 25, 1412.
(5) Blanc, F.; Baudouin, A.; Cope´ret, C.; Thivolle-Cazat, J.; Basset, J.-
M.; Lesage, A.; Emsley, L.; Sinha, A.; R., S. R. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.
2006, 45, 1216.
(6) Gade, L. H.; Mountford, P. Coord. Chem. ReV. 2001, 216-217, 65.
(7) Tsai, Y. C.; Diaconescu, P. L.; Cummins, C. C. Organometallics
2000, 19, 5260.
(8) Cherry, J.-P. F.; Stephens, F. H.; Johnson, M. J. A.; Diaconescu, P.
L.; Cummins, C. C. Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 6860.
(9) Stephens, F. H.; Figueroa, J. S.; Diaconescu, P. L.; Cummins, C. C.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 9264.
(10) (a) Zhang, W.; Kraft, S.; Moore, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004,
126, 329. (b) Weissman, H.; Plunkett K. N.; Moore J. S. Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 585. (c) Zhang, W.; Kraft, S.; Moore, J. S. Chem.
Commun. 2003, 832.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rrs@mit.edu.
† Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
‡ Boston College.
(1) Schrock, R. R.; Hoveyda, A. H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2003, 42,
4592.
(2) Cope´ret, C.; Chabanas, M.; Saint-Arroman, R. P.; Basset, J.-M.
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 156.
(3) Teng, X.; Cefalo, D. R.; Schrock, R. R.; Hoveyda, A. H. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2002, 124, 10779.
(11) Schrock, R. R.; DePue, R. T.; Feldman, J.; Yap, K. B.; Yang, D.
C.; Davis, W. M.; Park, L. Y.; DiMare, M.; Schofield, M.; Anhaus, J.;
Walborsky, E.; Evitt, E.; Kru¨ger, C.; Betz, P. Organometallics 1990, 9,
2262.
10.1021/om060430j CCC: $33.50 © 2006 American Chemical Society
Publication on Web 08/09/2006

4622 Organometallics, Vol. 25, No. 19, 2006
Sinha et al.
(NAr)[OCMe(CF3)2]2(3-hexene)0.8 is believed to be a mixture
of a propylidene complex and a triethylmetallacyclobutane
complex.) Complexes that contain chelating (diamido) ligands
are known, e.g., molybdenum complexes that contain a N,N′-
disubstituted-2,2′-bisamido-1,1′-binaphthyl ligand.12 Boncella
has isolated M(NPh)(CH-t-Bu)[o-(Me3SiN)2C6H4](PMe3) (M )
Mo, W) species as the products of the reactions between
M(NPh)(CH2-t-Bu)2[o-(Me3SiN)2C6H4] (M ) Mo, W) and
5 equiv of PMe3, and other chemistry of both Mo and W
compounds that contain the [o-(Me3SiN)2C6H4]2- diamido
ligand has been published.13,14 In view of the existence of
W(NAr)(CHEt)(NPh2)2 we therefore first sought to prepare Mo-
(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(NPh2)2 and to employ it as a precursor for the
in situ synthesis of asymmetric metathesis catalysts. This paper
reports the results of these and related studies.
Figure 1. Thermal ellipsoid drawing (50%) of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2-
Ph)(NPh2)2. (Hydrogen atoms are removed for clarity.)
Results
Synthesis of Bisdiphenylamido Species. Addition of a cold
suspension of 2 equiv of LiNPh2 in THF or toluene to a stirred
suspension of Mo(NAr)(CHR′)(OTf)2(dme) (R′ ) t-Bu, CMe2-
Ph) in THF at -25 to -30 °C produced Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)-
(NPh2)2 as a red solid, but the isolated yield was only 12%.
