Chemistry of Ti(OiPr)Cl3 with chloride and oxygen-containing ligands: The roles of alkoxide and solvents in the six-coordinate titanium complexes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja952730q

Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₃ reacts easily with various ligands to form a series of six-coordinate complexes, [Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₅]^2-(HAm⁺)₂ (Am = NEt₃ (7a) or NC₅H₅ (7b)), Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₃L₂ (L = THF (8) or PhCHO (9)), Ti(OⁱPr)-Cl₃(PhCHO)(Et₂O) (10), and [Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₂(μ-Cl)(PhC(O)OMe)]₂ (11). Upon dissolution of 7a in THF, 8 was obtained. When 1 mol equiv of HNEt₃Cl was added to 8, [Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₄(THF)]^-(HNEt₃) ⁺ (12) was obtained. With the addition of another 1 mol equiv of HNEt₃Cl, 12 was converted to 7a. One THF in 8 can be removed in vacuo to give the chloride-bridged dimer [Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₂(μ-Cl)(THF)]₂ (13) which can be converted back to 8 by dissolving in THF. 13 was found to react with 2 mol equiv of HNEt₃Cl or PhCHO to give 12 and Ti(OⁱPr)Cl₃(PhCHO)(THF) (14), respectively. The molecular structures of 7b, 8, and 10-13 show short Ti-OⁱPr distances, and the relative bonding order of ^-OⁱPr > Cl^- > THF > Et₂O > PhCHO > μ-Cl^- > RC(O)OMe is discussed based on the solid state structures. This bonding sequence is very useful for the prediction of the geometry for six-coordinate complexes of early transition metals with the following principle: The strongest ligand prefers a trans position to the weakest ligand, and the second strongest ligand favors a trans position to the second weakest ligand in the complex. Kinetically, the trans position to the isopropoxide is rather labile for substitution, and the lability of the trans ligand ensures the effectiveness of titanium alkoxides for subsequent reactions or as catalysts in many asymmetric organic syntheses.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja952730q

2936
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 2936-2941
Chemistry of Ti(OiPr)Cl3 with Chloride and Oxygen-Containing
Ligands: The Roles of Alkoxide and Solvents in the
Six-Coordinate Titanium Complexes
Han-Mou Gau,* Chung-Shin Lee, Chu-Chieh Lin, Ming-Ke Jiang,
Yuh-Chou Ho, and Chun-Nan Kuo
Contribution from the Department of Chemistry, National Chung-Hsing UniVersity,
Taichung, Taiwan, ROC 402
ReceiVed August 10, 1995. ReVised Manuscript ReceiVed NoVember 10, 1995X
Abstract: Ti(OiPr)Cl3 reacts easily with various ligands to form a series of six-coordinate complexes,
[Ti(OiPr)Cl5]2-(HAm+)2 (Am ) NEt3 (7a) or NC5H5 (7b)), Ti(OiPr)Cl3L2 (L ) THF (8) or PhCHO (9)), Ti(OiPr)-
Cl3(PhCHO)(Et2O) (10), and [Ti(OiPr)Cl2(µ-Cl)(PhC(O)OMe)]2 (11). Upon dissolution of 7a in THF, 8 was obtained.
When 1 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl was added to 8, [Ti(OiPr)Cl4(THF)]-(HNEt3)+ (12) was obtained. With the addition
of another 1 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl, 12 was converted to 7a. One THF in 8 can be removed in vacuo to give the
chloride-bridged dimer [Ti(OiPr)Cl2(µ-Cl)(THF)]2 (13) which can be converted back to 8 by dissolving in THF. 13
was found to react with 2 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl or PhCHO to give 12 and Ti(OiPr)Cl3(PhCHO)(THF) (14),
respectively. The molecular structures of 7b, 8, and 10-13 show short Ti-OiPr distances, and the relative bonding
order of -OiPr > Cl- > THF > Et2O > PhCHO > µ-Cl- > RC(O)OMe is discussed based on the solid state
structures. This bonding sequence is very useful for the prediction of the geometry for six-coordinate complexes of
early transition metals with the following principle: The strongest ligand prefers a trans position to the weakest
ligand, and the second strongest ligand favors a trans position to the second weakest ligand in the complex. Kinetically,
the trans position to the isopropoxide is rather labile for substitution, and the lability of the trans ligand ensures the
effectiveness of titanium alkoxides for subsequent reactions or as catalysts in many asymmetric organic syntheses.
Introduction
structure of titanium complex 1 which is conformationally
The chemistry of group 4 metal alkoxides has been exten-
sively studied for several decades by Bradley and others.1 More
recently, titanium(IV) alkoxides are found to be very useful
reagents or catalysts in asymmetric synthesis such as the
enantioselective aldol reactions,2 asymmetric epoxidation of
olefins,3 asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions,4 and asymmetric
carbonyl-ene reactions.5 In general, the active titanium species
are generated in situ from the reaction of Ti(OR)4-xClx with
chiral ligands. However, the reactions concern mainly the
chirality and the steric effect of ligands, and the intermediates
or the transition states are proposed exclusively to account for
the results. Recently, Jørgensen et al.6 reported the crystal
different from the proposed intermediate7 in solution for the
Diels-Alder reaction 1.8 In reality, the solid state structures
may not be available for every case, and therefore the prediction
of structures for titanium complexes in solution seems extremely
important for the understanding and development of asymmetric
syntheses using titanium reagents.
