Communications
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a methyl C H bond at a cationic [MePdLn] species, with
subsequent hydride transfer to Pd and reductive elimination
of methane.[15,16] In the present case, an electrophilic metal
but are formed independently. When propene was employed
as a substrate, trans-2-butene, cis-2-butene, and 2-methylpro-
pene were detected, although in this case the reaction was at
least a factor of five slower. To determine the origin of the
C atoms in the C3 and C4 products, 13C-labeled ethylene
(13C2H4) was used under the same conditions, and the
isotopomers of the different product olefins were identified
by 13C NMR spectroscopy (Scheme 3, Figure S6 in the
Supporting Information). trans-2-Butene, cis-2-butene, and
1-butene were found to be fully 13C-labeled, which indicates
site may possibly be generated by a transient shift of the m-Cl
2
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ligand in I to a nonbridging position and intermolecular C H
activation according to the situation in I3 (Scheme 2).
Besides its unique structure, 1 is of interest since terminal
CH3 and bridging CH2 groups are considered as essential
components for various catalytic transformations on metal
clusters and surfaces,[17] and oligonuclear species have been
suggested as (often unobserved) resting states in catalytic
systems.[18] Since 1 contains both CH3 and m-CH2 groups in
close proximity on a tetranuclear platform, we investigated its
reactivity towards simple olefins. When ethylene was bubbled
through a CD2Cl2 solution of 1 at room temperature, propene
was detected as the major product (by monitoring with
1H NMR spectroscopy), together with some trans-2-butene,
cis-2-butene, 1-butene, and ethane as well as traces of
methane (Figure S5 in the Supporting Information); forma-
tion of these compounds was also confirmed by GC-MS.
Gradual deposition of Pd0 and reconstitution of some A
occurred during the reaction, thus indicating gradual decom-
position of the resulting organopalladium complexes. The
time course of product accumulation was monitored by
1H NMR spectroscopy, which clearly revealed the emergence
of the characteristic olefin resonances and concomitant
Scheme 3. Olefins resulting from the reaction of 1 with 13C2H4;
propene isotopomers are the major products.
that all C4 olefins result from the dimerization of two ethylene
molecules. In contrast, the major product propene contained
only two 13C labels and is thus assembled from one molecule
of ethylene and an unlabeled C1 unit from complex 1 (either
CH3 or m-CH2). The minor byproduct ethane was fully 13C-
labeled (suggesting that it results from hydrogenation of the
13C2H4 substrate), while no 13C is found in the trace amounts
of methane.
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disappearance of the Pd Me and m-CH2 signals (Figure 3).
Given the triple bridging of the two {LPd2} subunits by m-CH2
and two m-Cl ligands, it appears unlikely that 1 initially
13
13
13
À
=
À
=
Propene isotopomers H3
C
CH CH2 and H3C CH
13CH2 are formed in a 1:1 ratio right from the beginning,
while 1-butene is gradually isomerized to the more stable 2-
butenes (Figure 3), thus suggesting that H-scrambling can
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occur, presumably by Pd-mediated C H activation. This
scrambling is confirmed by experiments using
1 and
[D4]ethylene under the same conditions. GC-MS of the gas
phase above the reaction mixture using an SPME (solid phase
microextraction) probe as well as NMR spectroscopic mon-
itoring of the solution (an example of an 1H{2H} NMR
spectrum is depicted in Figure S7 in the Supporting Informa-
tion) showed that all possible isotopomers of propene and
butenes are present. We were also able to detect labeled
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methane (CH3D), ethane isotopomers (C2D5H, CD2H
CD2H), and [D2]ethylene. The ratio of the different propene
and butene isotopomers changes over time, gradually accu-
mulating those with higher D content. This accumulation
Figure 3. Decay of 1 and buildup of product olefins in the reaction
~
&
*
with 22 equiv ethylene. complex 1, propene, trans-2-butene,
3 cis-2-butene, ? 1-butene.
apparently results from continuous H/2H exchanges involv-
1
ing the [D4]ethylene substrate.
In conclusion, a novel Pd4 complex has been discovered
that contains both CH3 and m-CH2 groups in close proximity
on the tetranuclear platform, and several intermediates have
been spectroscopically identified during its formation from
binuclear precursors. This unique Pd4 system reacts with
ethylene to give mainly propene (and some butenes), which
has been investigated by isotopic labeling. Besides the
interesting structural motif, the present results corroborate
that oligonuclear species may well be involved, though often
not detected, in reactions with organopalladium catalysts.
Once cooperative reactivity patterns are better understood,
oligonuclear sites will open new pathways for substrate
converts to binuclear fragments upon reaction with ethylene.
Furthermore, two lines of evidence suggest that transforma-
tion of ethylene is mediated by 1 itself, not by any later
decomposition products: 1) propene and butenes are gener-
ated right from the beginning without any initiation phase,
and 2) their formation ceases when 1 has disappeared
(Figure 3). It should also be noted that complex A is
completely unreactive towards ethylene.
The simultaneous rise of propene and butenes suggests
that the latter do not stem from the primary product propene
1988
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 1986 –1989