The yield in the case of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 was
35%. In both cases much manipulation was required to isolate
a solid product. Alkylidene proton resonances for Mo(NAr)-
(CH-t-Bu)(NPh2)2 and Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 in benzene-
d6 are found at 10.96 and 11.18 ppm, respectively, and
alkylidene carbon resonances were found at 294.8 and 292.6
ppm, respectively. The JCH values (117 and 119 Hz, respec-
tively) are consistent with a syn orientation of the alkylidene.15,16
In the case of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2, a second minor
alkylidene proton resonance is observed at 11.78 ppm (∼5%
of the total). We ascribe this resonance to the anti isomer,
although we have not proven that to be the case through a
(2.009(3) and 2.007(3) Å) are similar to those found in a com-
plex that contains a chelating diamido ligand, Mo(NAr)-
(CHCMe2Ph)[BINA(N-i-Pr)2] (Mo-Namide ) 1.993 Å; [BINA-
(N-i-Pr)2]2- ) N,N′-diisopropyl-2,2′-bisamido-1,1′-binaphthyl).12
The amido nitrogen atoms are essentially planar, as expected,
and the two amido planes are virtually perpendicular to one
another, as in Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[BINA(N-i-Pr)2]. Therefore
the lone pairs from both amido nitrogens can be donated to the
metal, and the total electron count at the metal can be said to
be 18.
The main problem with the route shown in eq 1 appears to
be deprotonation of the alkylidene to yield a mixture of alkyli-
dyne and other species, and diphenylamine. This type of side
reaction has been documented in some cases,17 but not for reac-
tions that involve amides. Since diphenylamine is extremely
difficult to separate from the desired products, we believe that
it is the presence of diphenylamine, rather than an inherently
low yield, that limits how much pure product can be isolated,
a statement that is supported by NMR analysis of crude reaction
mixtures. In view of the reported synthesis of W(NAr)(CHEt)-
(NPh2)211 (vide supra) we therefore explored bishexafluoro-tert-
butoxides as starting materials.
determination of the value for JCH
.
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe(CF3)2]2 can be obtained as
yellow crystals in ∼85% yield in the reaction between Mo-
(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(OTf)2(dme) and 2 equiv of LiOCMe(CF3)2
in diethyl ether.18 (Hexafluoro-tert-butoxide is a relatively weak
base that does not deprotonate the alkylidene.) Treating a
prechilled solution (-30 °C) of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe-
(CF3)2]2 in diethyl ether with 2 equiv of LiNPh2(0.5 Et2O)
afforded Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 as bright orange crystals
in 78% isolated yield (eq 2). Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 can
Single crystals of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 suitable for
X-ray crystallographic studies were obtained by layering a con-
centrated solution of the complex in dichloromethane with a
minimum amount of pentane and storing the sample at -30 °C.
In the solid state Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 has a pseudo-
tetrahedral geometry about the metal with the alkylidene ligand
in the syn orientation, as expected (Figure 1). The Mo-C(37)
double bond distance (1.877(3) Å) and the Mo-C(37)-C(38)
bond angle (146.2(3)°) are typical of those found in a syn
complex of this general type.15,16 The Mo-Namide bond lengths
(12) Jamieson, J. Y.; Schrock, R. R.; Davis, W. M.; Bonitatebus, P. J.;
Zhu, S. S.; Hoveyda, A. H. Organometallics 2000, 19, 92.
(13) Ortiz, C. G.; Abboud, K. A.; Boncella, J. M. Organometallics 1999,
18, 4253.
(14) (a) VanderLende, D. D.; Abboud, K. A.; Boncella, J. M. Organo-
metallics 1994, 13, 3378. (b) Vaughan, W. M.; Abboud, K. A.; Boncella,
J. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 11015. (c) Wang, S.-Y. S.; VanderLende,
D. D.; Abboud, K. A.; Boncella, J. M. Organometallics 1998, 17, 2628.
(d) Vaughan, W. M.; Abboud, K. A.; Boncella, J. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1995, 117, 11015.
be prepared similarly as red-orange crystals in 91% yield starting
from Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe(CF3)2]2. The complexes
prepared in this manner are identical to the samples obtained
directly from the bistriflate species. Despite the extra step
(17) Schrock, R. R.; Jamieson, J. Y.; Araujo, J. P.; Bonitatebus, P. J.,
Jr.; Sinha, A.; Lopez, L. P. H. J. Organomet. Chem. 2003, 684, 56.
(18) Schrock, R. R.; Murdzek, J. S.; Bazan, G. C.; Robbins, J.; DiMare,
M.; O’Regan, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 3875.
