The
relative energies of singlet and triplet metallocene, metallabenzene,
and metallacyclopentadiene C10H10M isomers (M
= Ni, Pd, Pt) have been examined using density functional theory.
For the C10H10Ni system, the experimentally
known triplet nickelocene (η5-Cp)2Ni is
the lowest energy isomer by ∼17 kcal/mol with respect to singlet
nickelocene. For the C10H10Pd system, the triplet
and singlet palladocene structures have similar energies within ∼2
kcal/mol. However, the singlet palladocene has a “slipped ring”
(η3-Cp)2Pd structure with two trihapto
Cp rings. The C10H10Pt system is different since
the platinabenzene CpPtC5H5 isomer is the lowest
energy structure. This is in accord with the synthesis of stable substituted CpPtC5H3R2 platinabenzenes by Haley and co-workers
[
Haley
M. M.
Haley
M. M.
Organometallics2004231174]. However, the slipped ring singlet platinocene (η3-Cp)2Pt to the isomeric platinocene lies only ∼2
kcal/mol above the platinabenzene global minimum, so the energy barrier
for conversion of the platinabenzene must be substantial. The following
general observations can be made regarding the relative stabilities
of isomeric C10H10M (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) structures:
(1) Triplet structures become less favorable energetically than isomeric
singlet structures in the sequence Ni < Pd < Pt. (2) Slipped
metallocene structures with trihapto η3-Cp rather
than pentahapto η5-Cp rings leading ultimately to
16- rather than 18-electron metal configurations become increasingly
favorable energetically in the sequence Ni < Pd < Pt. (3) Metallabenzene
(η5-Cp)MC5H5 structures
with pentahapto Cp rings are always more favorable energetically than
isomeric metallacyclopentadiene (η6-C6H6)MC4H4 structures with hexahapto
benzene rings.