Recently we found that ligands in titanium complexes play
extremely important role in geometries and reactivities. In this
report, various ligands commonly encountered in the titanium
chemistry such as chloride, aldehyde, ester, THF, and diethyl
ether were used to react with Ti(OiPr)Cl39 (6) to form series of
six-coordinate complexes. Through the analyses of the solid
state structures of these complexes, the sequence of bonding
order for ligands toward the titanium center are -OiPr > Cl-
> THF > Et2O > PhCHO > µ-Cl- > RC(O)OMe. This
X Abstract published in AdVance ACS Abstracts, March 1, 1996.
(1) Bradley, D. C.; Mehrotra, R. C.; Gaur, D. P. Metal Alkoxides;
Academic Press: New York, 1978.
(2) (a) Duthaler, R. O.; Hafner, A. Chem. ReV. 1992, 92, 807. (b)
Kanemasa, S.; Mori, T.; Tatsukawa, A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1993, 34, 8293.
(c) Bartroli, J.; Turmo, E.; Belloc, J.; Forn, J. J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60,
3000. (d) Keck, G. E.; Krishnamurthy, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117,
2363. (e) Carreira, E. M.; Lee, W.; Singer, R. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995,
117, 3649.
(3) (a) Finn, M. G.; Sharpless, K. B. Asymmetric Synthesis; Academic
Press: Orlando, FL, 1985; Vol. V, p 247. (b) Corey, E. J. J. Org. Chem.
1990, 55, 1693. (c)Woodard, S. S.; Finn, M. G.; Sharpless, K. B. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 106. (d) Finn, M. G.; Sharpless, K. B. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1991, 113, 113.
(4) (a) Kagan, H. B.; Riant, O. Chem. ReV. 1992, 92, 1007. (b) Devine,
P. N.; Oh, T. J. Org. Chem. 1992, 57, 396. (c) Corey, E. J.; Roper, T. D.;
Ishihara, K.; Sarakinos, G. Tetrahedron Lett. 1993, 34, 8399. (d) Waldmann,
H. Synthesis 1994, 535. (e) Haase, C.; Sarko, C. R.; DiMare, M. J. Org.
Chem. 1995, 60, 1777. (f) Seebach, D.; Dahinden, R.; Marti, R. E.; Beck,
A. K.; Plattner, D. A.; Ku¨hnle, F. N. M. J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 1788.
(5) (a) Mikami, K.; Narisawa, S.; Shimizu, M.; Terada, M. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1992, 114, 6566. (b) Terada, M.; Motoyama, Y.; Mikami, K.
Tetrahedron Lett. 1994, 35, 6693.
(7) Corey, E. J.; Matsumura, Y. Tetrahedron Lett. 1991, 32, 6289.
(8) (a) Chapuis, C.; Jurczak, J. HelV. Chim. Acta 1987, 70, 436. (b)
Iwasawa, N.; Hayashi, Y.; Sakurai, H.; Narasaka, K. Chem. Lett. 1989,
1581. (c) Iwasawa, N.; Sugimori, J.; Kawase, Y.; Narasaka, K. Chem. Lett.
1989, 1947. (d) Narasaka, K.; Iwasawa, N.; Inoue, M.; Yamada, T.;
Nakashima, M.; Sugimori, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 5340. (e)
Narasaka, K.; Tanaka, H.; Kanai, F. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 1991, 64, 387.
(9) Bradley, D. C.; Hancock, D. C.; Wardlaw, W. J. Chem. Soc. 1952,
2773.
(6) Gothelf, K. V.; Hazell, R. G.; Jørgensen, K. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1995, 117, 4435.
0002-7863/96/1518-2936$12.00/0 © 1996 American Chemical Society

Ti(OiPr)Cl3 with Cl and O-Containing Ligands
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 12, 1996 2937
Scheme 1
bonding sequence provides useful information for the prediction
of the geometries of six-coordinate titanium complexes with a
simple rule of “the strong ligand trans to the weak ligand”. This
rule suggests that the strongest alkoxide ligands should be trans
to the weakest ligands in a system, and indeed, the solid state
structure of 1 shows that both alkoxides are trans to the weak
carbonyl oxygens leaving two chlorides trans to each other.
Besides the structural importance, this study clearly demon-
strates the lability of ligand trans to the alkoxide. This lability
of the trans ligand may be the key factor of effeciency of
titanium alkoxides used as the reagents or catalysts for various
organic syntheses.
Scheme 2
Results and Discussion
Synthesis of Complexes. The reactions of 6 with chloride,
THF, benzaldehyde, or methyl benzoate are outlined in Scheme
1. Two mol equiv of chloride, THF, or benzaldehyde added
easily to 6 afforded monomeric six-coordinate complexes
[Ti(OiPr)Cl5]2-(HAm+)2 (Am ) NEt3 (7a) or NC5H5 (7b)),
Ti(OiPr)Cl3(THF)2 (8), and Ti(OiPr)Cl3(OCHC6H5)2 (9) in high
yield. When 1 mol equiv of benzaldehyde was added to 6 in
diethyl ether, the complex Ti(OiPr)Cl3(OEt2)(OCHC6H5) (10)
was obtained immediately as precipitate. In the reaction of 6
with methyl benzoate, the 1:1 stoichiometric dimeric [Ti(Oi-
Pr)Cl2(µ-Cl)(OC(OMe)C6H5)]2 (11) was obtained even with the
addition of 2 mol equiv of methyl benzoate.