(15) Feldman, J.; Schrock, R. R. Prog. Inorg. Chem. 1991, 39, 1.
(16) Schrock, R. R. Chem. ReV. 2002, 102, 145.

Bisalkoxide Molybdenum Olefin Metathesis Catalysts
Organometallics, Vol. 25, No. 19, 2006 4623
Table 1. Crystal Data and Structure Refinement for
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2
Table 3. NMR Data for Bisamido Complexes in Benzene-d6
at 22 °C
empirical formula
fw
temperature
wavelength
cryst syst
C46H49N3Mo
739.82
100(2) K
0.71073 Å
triclinic
P1h
a ) 9.279(3) Å, R ) 79.848(6) Å
b ) 20.158(7) Å, â ) 89.997(6) Å
c ) 20.739(8) Å, γ ) 83.507(6) Å
3793(2)Å3
compound
δHR
δCR
JCH
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(t-Bu)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(NPh2)2
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2
Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2
10.71
11.10
10.96
11.18
11.08
293.0
285.5
294.8
292.6
292.5
120
119
117
119
122
space group
unit cell dimens
the different solvents (toluene, THF) and/or lower temperatures
(-78 °C) were employed.
volume
Z
density (calcd)
absorp coeff
F(000)
cryst size
θ range for data collection
index ranges
no. of reflns collected
no. of indep reflns
completeness to θ ) 28.49°
absorp corr
max. and min. transmn
refinement method
data/restraints/params
goodness-of-fit on F2
final R indices [I > 2σ(I)]
R indices (all data)
largest diff peak and hole
4
Attempted syntheses of bisdimethylamido complexes from
either Mo(NAr) or Mo(NAr′) triflates failed. Complex oily
mixtures were obtained from which the pure products could
not be isolated. Bright orange Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NMe2)2
could be obtained in a reaction between 2 equiv of LiNMe2
and Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe(CF3)2]2, but only in 16%
yield (δHR ) 10.69 ppm, δCR ) 270.1 ppm). Since this syn-
thesis is not viable in the long run, this compound was not fully
characterized.
Reactions of Mo(NR′′)(CHR′)(NR2)2 Complexes. None of
the bisamido complexes reacted readily with simple olefins such
as ethylene and diallyl ether, or with benzaldehyde (e.g., several
equivalents at room temperature over a period of 10 h), behavior
that is similar to that found for [BINA(NR)2]2- complexes.12
Although steric factors are significant, the primary reason we
believe is an 18-electron count at the metal center (vide infra).
Both Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(NPh2)2 and Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2-
Ph)(NPh2)2 react readily with t-BuOH and (CF3)2MeCOH. Upon
addition of the alcohol to 30 mM benzene solutions of the
bisamide complexes, the bisalkoxide species, Mo(NAr)(CH-t-
Bu)(OR)2 and Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)(OR)2 (OR ) O-t-Bu,
OCMe(CF3)2), are obtained within 10 min along with the
expected amount of the free amine Ph2NH (eq 3). There was
1.296 Mg/m3
0.382 mm-1
1552
0.20 × 0.15 × 0.05 mm3
1.00 to 28.49°
-12 e h )12, -26 e k )27, 0 e l )27
23 610
23 612 [nonmerohedral twin]
97.2%
semiempirical from equivalents
0.9812 and 0.9276
full-matrix least-squares on F2
23 612/0/914
1.020
R1 ) 0.0486, wR2 ) 0.1032
R1 ) 0.0726, wR2 ) 0.1119
0.946 and -0.517 e Å-3
Table 2. Selected Bond Lengths [Å] and Angles [deg] for
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2
Mo-N(1)
1.739(3) Mo-C(37)
2.007(3) Mo-N(2)
1.877(3)
2.009(3)
103.98(13)
116.34(11)
104.07(12)
146.2(3)
Mo-N(3)
N(1)-C(1)
1.406(4) N(1)-Mo-C(37)
114.03(11) N(1)-Mo-N(3)
110.32(10) N(2)-Mo-C(37)
106.86(12) Mo-C(37)-C(38)
N(1)-Mo-N(2)
N(2)-Mo-N(3)
N(3)-Mo-C(37)
Mo-N(1)-C(1)
C(13)-N(2)-Mo
169.0(2)
118.61(19) C(19)-N(2)-Mo
C(31)-N(3)-Mo
C(13)-N(2)-C(19) 115.2(2)
125.61(19)
132.3(2)
C(31)-N(3)-C(25) 117.6(3)
C(25)-N(3)-Mo 110.1(2)
(synthesis of hexafluoro-tert-butoxides), this is the preferred
method of producing pure product in high yield relatively
quickly. It is known that the acidity of an alkylidene proton is
reduced dramatically in alkoxide (even hexafluoro-tert-butoxide)
complexes compared to what it is in (e.g.) a triflate or a chloride
complex,15 so deprotonation of the alkylidene is no longer
problematic relative to substitution of the alkoxide.
