The sodium amalgam (2 Na per M) reduction of hydrocarbon solutions
of the chloro, aryl oxide compounds
[M(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)2Cl3]2
(1) and
[M(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)3Cl2]
(2) (a, M = Nb; b, M = Ta) in the
presence of 1,3-cyclohexadiene leads to formation of the η4-cyclohexadiene
derivatives
[M(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)2Cl(η4-C6H8)]
(3) and
[M(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)3(η4-C6H8)]
(4). Spectroscopic studies of compounds 3
and 4 show in all cases a strongly bound
cyclohexadiene ligand which does not readily undergo displacement (NMR)
with added reagents such as PMe2Ph
and cyclohexene. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of
3a and the isomorphous pair 4a and 4b
show in all
three cases a geometry about the metal center best described as
three-legged piano stool. Compound 4a will
catalyze
the disproportionation of 1,3-cyclohexadiene into cyclohexene and
benzene as well as the hydrogenation of 1,3-cyclohexadiene and cyclohexene into cyclohexane. Mechanistic
studies clearly show that cyclohexene is not released
during the conversion of 1,3-cyclohexadiene to cyclohexane catalyzed by
4a. In contrast, solutions of 3a will
convert
1,3-cyclohexadiene slowly to cyclohexene prior to conversion to
cyclohexane. The addition of 1,3-cyclohexadiene
to the trihydride compounds
[Ta(OC6H3Cy2-2,6)2(H)3(PMe2Ph)2]
and
[Ta(OC6HPh2-3,5-Cy2-2,6)2(H)3(PMe2Ph)2]
leads to the interesting products
[Ta(OC6H3Cy2-2,6)2(η1-C6H10-η4-C6H7)]
(5) and
[Ta(OC6HPh2-3,5-Cy2-2,6)2(η1-C6H10-η4-C6H7)]
(6) which, based upon structural studies of 5
contain a partially hydrogenated non-Diels−Alder
dimer of 1,3-cyclohexadiene. The addition of 1,3-cyclohexadiene to
the dihydride compounds
[Ta(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)2(Cl)(H)2(PMe2Ph)2]
and
[Ta(OC6H3But
2-2,6)2(Cl)(H)2(PMe2Ph)]
leads to the dehydrogenation product
[Ta(OC6H3Pri-η2-CMeCH2)(OC6H3Pri
2-2,6)(Cl)(PMe2Ph)2]
(7) and the cyclohexyl compound
[Ta(OC6H3But-CMe2CH2)(OC6H3But
2-2,6)(Cl)(C6H11)]
(8), respectively. The mechanistic implications of
these stoichiometric and catalytic reactions
are discussed. Crystal data for 3a at 20°C:
NbClO2C30H42. M =
563.03, space group P
nma
(no. 62),
a = 12.237(1),
b = 21.633(1), c = 10.883(2) Å,
V = 2881.0(9) Å3,
D
c = 1.298 g cm-3,
Z = 4; for 4a at 20 °C:
NbO3C42H59.
M
= 704.84, space group P21/c (no.
14), a = 11.562(1), b = 16.117(2),
c = 21.914(3) Å, β = 103.69(1)°,
V = 3967(2)
Å3, D
c = 1.180 g
cm-3, Z = 4; for 4b
at −57 °C: TaO3C42H59.
M = 792.88, space group
P21/c (no. 14), a
=
11.452(2), b = 16.175(3), c =
21.765(3) Å, β = 103.52(1)°, V =
3919(2) Å3, D
c = 1.343 g
cm-3, Z = 4; for 5
at
20 °C: TaO2C48H67.
M = 857.02, space group P21 (no. 4),
a = 10.559(9), b = 15.828(10),
c = 13.266(12) Å, V
= 2095(6) Å3, D
c = 1.358 g
cm-3, Z = 2.