The ligands, except isopropoxide, are rather labile and can
be replaced in solution or removed in vacuo easily as shown in
Scheme 2. When 7a was dissolved in THF, two chlorides were
replaced by the massively present THF to give 8. Two THF’s
are inequivalent based on the molecular structure of 8. However
only one set of two sharp multiplets at δ 4.19 and 1.97 is
observed in CD2Cl2 at room temperature for the indication of
fast exchanges between two THF's. At -60 °C, the resonance
at δ 1.97 broadens slightly, but the resonance at δ 4.19 splits
into three broad peaks of relative intensities of 2:3:1 at δ 4.33,
4.20, and 3.79, respectively. Though, at low temperatures, the
splitting of the resonances of the methylene protons adjacent
to the oxygen donor is more complicated than the expected
two peaks of equal intensities for two inequivalent THF’s,
the dynamic exchanges of two THF’s are obvious from the
VT NMR study. When 1 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl was added
to 8 in CH2Cl2, the chloride replaced one THF to form
[Ti(OiPr)Cl4(THF)]-(HNEt3)+ (12). With the addition of
another 1 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl to 12, 7a was obtained. In
vacuo, one of the THF’s in 8 was removed to give the chloride-
bridged dimeric complex [Ti(OiPr)Cl2(µ-Cl)(THF)]2 (13) which
was converted back to 8 upon dissolution in THF. Complex
13 was found to react with 2 mol equiv of HNEt3Cl or
benzaldehyde to give 12 and Ti(OiPr)Cl3(THF)(OCHC6H5) (14),
respectively.
Solid State Structures of 7b, 8, and 10-13. The molecular
structures of 7b,10 8,11 10,12 11,13 12,14 and 1315 are shown in
Figure 1, and the selected bond lengths and bond angles are
(10) 7b: pale yellow plate of size 0.3 × 0.3 × 0.4 mm, orthorhombic
Pnma, a ) 16.995(3) Å, b ) 15.083(3) Å, c ) 7.498(2) Å, V ) 1922.1(7)
Å3, Z ) 4, R ) 0.042, and Rw ) 0.041.
(11) 8: colorless plate of size 0.4 × 0.7 × 0.7 mm, monoclinic P21/c,
a ) 8.056(2) Å, b ) 12.889(2) Å, c ) 16.242(5) Å, â ) 92.06(2)°, V )
1685.4(7) Å3, Z ) 4, R ) 0.053, and Rw ) 0.065.

2938 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 12, 1996
Gau et al.
Figure 1. Molecular structures of (a) [Ti(OiPr)Cl5]2- (7b), (b) Ti(OiPr)Cl3(THF)2 (8), (c) Ti(OiPr)Cl3(PhCHO)(OEt2) (10), (d) [Ti(OiPr)Cl2(µ-
Cl)(PhC(O)OMe)]2 (11), (e) [Ti(OiPr)Cl4(THF)]- (12), and (f) [Ti(OiPr)Cl2(µ-Cl)(THF)]2 (13). The hydrogen atoms are omitted for clarity.
listed in Table 1. All structures show six-coordinate geometry
around the titanium metal center, and the most prominant feature
of the structures is the short Ti-O(isopropoxide) bond distances
(1.702-1.742 Å) which indicates the strong O to Ti π bonding.
For 7b, the Ti-O distance is short at 1.742(6) Å, and the
distance between the titanium metal and the chloride trans to
the isopropoxide is extremely long at 2.581(3) Å (Ti-Cl(3)).
This Ti-Cl distance is much longer than the average distance
between the titanium metal and the cis chlorides at 2.375 Å.
Moreover, this distance is comparable to or even longer than
the distances between the titanium and the bridged chlorides16
and is believed to be the longest Ti-Cl(terminal) distance
observed thus far. In connection to the strong Ti-O bonding,
the Ti-O-C(1) angle is large at 161.8(7)° and the ligands cis
to the isopropoxide bend away from the isopropoxide with the
angles ranging from 91.1(2)° to 97.3(1)°. Due to the activation
of the trans chloride by the isopropoxide, this chloride is quite
labile in solution and the replacement of chlorides by THF’s
occurs easily to give complex 8 when 7a dissolves in THF.
Apparently the isopropoxide ligand in the six-coordinate
titanium complexes exerts strong trans influence, and the
weakest ligand finds a position trans to it. For complex 7b
containing only chlorides and one isopropoxide, the phenomenon
of the long trans chloride to Ti distance suggests the bonding
order of -OR > Cl-. With the extension of this rule, then, the
second strongest ligand would be trans to the second weakest
ligand in a complex. For the neutral complex 8, the Ti-
O(isopropoxide) distance is even shorter at 1.726(4) Å and the
THF ligand trans to the isopropoxide is the weakest one. The
second THF is then trans to the second strongest chloride ligand
with the Ti-Cl distance of 2.298 Å which is shorter by ∼0.02
Å than the distances for chlorides trans to each other. The
shortening of the Ti-Cl distance trans to the THF also supports
the better bonding of Cl- than THF, and the bonding order is
-OiPr > Cl- > THF.
For 10, the weakest ligand is the benzaldehyde ligand based
on the trans position of it to the isopropoxide. Since the Ti-
Cl distance for the chloride trans to the OEt2 group at 2.296(1)
Å is somewhat shorter than the values of 2.332(1) and 2.333-
(1) Å for the other two chlorides which are trans to each other,
the bonding of Cl- is ahead of OEt2 with the bonding order of
-OiPr > Cl- > OEt2 > PhCHO.