no indication that diphenylamine bound to the metal to give an
adduct in either case; that is, the chemical shift of the alkylidene
proton is identical to that published for the base-free compounds.
There is no evidence of any irreversible protonation of either
the imido or the alkylidene ligand.
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 and Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)-
(NPh2)2 (27 mM in benzene-d6) also react with 1 equiv of H2[R-
Benz2Bitet] to give the known Benz2Bitet complexes (eq 4).
The two reactions proceed ∼90% to completion in 15 h at room
Synthesis of Mo[N(R1)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 Complexes. Mo-
(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(R1)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 (R1 ) t-Bu, i-Pr) can
be synthesized by treating a prechilled solution (-30 °C) of
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(OTf)2(dme) in diethyl ether or toluene with
2 equiv of the corresponding LiN(R1)(3,5-C6H3Me2)(ether) salt.
We believe that the yields again are compromised as a conse-
quence of deprotonation of alkylidenes and consequent con-
tamination of the product with the relatively high boiling parent
amine. For example, Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(t-Bu)(3,5-C6H3-
Me2)]2 can be prepared and isolated in pure form as an orange-
red crystalline solid in 34% yield. Proton and carbon NMR data
(Table 3) are those expected for syn isomers. No alkylidene
resonance for the anti isomer of Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(t-Bu)-
(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 could be found at 22 °C. The 3,5-Me2C6H3
ring was found to be freely rotating on the NMR time scale.
On the other hand, solid Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3-
Me2)]2 could not be isolated free of HN(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)
despite repeated attempts at triturating the oily material with
cold pentane or lyophilizing it in benzene. No improvement in
the yield and purity of the desired product was observed when
temperature, with the reaction involving Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2-
Ph)(NPh2)2 proceeding about twice as fast as that involving
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 and the conversion being slightly
higher, presumably as a consequence of the lower steric
demands of the 2,6-dimethylphenylimido ligand.

4624 Organometallics, Vol. 25, No. 19, 2006
Sinha et al.
Table 4. Generation of Binaphtholate Catalysts in Situ and Conversions (ee) for Asymmetric Ring-Closing Metathesis (eq 5)
a With isolated catalyst22 95% conversion, 93% ee. b With isolated catalyst20 90% conversion, 75% ee. c With isolated enantiomerically pure catalyst20
92% conversion, 86% ee.
Reactions between Mo(NR′′)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 (NR′′ )
NAr, NAr′) and the sterically demanding biphenol H2[Biphen]
(Biphen2- ) 3,3′-di-tert-butyl-5,5′,6,6′-tetramethyl-1,1′-bi-
phenyl-2,2′-diolate) were slow and incomplete and in some cases
produced byproducts. For example, no reaction was observed
when H2[Biphen] was added to a benzene-d6 (0.1 M) solution
of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 over a period of 2 days at
room temperature. Heating the solution at 50 °C for 1 day shows
44% conversion to the desired Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[Biphen]
species, but also four new alkylidene resonances appeared in
the 11.40-11.80 ppm region (a total 20% of the mixture). The
nature of the complex or complexes responsible for the new
alkylidene resonances is (are) not known. When Mo(NAr)-
(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 was added to a benzene solution of H2-
[Biphen], the extra alkylidene peaks amount to less than 8% of
the reaction mixture. However, complete conversion again was
not observed. The reaction between H2[Biphen] and Mo(NAr′)-
(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 was also slow, with only 64% conversion
to Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)[Biphen] observed in 7 days at 50 °C
at concentrations of ∼0.1 M.
