J.L. Snelgrove et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 345 (2003) 268Á
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278
269
With the intention of developing long-lived, highly
active Ru metathesis catalysts, we undertook an ex-
ploration of the potential of phenoxide ligands as bulky,
tunable pseudohalide ligands. Caulton has demon-
strated the susceptibility of the Ru-benzylidene entity
to net deprotonation by alkali phenoxides [8]; we find
that this tendency is not repressed even on use of
electron deficient C6F5Oꢂ salts [9]. In view of this
incompatibility, we chose to focus on exploration of the
phenoxide chemistry of precursors of the type
RuCl2(PPh3)3 (1) and RuHCl(PPh3)3 (2).
under N2, MeOH from Mg(OCH3)2, and C6H6 from
NaÁbenzophenonone ketyl. NMR solvents (Cambridge
Isotopes) were dried over activated molecular sieves
/
˚
(Linde 4A), degassed by consecutive freeze/pump/thaw
cycles, and stored in gas-tight solvent bulbs.
RuCl2(PPh3)3 (1) [19] and RuHCl(PPh3)3 (2) [6,20]
were synthesized according to literature procedures,
potassium or thallium aryloxides (MOPh, MOAr, where
Arꢀ
4-tBuC6H4) by reaction of the appropriate phenol
/
(Aldrich) with KH or thallium ethoxide. NMR spectra
were recorded on a Bruker Avance-300 spectrometer
(121.4 MHz for 31P, 75.4 MHz for 13C, 300 MHz for
1H), IR spectra on a Bomem MB100 IR spectrometer.
Microanalyses were carried out by Guelph Chemical
Laboratories Ltd., Guelph, ON.
A recent resurgence in interest in the nature, stability,
and strength of the late transition metalÃ/oxygen bond
stems from the potential of aryloxides as substrates (in,
for example, nucleophilic phenol functionalization [10]
or aryloxide carbonylation [11,12]) as well as ancillary
ligands. Several important studies have led to reevalua-
2.2. Ru(h5-ArO)(o-C6H4PPh2)(PPh3)×
ArOH)
/
ArOH (3a×
/
tion of the assumption that late transition metalÃ
/oxygen
bond energies are inherently low, as the Pearson ‘hard-
soft’ formalism would suggest [13,14]. Calorimetric data
are consistent with a dependence of formation enthal-
pies on phenol acidity [15], though a suggested 1:1
A suspension of 1 (52 mg, 0.055 mmol) and KOAr
(20.6 mg, 0.109 mmol) in 2 ml C6H5CH3 was stirred for
12 h, until no 31P NMR peaks for 1 were evident. The
solution was filtered through Celite to remove an
insoluble orange precipitate, concentrated, and treated
with cold hexanes to precipitate the bright yellow
correlation between MÃ
/
X bond energies and HÃ/X bond
strengths [13,16] has recently undergone some modifica-
tion to take into account ground-state polarization
effects, in which electron-withdrawing substituents can
promote binding to the metal center [17].
product. Yield after reprecipitation from Et2OÁhexanes:
/
39 mg (66%). X-ray quality crystals were grown by slow
concentration of a CHCl3 solution of the filtrate.
Within late transition metal complexes, the aryloxide
ligand can function as a terminal (or, less commonly,
bridging) O-bound ligand, or as a p-aryl donor.
Examples of both s- and p-aryloxide derivatives are
now known for Groups 6 through 10 [18]. While general
trends associate p-bound aryloxide with PPh3, COD,
Cp*, and C2H4 ligands, and s-bound aryloxide with CO
2
31P{1H} NMR (CDCl3): d 49.3 (d, JPP
ꢀ 39 Hz, 1P),
/
2
1
ꢂ
/
27.5 (d, JPP
(br s, 1H, ArOH), 8.04 (m, 1H, Ph), 7.5Á
Ph), 4.60 (d, JHH
4.6 Hz, 1H, h5-4-tBuC6H4O), 4.53
(d, JHH
ꢀ
/
39 Hz, 1P). H NMR (CD2Cl2): d 9.2
/6.7 (m, 32H,
ꢀ
/
ꢀ
/
4.6 Hz, 1H, h5-4-tBuC6H4O), 4.32 (d, JHH
ꢀ
/
4.6 Hz, 1H, h5-4-tBuC6H4O), 4.22 (d, JHH
ꢀ4.6 Hz, 1H,
/
and PR3 (Rꢀalkyl) this pattern of behaviour is not
/
h5-4-tBuC6H4O), 1.34 (s, 9H, Bu of h5-ArO), 1.01 (s,
9H, tBu of ArOH). IR (Nujol, cmꢂ1) 3100 (m, br, nOH),
1539 (m, nCÄO), 1264 (m, nCÃO). Anal. Calc. for
C56H56O2P2Ru: C, 72.79; H, 6.11. Found: C, 72.69; H,
6.05%.
t
invariable, and in some cases the s- and p-derivatives
are obtained by markedly similar routes. The need for
reliable predictors of synthetic outcomes prompted us to
undertake a systematic investigation of the reactions of
chlororuthenium phosphine complexes with simple
aryloxide ligands. We find a pattern of high reactivity
within coordinatively unsaturated complexes containing
labile ligands, and demonstrate the thermodynamic
preference for p-bound aryloxide within such species.
2.3. Ru(h5-PhO)(o-C6H4PPh2)(PPh3)×
PhOH)
/
PhOH (3b×
/
Addition of KOPh to 1 was carried out as for 3a,
using THF as solvent. Complex 3b was obtained in 54%
yield, as a phenol solvate. Crystals were grown by slow
2. Experimental
diffusion of hexanes into a C6H6 solution. 31P{1H}
2
2.1. General procedures
NMR (CDCl3): d 49.3 (d, JPP
ꢀ
/
38 Hz, 1P), ꢂ27.6 (d,
/
2JPP
PhOH), 7.63Á
2H, m-h5-C6H5O), 4.68 (t, JHH
C6H5O), 4.37 (d, JHH
ꢀ
/
38 Hz, 1P). 1H NMR (CDCl3): d 9.0 (s, 1H,
6.55 (m, 34H, Ph), 5.06 (t, JHH 5.5 Hz,
5.5 Hz, 1H, p-h5-
All reactions were carried out under N2 using
standard Schlenk or drybox techniques. Dry, oxygen-
free C6H5CH3, and THF were obtained using an
Anhydrous Engineering solvent purification system,
˚
and stored over Linde 4A molecular sieves. Methylene
chloride and isopropanol were distilled from CaH2
/
ꢀ
/
ꢀ
/
ꢀ
5.6 Hz, 2H, o-h5-C6H5O). IR
/
(Nujol, cmꢂ1): 3100 (m, br, nOH), 1530 (s, nCÄO), 1275 (s,
nCÃO). Anal. Calc. for C48H40O2P2Ru: C, 71.01; H, 4.97.
Found: C, 71.45; H, 4.97%.