摘要:
The title compounds (C5H4R)2Nb(X)(eta2-C,O-OCCR1R2) (R = H, SiMe3; X = Cl) were prepared from electron-rich Nb(III) compounds of formula (C5H4R)2NbCl and the free ketenes. One such derivative (3b, R = SiMe3, R1 = Et, R 2 = Ph) was studied crystallographically (monoclinic, P2(1)/c, with a = 7.938(5) angstrom, b = 15.81(2) angstrom, c = 21.61(1) angstrom, beta = 95.41(6)-degrees, and Z = 4) and was found to exhibit the exo-E geometry in the solid state. General use was made of unsymmetrically-substituted ketenes to demonstrate mechanistic aspects of the chemistry. For instance, the ligated ketenes were found to undergo an intramolecular isomerization involving the E and Z ketene isomers, which is postulated to proceed via a slipped-ketene intermediate. The unsaturated ligands also function as a source of synthetic potential, since the complexes are susceptible to protonation at the ketene beta-carbon or reduction involving the ketene pi system. The metallaenolates resulting from the latter process have been converted to ketene-hydride analogues (X = H) by way of a multistep process involving acyl beta-hydride elimination, while protonation generates highly-substituted cationic eta2-acyl compounds. Reduction of the latter constitutes another entry into the sequence resulting in ketene-hydrides and serves to corroborate the mechanistic claims. Finally, the hydride ligands in the ketene-hydrides are unusually resistant to strong acids, since the compounds react instead at the ketene terminus to form highly electron-deficient acyl hydride cations which show no tendency to eliminate aldehyde.