Complex 11 is a dimeric species bridging through two
chlorides, and the methyl benzoate bonds to the titanium metal
through the carbonyl oxygen in trans position to the isopro-
poxide. Therefore the methyl benzoate ligand is an even weaker
ligand than the bridging Cl- and the Ti-O(isopropoxide)
distance at 1.702(4) Å is believed to be the shortest Ti-OR
distance observed this far. For 11, the relative bonding sequence
of -OiPr > Cl- > µ-Cl- > PhC(O)OMe is obtained. The weak
bonding of the methyl benzoate explains the formation of the
1:1 stoichiometric dimeric species 11 even with the addition of
2 mol equiv of methyl benzoate to 6. The molecular structure
of 11 has revealed a weaker bonding of the methyl benzoate
ligand than the µ-Cl-, and therefore, the second molar equivalent
of methyl benzoate is not capable of breaking the Ti-Cl(µ)
bonds of the dimeric species 11 after the formation of 11 from
the first molar equivalent of methyl benzoate.
(12) 10: yellow plate of size 0.4 × 0.6 × 0.8 mm, triclinic P1h, a )
9.003(2) Å, b ) 9.347(3) Å, c ) 12.078(3) Å, R ) 93.17(2)°, â ) 93.03-
(2)°, γ ) 105.38(2)°, V ) 976.1(4) Å3, Z ) 2, R ) 0.041, and Rw ) 0.057.
(13) 11: pale yellow plate of size 0.2 × 0.4 × 0.6 mm, triclinic P1h, a
) 8.945(2) Å, b ) 9.549(3) Å, c ) 10.715(2) Å, R ) 115.48(2)°, â )
98.91(2)°, γ ) 102.38(2)°, V ) 774.6(3) Å3, Z ) 1, R ) 0.038, and Rw
0.046.
)
(14) 12: pale yellow plate of size 0.4 × 0.6 × 0.8 mm, orthorhombic
P212121, a ) 10.233(2) Å, b ) 11.428(3) Å, c ) 18.682(4) Å, V ) 2184.6-
(8) Å3, Z ) 4, R ) 0.032, and Rw ) 0.039.
(15) 13: colorless plate of size 0.25 × 0.60 × 0.80 mm, monoclinic
C2/c, a ) 18.588(4) Å, b ) 7.192(2) Å, c ) 19.487(4) Å, â ) 109.03(3)°,
V ) 2462.7(9) Å3, Z ) 4, R ) 0.043, and Rw ) 0.061.
(16) (a)Kistenmacher, T. J.; Stucky, G. D. Inorg. Chem. 1971, 10, 122.
(b) Serpone, N.; Bird, P. H.; Bickley, D. G. Inorg. Chem. 1972, 11, 217.
(c) Alcock, N. W.; Brown, D. A.; Illson, T. F.; Roe, S. M.; Wallbridge, M.
G. H. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1991, 873. (d) Thorn, D. L.; Harlow,
R. L. Inorg. Chem. 1992, 31, 3917.

Ti(OiPr)Cl3 with Cl and O-Containing Ligands
Table 1. Selected Bond Lengths (Å) and Bond Angles (deg) for Complexes 7b, 8, and 10-13
7b
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 12, 1996 2939
8
10
type of bond length
Ti-OiPr
Ti-O
1.742(6)
2.361(2)
2.359(3)
2.406(3)
2.581(3)
Ti-O(1)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
Ti-Cl(3)
1.726(4)
2.324(2)
2.298(2)
2.318(2)
Ti-O(1)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
Ti-Cl(3)
1.721(2)
2.296(1)
2.333(1)
2.332(1)
Ti-Cl(terminal, cis)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
Ti-Cl(4)
Ti-Cl(3)
Ti-Cl(terminal, trans)
Ti-Cl(bridging, cis)
Ti-Cl(bridging, trans)
Ti-O(THF, cis)
Ti-O(THF, trans)
Ti-O(Et2O, cis)
Ti-O(PhCHO, trans)
Ti-O(ester, trans)
Ti-O(3)
Ti-O(2)
2.165(4)
2.164(4)
Ti-O(3)
Ti-O(2)
2.141(2)
2.171(2)
type of bond angle
Ti-O-C
Ti-O-C(1)
O-Ti-Cl(1)
O-Ti-Cl(2)
O-Ti-Cl(4)
161.8(7)
93.3(1)
97.3(2)
91.1(2)
Ti-O(1)-C(1)
153.7(4)
96.7(1)
99.4(1)
92.1(1)
90.1(2)
Ti-O(1)-C(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(2)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(3)
O(1)-Ti-O(3)
154.4(3)
93.7(1)
96.4(1)
97.6(1)
93.1(1)
iPrO-Ti-L(cis)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(2)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(3)
O(1)-Ti-O(3)
11
12
13
type of bond length
Ti-OiPr
Ti-O(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
Ti-Cl(3)
1.702(4)
2.271(2)
2.272(2)
Ti-O(1)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
Ti-Cl(3)
Ti-Cl(4)
1.740(3)
2.372(1)
2.391(2)
2.337(2)
2.334(1)
Ti-O(1)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(2)
1.715(3)
2.283(2)
2.276(2)
Ti-Cl(terminal, cis)
Ti-Cl(terminal, trans)
Ti-Cl(bridging, cis)
Ti-Cl(1)
Ti-Cl(1A)
2.495(2)
2.507(2)
Ti-Cl(3A)
2.463(1)
Ti-Cl(bridging, trans)
Ti-O(THF, cis)
Ti-Cl(3)
Ti-O(2)
2.557(1)
2.109(3)
Ti-O(THF, trans)
Ti-O(Et2O, cis)
Ti-O(2)
2.227(3)
Ti-O(PhCHO, trans)
Ti-O(ester, trans)
Ti-O(2)
2.142(4)
type of bond angle
Ti-O-C
Ti-O(1)-C(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(2)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(3)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1A)
157.5(6)
95.5(2)
97.1(2)
94.5(2)
91.0(2)
Ti-O(1)-C(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(2)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(3)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(4)
144.3(3)
98.3(1)
91.4(1)
92.5(1)
96.6(1)
Ti-O(1)-C(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(1)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(2)
O(1)-Ti-Cl(3A)
O(1)-Ti-O(2)
157.3(4)
95.7(1)
103.3(1)
89.2(1)
90.8(1)
iPrO-Ti-L(cis)
The structure of complex 12 provides no further information
about the bonding order. The molecular structure of 13 is a
dimeric species with two chloride bridges, similar to the structure
of 11. However the strongest isopropoxide ligand is trans to
the µ-Cl- rather than the coordinating THF, indicating stronger
bonding of THF than the µ-Cl- with the order of -OiPr > Cl-
> THF > µ-Cl-. Unfortuantely, the solid state structures
provide no information about the relative orders between THF
and Et2O and between PhCHO and µ-Cl-. Since THF is in
general considered to be the better ligand than Et2O, we put it
ahead of Et2O.17 Besides, the isolation of the di-THF complex
8 from the reaction of 6 with 2 mol equiv of PhCHO in THF
is an indirect evidence for the stronger bonding of THF than
Et2O. In Et2O, the addition of 2 mol equiv of PHCHO to 6
gives the complex 10 which contains one PhCHO and one Et2O.