readily with Mo(NR′′)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2 (NR′′ ) NAr, NAr′)
species than does H2[Biphen] (Table 4), but still not imme-
diately. The reactions shown in Table 4 were carried out by
adding the bisdiphenylamido complex to the diol in 2 drops of
benzene-d6 (0.3 M). After heating the reaction mixtures for the
stipulated time, more solvent was added and the percent
1
conversion and percent product were determined by H NMR
spectroscopy versus an internal standard. Good to excellent
conversions were found for virtually all the reactions, although
the product mixture in some cases was found to contain small
amounts (5-10%) of unidentified new alkylidenes along with
the desired diolate product. The impurities amounted to ∼25%
when the diol employed was H2[R-TMS2BINO], the dianion of
which has not been studied extensively in the context of Mo-
(NR′′)(CHCMe2Ph)(diolate*) chemistry.
Reactions between alcohols and Mo(NAr)(CHR′)[N(R1)(3,5-
C6H3Me2)]2 complexes proceeded only very slowly (according
to NMR studies) or not at all compared to similar reactions
with Mo(NAr)(CHR′)(NPh2)2 species, probably largely for steric
reasons. Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(t-Bu)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 reacted at
room temperature with (CF3)2MeCOH in benzene-d6 (28 mM)
to give the bisalkoxide within 10 min. However, the analogous
reaction proceeded very slowly (∼12-15 h) when t-BuOH was
employed. Reactions involving Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-
C6H3Me2)]2 with both (CF3)2MeCOH and t-BuOH were com-
plete in 10 min under conditions noted above. All Mo(NAr)-
(CHR′)[N(R1)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 complexes showed virtually a
The binaphthols H2[R-TRIP2BINO],19 H2[R-Ph2BINO],20
H2[rac-Mes2BINO],20 and H2[R-TMS2BINO]21 react more
(19) Zhu, S. S.; Cefalo, D. R.; La, D. S.; Jamieson, J. Y.; Davis, W. M.;
Hoveyda, A. H.; Schrock, R. R. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 8251.
(20) Tsang, W. C. P.; Schrock, R. R.; Hoveyda, A. H. Organometallics
2001, 20, 5658.
(21) Totland, K. M.; Boyd, T. J.; Lavoie, G. G.; Davis, W. M.; Schrock,
R. R. Macromolecules 1996, 29, 6114.

Bisalkoxide Molybdenum Olefin Metathesis Catalysts
Organometallics, Vol. 25, No. 19, 2006 4625
pump-thaw techniques. Dichloromethane was distilled from CaH2
complete lack of reactivity toward the enantiomerically pure
diols shown in Table 4.
Conversions and enantioselectivities in a simple asymmetric
ring-closing metathesis reaction (eq 5) are also listed in Table
4. Conversions of the substrate range from 56% to 97% with
the highest ee being 97%. For the first22 and third20 entries the
under N2. All dried and deoxygenated solvents were stored over 4
Å molecular sieves in a nitrogen-filled glovebox. 1H, 13C, and 19
F
NMR spectra were acquired at room temperature (unless otherwise
noted) using Varian Mercury (1H 300 MHz, 13C 75 MHz, 19F 282
MHz) or Varian Inova (1H 500 MHz, 13C 125 MHz) spectrometers
and referenced to the residual protio solvent resonances or external
C6F6 (-163.0 ppm). Elemental analyses were performed by H.
Kolbe Mikroanalytisches Laboratorium, Mu¨lheim an der Ruhr,
Germany. Mo(NR′′)(CHR′)(OTf)2(dme) complexes, LiN(i-Pr)(3,5-
C6H3Me2), and LiN(t-Bu)(3,5-C6H3Me2) were prepared as described
in the literature.18,23-25 LiNPh2 was prepared by reacting HNPh2
with n-BuLi (1.6 M in hexane) in toluene. LiNPh2(0.5 ether) was
obtained by crystallizing LiNPh2 from diethyl ether. LiNMe2 was
prepared by reacting HNMe2 with n-BuLi (1.6 M in hexane) in
toluene. All other chemicals were procured from commercial
sources and used as received.
