We have investigated the scope and mechanism of the “three-component” synthesis of
substituted CpRe(CO)3 complexes which involves the reaction of nucleophiles with diazocyclopentadiene (C5H4N2) and a fac-Re(CO)3
+ species. We found that only moderately strong
nucleophiles (halogen, carboxylates, boronic acids) are suitable for this transformation and
that it shows a great sensitivity to the steric and electronic features of the nucleophile. A
Hammett-type ρσ analysis of the effect of para-substituents on the relative rate of this
reaction with several benzoates showed that the reaction is accelerated by electron-donating
substituents. A mechanistic analysis, based on structure/reactivity relationships and NMR
experiments, indicated that the nucleophile initially reacts with the rhenium precursor. Then,
in the rate-determining step, the resulting preassociated rhenium−nucleophile intermediate
reacts with C5H4N2 via a concerted SN2-like transition state. The same general mechanistic
pathway seems to be followed by two very different classes of nucleophiles, carboxylates
and boronic acids, in the synthesis of acyloxy- and carbon-substituted CpRe(CO)3 complexes,
respectively. In particular, the lack of reactivity of boronic esters can be explained by the
necessary preassociation step between the rhenium and a deprotonated hydroxy group of
the nucleophile, which is possible only with free boronic acids.