In order to differentiate the relative order of PhCHO and µ-Cl-,
two mol equiv of PhCHO were reacted with the chloride-bridged
dimeric complex 13 to afford the monomeric complex 14. The
capability of PhCHO to break up the dimeric species 13 suggests
stronger bonding of PhCHO than µ-Cl-. Therefore the overall
bonding order in this study is -OiPr > Cl- > THF > Et2O >
PhCHO > µ-Cl- > PhC(O)OCH3.
order of the mean bond dissociation energy of Dh(Ti-OiPr) (115
kcal/mol) > Dh(Ti-Cl) (102.7 kcal/mol).18 However the dif-
ference between these two ligands is small, and the chloride
ligand also forms rather strong bond with titanium metal. The
chloride ligand is expected to show considerable trans influence
to the trans ligands weaker than it. For example, the Ti-Cl
distance for the chloride trans to the Et2O group in complex 10
is shorter than the distances for the chlorides trans to each other,
and the Ti-Cl distance for the chloride trans to THF in complex
8 is also shorter. In principle, a longer Ti-O(THF) distance is
expected for the THF trans to the strongest isopropoxide ligand
in the di-THF complex 8 than the distance for the THF trans to
the chloride. However nearly identical Ti-O(THF) distances
(2.164(4) and 2.165(4) Å) are observed, and this may arise from
the fact of the also strong Ti-Cl bond (probably partially) and/
or the effect of crystal packing.
The above structural study reveals the following general
features. The Ti-OiPr distances are relatively short for
complexes containing only one terminal alkoxide. Also the Ti-
OiPr distances are strongly subjected to the variations of the
trans ligand with the observation of shorter Ti-O distances for
the trans ligand lower in the bonding sequence. The overall
electronic state of the complexes is a function of the donation
In the above bonding sequence, the chloride ligand is second
to the isopropoxide, and this result is consistent with the relative
(18) Lappert, M. F.; Patil, D. S.; Pedley, J. B. J. Chem. Soc., Chem.
Commun. 1975, 830.
(17) Jensen, W. B. Chem. ReV. 1978, 78, 1.

2940 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 12, 1996
Gau et al.
abilities of ligands. For example, the corresponding bond
distances for dianionic complex 7b containing more Cl- ligands
are longer than that for the monoanionic complex 12 and, in
turn, longer than that for the neutral complexes. The bond
distance for the trans ligand to the strong isopropoxide is usually
long in comparison with the values for the ligand trans to
others.19 Due to the strong effect of the isopropoxide, all cis
ligands bend away from isopropoxide with the observation of
coordinated solvent like alcohol, Et2O, or THF may be removed
in vacuo to form dimers or oligomers through the bridging of
chlorides or alkoxides. If the reaction system contains volatile
ligands or if a volatile solvent capable of coordination is used,
the species in solution may not be the same as the solid material
which is obtained from evaporating the solvent completely.
i
the PrO-Ti-L(cis) angles >90°.
Conclusions
Six-coordination is the predominant geometry for titanium
metal with ligands of small to moderate size.20 Though several
geometric isomers are possible for complexes containing several
different ligands, the structures of complexes are governed by
the bonding order of ligands with the following principle for
the six-coordinate titanium complexes: The strongest ligand
prefers a trans position to the weakest ligand, and the second
strongest ligand favors a trans position to the second weakest
ligand in the complex. Without the steric constrain or the geo-
metrical requirement of bi- or multidentate ligands, the validity
of this rule is demonstrated extremely well for complexes of
known structures such as 1,6 14,21 15,22 16,23 17,24 and others.20
Interestingly, in the cases of complexes containing two or more
alkoxides, some of the alkoxides are in the bridging position to
minimize the number of the strong terminal alkoxides on a metal
center or to prevent two strong alkoxides trans to each other as
in the structures of complexes 14, 16, 17, and others.25 Oxygen-
containing solvents such as THF or Et2O can participate in the
coordination to achieve a six-coordinate structure when there
is not enough free ligand in solution. However, due to the strong
trans effect of alkoxide, the volatile trans ligand or the
Kinetically the trans ligand to the alkoxide is rather labile
for substitutions, and the reaction site of a given complex
containing alkoxide is predictable in solution. Most importantly,
the lability of the trans ligand to the alkoxide would secure the
efficiency of the titanium alkoxides as catalysts in practical
usages. Therefore, by using the bonding sequence and with
the incorporation of the dominating effect of the alkoxide and
also of the steric effect of the bi- or multidentate chiral ligands
or other ligands in complexes, it seems highly promising to
design effective catalysts possessing only a specific reaction
site. Obviously, a more complete and comprehensive bonding
sequence is necessary, and we are continuously working on this
and also on the syntheses of chiral metal complexes for the
asymmetric catalytic reactions.
