The dimeric η3-allylpalladium chloride complexes
formed from various cycloalkenes (C7−C13) and some methyl- and tert-butyl-substituted
cycloalkenes have been characterized by
1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and in selected
cases by X-ray crystallography. The formation
of syn and anti isomers in the larger ring
systems is demonstrated, and complexes with a
rearranged ring system are formed from tert-butylcyclodecene
and tert-butylcyclododecene.
The sesquiterpene, carophyllene, is shown to form an
η3-allyl exocyclic complex, exclusively
from the (E)-double bond. Cis and trans isomers, with
respect to allyl group orientation in
these halo-bridged dimers, have been identified by low-temperature
(190K) NMR spectroscopy, and their interconversion (ΔG
⧧ ≈ 11
kcal/mol) is considered to involve a “cubic”
η3-allylpalladium chloride tetramer.