ring-closing also has been carried out with isolated catalyst. The
results for the in situ generated catalyst and for the isolated
catalyst are comparable. In particular the %ee’s are essentially
the same. The in situ catalyst appears to be somewhat slower
(first and fourth entries) versus the isolated catalysts, although
detailed studies have not been carried out. It should be noted
that the first three in situ catalysts that contain a 2,6-dimethyl-
phenyl imido ligand are slightly superior in terms of %ee than
catalysts that contain the 2,6-diisopropylphenyl imido ligand;
the 2,6-diisopropylphenyl imido derivatives were the only
isolated catalysts that were examined.
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(NPh2)2. A solution of Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)-
(OTf)2(dme) (6.00 g, 8.22 mmol) in 80 mL of THF at -30 °C was
treated with a prechilled solution of LiNPh2 (2.88 g, 16.44 mmol)
in 20 mL of THF. The color changed from yellow to red imme-
diately. The reaction mixture was stirred for 1 h and allowed to
warm to room temperature. The volatiles were removed in vacuo,
and the residue was extracted with pentane. The extracts were fil-
tered through Celite, and the solvents again were removed in vacuo
to give an oil that was triturated with minimal pentane. Filtration
yielded an orange-red powder in 12% yield (669 mg). The remain-
ing pentane-soluble red oil was found to consist mostly of the
desired complex according to proton NMR: 1H NMR (C6D6) δ
10.96 (s, 1, CHCMe3, JCH ) 117 Hz), 7.12-6.83 (overlapping
peaks, 23, ArH, NPh2), 3.90 (sept, 2, CHMe2), 1.81 (d, 12, CHMe2),
0.98 (s, 9, CHCMe3); 13C NMR (C6D6) δ 294.8. Anal. Calcd for
C41H47MoN3: C, 72.66; H, 6.99; N, 6.20. Found: C, 72.52; H,
7.08; N, 6.11.
Conclusions
We have demonstrated that bisamido complexes can be
prepared starting from bistriflate complexes, although yields are
low and the products are difficult to isolate. In some cases yields
can be improved through the use of Mo(NR′′)(CHR′)[OCMe-
(CF3)2]2 complexes as starting materials. Reactions in which
bisdiphenylamido complexes are prepared from hexafluoro-tert-
butoxide species are high yielding and clean and, for this reason,
are preferred over reactions that start with bistriflates. On the
basis of preliminary studies, NAr and NAr′ complexes contain-
ing NPh2 ligands react with a variety of enantiomerically pure
binaphthols to give the desired chiral catalysts in situ, the
exception being H2[Biphen], which is the most sterically
demanding. In these reactions diphenylamine apparently does
not bind to the metal, nor does it hinder asymmetric reactions
(to the degree that we have explored for one substrate) in terms
of either substrate conversion or %ee. Therefore this approach
to in situ catalyst generation and use is an attractive one,
especially if a nitrogen-based anionic ligand can be found that
produces a catalyst precursor in high yield and if that catalyst
precursor were to react with even the most sterically demanding
biphenols or binaphthols. In this manner we hope to be able to
reduce the problem of catalyst evaluation to the synthesis and
storage of a few Mo(NR′′)(CHR′)X2 precursors.
Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2. Method A: Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2-
Ph)(OTf)2(dme) (500 mg, 0.63 mmol) was dissolved in 8 mL of
THF, and the solution was cooled to -30 °C. A prechilled solution
of LiNPh2 (221 mg, 1.26 mmol) in 2 mL of THF was added to the
above solution in a dropwise fashion to immediately afford a red
solution. After 1 h the volatiles were removed in vacuo to give a
red foam, which was extracted with pentane. The extract was filtered
through Celite, and the filtrate was concentrated to dryness to yield
a red oil. The oil was triturated with cold pentane several times to
give 163 mg of an orange-red powder (35% yield).
