112. Dichotomy of Fe+-Mediated Sequential Activation of C-H/C-C Bonds of Aldimines: A Case of Efficient Reaction Control by Chain-Length Effects

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/hlca.19900730503

The metastable ions of Fe⁺ complexes of aldimines R¹N=CHR² exhibit a unique behaviour in that sequential loss of olefin/H2 follows two distinct pathways: one corresponds to the familiar pattern of double remote functionalization, involving either alkyl chain R¹ and R².In addition, based on labeling studies, evidence is presented demonstrating that the consecutive elimination of C2H4/H2 from the Fe⁺ complex of C6H13N=CHC3H7 involves exclusively the C6H13 part of the substrate.These and other Fe⁺-mediated C-H/C-C bond activations of aldimines are controlled by chain-lengths effects, reflecting the preferential formation of metallacyclic intermediates of particular ring sizes.