(19) (a)Poll, T.; Metler, J. O.; Helmchen, G. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.
Engl. 1985, 24, 112. (b) Castineiras, V. A.; Hiller, W.; Stra¨hle, J.; Sousa,
A.; Rodriguez, A.; Bastida, R.; Sanchez-Bermudez, A. Acta Crystallogr.
1987, C43, 423. (c) Maier, G.; Seipp, U.; Boese, R. Tetrahedron Lett. 1987,
28, 4515. (d) Sobato, P.; Mustafa, M. O.; Lis, T. Polyhedron 1989, 8, 2013.
(e) Bachand, B.; Wuest, J. D. Organometallics 1991, 10, 2015. (f) Sobato,
P.; Szafert, S.; Utko, J.; Lis, T. J. Organomet. Chem. 1992, 423, 195. (g)
Sobato, P.; Ejfler, J.; Szafert, S.; Szczegot, K.; Sawka-Dobrowolska, W. J.
Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1993, 2353. (h) Winter, C. H.; Lewkebandara,
T. S.; Proscia, J. W.; Rheingold, A. L. Inorg. Chem. 1994, 33, 1227.
(20) (a)Brun, L. Acta Crystallogr. 1966, 20, 739. (b) Smith, G. D.;
Caughlan, C. N.; Campbell, J. A. Inorg. Chem. 1972, 11, 2989. (c) Sobota,
P.; Utko, J.; Lis, T. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1984, 2077. (d) Dawoodi,
Z.; Green, M. L. H.; Mtetwa, V. S. B.; Prout, K.; Schultz, A. J.; Williams,
J. M.; Koetzle, T. F. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1986, 1629. (e) Nakajima,
K.; Sasaki, C.; Kojima, M.; Aoyama, T.; Ohba, S.; Saito, Y.; Fujita, J.
Chem. Lett. 1987, 2189. (f) Albanese, J. A.; Staley, D. L.; Rheingold, A.
L.; Burmeister, J. L. Inorg. Chem. 1990, 29, 2209. (g) Bashall, A.; Brown,
D. A.; McPartlin, M.; Wallbridge, M. G. H. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans.
1992, 2529. (h) Jonas, V.; Frenking, G.; Reetz, M. T. Organometallics 1993,
12, 2111. (i) Carofiglio, T.; Cozzi, P. G.; Floriani, C.; Chiesi-Villa, A.;
Rizzoli, C. Organometallics 1993, 12, 2726. (j) Clegg, W.; O'Neil, P. A.;
Henderson, K. W.; Mulvey, R. E. Acta Crystallogr. 1993, C49, 2108. (k)
Willey, G. R.; Palin, J.; Drew, M. G. B. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1994,
1799. (l) Schubert, U.; Tewinkel, S.; Mo¨ller, F. Inorg. Chem. 1995, 34,
995. (m) Cozzi, P. G.; Floriani, C.; Chiesi-Villa, A.; Rizzoli, C. Inorg. Chem.
1995, 34, 2921.
(21) Williams, I. D.; Pedersen, S. F.; Sharpless, K. B.; Lippard, S. J. J.
Am. Chem. Soc. 1984, 106, 6430.
(22) Cozzi, P. G.; Floriani, C.; Chiesi-Villa, A.; Rizzoli, C. Organome-
tallics 1994, 13, 2131.
(23) Winter, C. H.; Sheridan, P. H.; Heeg, M. J. Inorg. Chem. 1991, 30,
1962.
(24) Wright, D. A.; Williams, D. A. Acta Crystallogr. 1968, B24, 1107.
(25) (a)Borgias, B. A.; Cooper, S. R.; Koh, Y. B.; Raymond, K. N. Inorg.
Chem. 1984, 23, 1009. (b) Pedersen, S. F.; Dewan, J. C.; Eckman, R. R.;
Sharpless, K. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 1279. (c) Siedle, A. R.;
Huffman, J. C. Inorg. Chem. 1990, 29, 3131. (d) Day, V. W.; Eberspacher,
T. A.; Klemperer, W. G.; Park, C. W.; Rosenberg, F. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1991, 113, 8190. (e) Corey, E. J.; Cywin, C. L.; Noe, M. C. Tetrahedron
Lett. 1994, 35, 69. (f) Boyle, T. T.; Schwartz, R. W.; Doedens, R. J.; Ziller,
J. W. Inorg. Chem. 1995, 34, 1110.
Experimental Section
9
Reagents and General Techniques. Ti(OiPr)Cl3 was prepared
according to the literature procedures. NEt3 and pyridine were distilled
and stored over molecular sieves. HPyCl and HNEt3Cl salts were
obtained by bubbling HCl gas into a solution of pyridine or NEt3 in
benzene, respectively. Benzaldehyde and methyl benzoate were dried
and stored over molecular sieves. Solvents were dried by refluxing
for at least 24 h over P2O5 (dichloromethane) or sodium/benzophenone
(benzene, toluene, hexane, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran) and freshly
distilled prior to use. Deuterated solvents (Aldrich) were dried over
molecular sieves. All syntheses and manipulations were carried out
under a dry dinitrogen atmosphere.