Method B: A yellow solution of Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe-
(CF3)2]2 (505 mg, 0.66 mmol) in 50 mL of ether was cooled to
-30 °C. Gradual addition of 2 equiv of LiNPh2(Et2O)0.5 (280 mg,
1.32 mmol) to the above reaction resulted in a change in color from
yellow to orange to red as the reaction mixture was allowed to
warm to room temperature. The reaction mixture was stirred for
1 h. The solvents were partially removed, and the concentrated
solution was layered with 5 mL of pentane; a bright orange product
crystallized out. The orange crystals were washed with 5 mL of
cold pentane (-30 °C) to afford the desired complex in 78% yield
(380 mg) in two crops: 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 11.78 (s, 0.04, anti
CHCMe2Ph), 11.18 (s, 1, syn CHCMe2Ph, JCH ) 119 Hz), 7.10-
6.79 (overlapping peaks, 28, ArH, NPh2), 3.86 (sept, 2, CHMe2),
1.45 (s, 6, CHCMe2Ph), 1.61 (d, 12, CHMe2); 13C NMR (C6D6) δ
292.6, 155.5, 154.1, 148.5, 146.3, 129.9, 128.9, 127.8, 126.5, 126.4,
Experimental Section
General Procedures. All operations were performed under a
nitrogen atmosphere in the absence of oxygen and moisture in a
Vacuum Atmospheres glovebox or using standard Schlenk proce-
dures. All glassware, including NMR tubes, were flame- and/or
oven-dried prior to use. Ether, pentane, toluene, and benzene were
degassed with dinitrogen and passed through activated alumina
columns. Dimethoxyethane was distilled from a dark purple solution
of sodium benzophenone ketyl and degassed three time by freeze-
(23) Oskam, J. H.; Fox, H. H.; Yap, K. B.; McConville, D. H.; O’Dell,
R.; Lichtenstein, B. J.; Schrock, R. R. J. Organomet. Chem. 1993, 459,
185.
(24) Tsai, Y. C.; Stephens, F. H.; Meyer, K.; Mendiratta, A.; Gheorghiu,
M. D.; Cummins, C. C. Organometallics 2003, 22, 2902.
(25) Micovic, I. V.; Ivanovic, M. D.; Piatak, D. M.; Bojic, V. J. Synthesis
1991, 1043.
(22) Schrock, R. R.; Jamieson, J. Y.; Dolman, S. J.; Miller, S. A.;
Bonitatebus, P. J., Jr.; Hoveyda, A. H. Organometallics 2002, 21, 409.

4626 Organometallics, Vol. 25, No. 19, 2006
Sinha et al.
124.6, 123.9, 123.6, 55.7, 31.0, 28.6, 24.7. Anal. Calcd for C46H49-
MoN3: C, 74.68; H, 6.68; N, 5.68. Found: C, 74.57; H, 6.62; N,
5.69.
under reduced pressure. The residue was extracted with pentane,
and the extract was filtered through Celite to yield a red liquid,
which was concentrated in vacuo to yield a red oil that contained
70% Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2 and 30% HN(i-
Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2) that could not be removed on a high-vacuum
line or by heating the oil under reduced pressure: 1H NMR (C6D6)
δ 11.10 (s, 1, CHCMe3, JCH ) 119 Hz), 7.07 (br s, 3, ArH), 6.85
(br s, 4, ArH), 6.56 (br s, 2, ArH), 4.25 (sept, 2, CHMe2), 4.01
(sept, 2, CHMe2), 2.14 (s, 12, C6H3Me2), 1.26 (d, 12, CHMe2), 1.23
(d, 12, CHMe2), 1.19 (s, 9, CHCMe3); 13C NMR (C6D6): δ 285.2,
154.9, 145.0, 138.5, 126.4, 125.0, 123.7, 123.2, 58.6, 48.4, 32.2,
28.2, 25.4, 25.0, 24.9, 21.9.
Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2. Mo(NAr′)(CHCMe2Ph)[OCMe-
(CF3)2]2 (539 mg, 0.76 mmol) in 55 mL of ether was chilled to
-30 °C. Gradual addition of 2 equiv of LiNPh2(Et2O)0.5 (322 mg,
1.52 mmol) to the above reaction resulted in a change in color from
yellow to orange to red-orange as the reaction mixture was allowed
to warm to room temperature. The reaction mixture was stirred for
1 h, and the solvents were partially removed in vacuo. The con-
centrated solution was layered with 5 mL of pentane. A bright red-
orange solid crystallized out and was washed with 3 mL of cold
(-30 °C) pentane; yield 475 mg (91%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 11.08
(s, 1, CHCMe2Ph, JCH ) 122 Hz), 7.10-6.81 (overlapping peaks,
28, ArH, NPh2), 2.33 (s, 6, CHCMe2Ph), 1.37 (s, 6, Ar′Me2); 13C
NMR (C6D6) δ 292.5, 157.2, 155.2, 148.4, 135.4, 129.9, 128.8,
126.8, 126.5, 126.4, 124.5, 123.6, 55.3, 30.5, 19.6. Anal. Calcd
for C42H41MoN3: C, 73.78; H, 6.04; N, 6.15. Found: C, 73.59; H,
6.12; N, 6.02.
Representative Method for Generating Mo(NR′′)(CHCMe2Ph)-
(diolate*) and Using It As a Catalyst for Ring-Closing. The
bisamido precursor (10-20 mg) was added to a solution of the
enantiomerically pure diol in 0.5 mL drops of benzene-d6 in a
J-Young tube. The reaction mixture was heated at 60 °C until the
starting materials were consumed. The progress of the reaction was
1
monitored by H NMR spectroscopy versus an internal standard.
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(t-Bu)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2. LiN(t-Bu)(3,5-
C6H3Me2)(ether) (330 mg, 1.28 mmol) was added to a suspension
of Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(OTf)2(dme) (468 mg, 0.64 mmol) in 30 mL
of ether at -30 °C. The red solution was stirred at ambient tem-
perature for 1.5 h. The volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the
residue was extracted into pentane. The pentane was removed in
vacuo to give a red oil. Extensive trituration with cold pentane gave
a waxy, red solid. The waxy solid was dissolved in a minimum
amount of pentane, and the solution was stored at -30 °C overnight
to give 152 mg (34%) of the product as orange-red crystals: 1H
NMR (C6D6) δ 10.71 (s, 1, CHCMe3, JCH ) 120 Hz), 7.17 (br s,
2, ArH), 7.09 (br s, 5, ArH), 6.68 (br s, 2, ArH), 4.58 (sept, 2,
CHMe2), 2.22 (s, 12, C6H3Me2), 1.38 (d, 12, CHMe2), 1.34 (s, 18,
NCMe3), 0.98 (s, 9, CHCMe3); 13C NMR (C6D6) δ 293.0, 157.2,
153.9, 144.9, 137.9, 129.7, 126.6, 126.2, 124.3, 59.5, 48.7, 32.3,
31.5, 27.6, 24.6, 21.7. Anal. Calcd for C41H63N3Mo: C, 70.97; H,
9.15; N, 6.06. Found: C, 71.06; H, 9.06; N, 5.97.
To the Mo(NR′′)(CHCMe2Ph)(diolate*) species generated as
described above was added 20 equiv of the substrate. The con-
1
version was followed by H NMR spectroscopy, and the enantio-
meric excess was determined with a GC equipped with a Chiraldex
column.
Acknowledgment. This research was funded by the NIH
(GM-59426 to A.H.H. and R.R.S.) and the National Science
Foundation (CHE-0138495 to R.R.S.). A.S. thanks Zachary
Tonzetich for the gift of LiNMe2 and Adam Hock for the gift
of LiN(t-Bu)(3,5-Me2C6H3) etherate.
Supporting Information Available: Crystal data and structure
refinement, atomic coordinates and equivalent isotropic displace-
ment parameters, bond lengths and angles, anisotropic displacement
parameters, hydrogen coordinates, and isotropic displacement
parameters for Mo(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(NPh2)2. This material is
available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org. Data
for the structure (04220) are also available to the public at
http://www.reciprocalnet.org/.
Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)[N(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)]2. An ether solution
of LiN(i-Pr)(3,5-C6H3Me2)(ether) (343 mg, 1.41 mmol) was added
to a suspension of Mo(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(OTf)2(dme) (6.00 g, 8.22
mmol) in 40 mL of ether at -30 °C. The deep red reaction mixture
stood at room temperature for 1 h, and all solvents were removed
OM060430J