Synthesis of Triethylammonium Pentachloroisopropoxotitanate-
(IV) (7a). HNEt3Cl (1.10 g, 8.00 mmol) was added to a solution of
Ti(OiPr)Cl3 (0.853 g, 4.00 mmol) in 40 mL of CH2Cl2 at room
temperature. The color of the solution changed to yellowish-green,
and the solution was stirred for another 2 h. The solvent was removed
to give a pale green solid (1.78 g, 91.4%). 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 9.47
(br, 2H), 5.27 (m, 1H), 3.25 (m, 12H), 1.51 (d, 6H), 1.43 (t, 18H).
13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 91.3 (CH), 46.6 (NCH2CH3), 23.4 (OCH-
(CH3)2), 8.7 (NCH2CH3). Anal. Calcd for C15H39N2OCl5Ti: C, 36.87;
N, 5.73; H, 8.04. Found: C, 36.93; N, 5.72; H, 8.01.
Synthesis of Pyridinium Pentachloroisopropoxotitanate(IV) (7b).
HPyCl (0.924 g, 8.00 mmol) was added to a solution of Ti(OiPr)Cl3
(0.853 g, 4.00 mmol) in 40 mL of CH2Cl2 at room temperature. A
pale green solid precipitated gradually, and the resulting mixture was
stirred for 12 h. The solid was filtered to give a pale green product
(1.62 g, 91.1%). 1H NMR (NC5D5): δ 8.71 (m, 4H), 7.56 (m, 2H),

Ti(OiPr)Cl3 with Cl and O-Containing Ligands
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 118, No. 12, 1996 2941
7.19 (m, 4H), 4.16 (m, 1H), 1.28 (d, 6H), -0.38 (br, 2H). Anal. Calcd
for C13H19N2OCl5Ti: C, 35.13; N, 6.30; H, 4.31. Found: C, 34.48; N,
6.31; H, 4.23.
Colorless crystals of 13 can be obtained by slowly diffusing hexane
into a solution of 13 in toluene. 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 5.36 (m, 2H),
4.43 (m, 8H), 2.07 (m, 8H), 1.56 (d, 12H). 13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3):
δ 94.1 (CH), 74.0 (THF), 25.3 (THF), 23.3 (CH3). Anal. Calcd for
C14H30O4Cl6Ti2: C, 29.45; H, 5.30. Found: C, 28.96; H, 5.09.
Synthesis of (Benzaldehyde)trichloroisopropoxo(tetrahydrofuran)-
titanium(IV) (14). Benzaldehyde (0.31 mL, 3.00 mmol) was added
to a solution of complex 13 (0.856 g, 1.50 mmol) in 15 mL of CH2Cl2
at room temperature. The solution changed color from light yellow to
orange and was stirred for another 1 h. After the removal of solvent,
a yellowish-orange powder (1.01 g, 85.7%) was obtained. 1H NMR
(CDCl3): δ 10.2 (s, 1H), 8.05 (m, 2H), 7.77 (m, 1H), 7.60 (m, 2H),
5.47 (m, 1H), 4.34 (m, 4H), 2.05 (m, 4H), 1.69 (d, 6H). 13C{1H} NMR
(CDCl3): δ 199.3 (CHO), 137.0, 134.5, 131.9, 129.5, 93.8 (CH), 74.4
(THF), 25.4 (THF), 23.5 (CH3). Anal. Calcd for C14H21O3Cl3Ti: C,
42.94; H, 5.41. Found: C, 43.09; H, 5.49.
Synthesis of Trichloroisopropoxobis(tetrahydrofuran)titanium-
(IV) (8). THF (30 mL) was added to Ti(OiPr)Cl3 (0.853 g, 4.00 mmol)
in a reaction flask, and the reaction was exothermic. The mixture was
stirred for 20 min, and then 40 mL of hexane was slowly added to
make two layers. The solution was cooled to -15 °C to give colorless
crystals (1.34 g, 93.6%). 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 5.45 (m, 1H), 4.33 (m,
8H), 2.02 (m, 8H), 1.55 (d, 6H). 13C{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 94.3 (CH),
73.9 (THF), 25.4 (THF), 23.5 (CH3). Anal. Calcd for C11H23O3Cl3-
Ti: C, 36.95; H, 6.48. Found: C, 36.14; H, 6.14.
Synthesis of Bis(benzaldehyde)trichloroisopropoxotitanium(IV)
(9). Benzaldehyde (0.61 mL, 6.00 mmol) was added to a solution of
Ti(OiPr)Cl3 (0.640 g, 3.00 mmol) in 30 mL of toluene at room
temperature. The reaction mixture was stirred for 12 h and then was
allowed to stand at -15 °C for 48 h to afford yellow crystals (1.16 g,
90.9%). 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 10.17 (s, 2H), 8.05 (m, 4H), 7.79 (m,
2H), 7.60 (m, 4H), 5.40 (m, 1H), 1.61 (d, 6H). 13C{1H} NMR
(CDCl3): δ 200.6 (CHO), 137.6, 133.9, 132.4, 129.5, 93.8 (CH), 23.6
(CH3). IR (Nujol mull): 1683 (w), 1644 (s) cm-1. Anal. Calcd for
C17H19O3Cl3Ti: C, 47.98; H, 4.50. Found: C, 47.39; H, 4.59.
Synthesis of (Benzaldehyde)trichloro(diethyl ether)isopropoxoti-
tanium(IV) (10). Benzaldehyde (0.31 mL, 3.00 mmol) was added to
a solution of Ti(OiPr)Cl3 (0.640 g, 3.00 mmol) in 10 mL of diethyl
ether at room temperature. A large quantity of white solid precipitated
immediately, and then 30 mL of toluene was added to dissolve the
precipitate completely. The resulting clear solution was allowed to
stand at -15 °C for 24 h to afford yellow crystals (0.820 g, 69.5%).
1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 10.17 (s, 1H), 8.08 (m, 2H), 7.81 (m, 1H), 7.61
(m, 2H), 5.31 (m, 1H), 3.55 (q, 4H), 1.60 (d, 6H), 1.22 (t, 6H). 13C-
{1H} NMR (CDCl3): δ 201.3 (CHO), 138.1, 133.7, 132.8, 129.6, 94.7
(CH), 66.3 (OCH2), 23.8 (CH3), 14.8 (OCH2CH3). IR (Nujol mull):
1686 (w), 1635 (s) cm-1. Anal. Calcd for C14H23O3Cl3Ti: C, 42.72;
H, 5.89. Found: C, 42.39; H, 5.59.
Synthesis of Bis[(µ-chloro)dichloro(methyl benzoate)isopropoxoti-
tanium(IV)] (11). Methyl benzoate (1.08 mL, 6.00 mmol) was added
to a solution of Ti(OiPr)Cl3 (1.28 g, 6.00 mmol) in 30 mL of toluene
at room temperature. The solution changed color to light yellow and
was stirred for 3 h. The solution was concentrated to about 10 mL
and cooled to -25 °C to afford a yellow plate of crystals (1.47 g,
70.1%). 1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 8.20 (m, 4H), 7.63 (m, 2H), 7.47 (m,
4H), 5.32 (m, 2H), 4.16 (s, 6H), 1.57 (d, 12 H). 13C{1H} NMR
(CDCl3): δ 170.8 (CO), 134.5, 130.9, 128.6, 128.5, 95.6 (CH), 55.1
(OCH3), 24.0 (CH3). Anal. Calcd for C22H30O6Cl6Ti2: C, 37.80; H,
4.33. Found: C, 36.77; H, 4.44.
Physical Measurements. 1H NMR spectra were obtained with a
Varian Gemini-200 (200 MHz) or a Varian VXR-300 (300 MHz)
spectrometer, and 13C NMR spectra were recorded with the Varian
VXR-300 (75.43 MHz) spectrometer. The 1H and 13C NMR chemical
shifts were measured relative to tetramethylsilane as the internal
reference. Infrared spectra were recorded on a Hitachi 270-30
spectrometer in the region of 4000-400 cm-1; the peak positions were
calibrated with the 1601.4 cm-1 peak of poly(styrene). Elemental
analyses of complexes were performed using a Heraeus CHN-O-
RAPID instrument.
Crystal Structure Determinations. Crystals of 7b, 8, and 10-13
in sealed capillaries were used for X-ray diffraction studies. The
diffraction intensities were collected on a Siemens P4 diffractometer
equipped with graphite-monochromated Mo KR radiation (λ ) 0.710 73
Å). The absorption correction was not performed on the samples. All
refinements and calculations were carried out with the Siemens
SHELXTL PLUS software package on a MicroVax 3100-80 computer.
The positions of heavy atoms for the structure were determined by
direct methods, and the remaining non-hydrogen atoms were located
from successive difference Fourier map calculations. The refinements
were carried out using full-matrix least-squares techniques. All non-
hydrogen atoms were refined as individual anisotropic atoms. The
hydrogen atoms were considered as the riding atom on the carbon atom
with a C-H bond length of 0.96 Å, and the hydrogen atom temperature
factors were fixed at 0.08. The hydrogen atoms were included for
refinements in the final cycles. The structure of 12 was found to possess
two disordered THF’s of equal populations.
Acknowledgment. We would like to thank the National
Science Council of the Republic of China for financial support
(NSC 84-2113-M-005-009). Valuable suggestions about this
manuscript from Dr. Albert S. C. Chan are appreciated.
Synthesis of Triethylammonium Tetrachloroisopropoxo(tetrahy-
drofuran)titanate(IV) (12). HNEt3Cl (0.275 g, 2.00 mmol) was added
to a solution of Ti(OiPr)Cl3(THF)2 (8) (0.715 g, 2.00 mmol) in 30 mL
of CH2Cl2 at room temperature. The HNEt3Cl dissolved completely
in 20 min to give a clear green solution, and the solvent was removed
to give a pale green solid in nearly quantitative yield (0.820 g, 96.9%).
1H NMR (CDCl3): δ 8.42 (br, 1H), 5.39 (m, 1H), 4.25 (m, 4H), 3.27
(br, 6H), 1.95 (m, 4H), 1.52 (d, 6H), 1.43 (br, 9H). 13C{1H} NMR
(CDCl3): δ 92.0 (CH), 72.8 (THF), 47.0 (NCH2), 25.3 (THF), 23.3
(CH3), 8.8 (NCH2CH3). Anal. Calcd for C13H31O2NCl4Ti: C, 36.90;
N, 3.31; H, 7.39. Found: C, 35.78; N, 3.40; H, 7.22.
Supporting Information Available: Tables of crystal-
lographic data including final coordinates, bond lengths, bond
angles, and anisotropic displacement coefficients for complexes
7b, 8, and 10-13 (61 pages). This material is contained in
many libraries on microfiche, immediately follows this article
in the microfilm version of the journal, can be ordered from
ACS, and can be downloaded from the Internet; see any current
masthead page for ordering information and Internet access
instructions.
Synthesis of Bis[(µ-chloro)dichloroisopropoxo(tetrahydrofuran)-
titanium(IV)] (13). Crystals of 8 (1.43 g, 4.00 mmol) in a flask were
under vacuum for 12 h to give a white powder (1.10 g, 96.4%).
JA952730Q