Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Free-radical pathways to alkyl complexes of a nickel tetraaza macrocycle

Journal Article · · Inorg. Chem.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic00238a034· OSTI ID:5058053

The cationic nickel(I) macrocycle (1R,4S,8R,11S)-(1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)nickel(I), abbreviated R,S,R,S-(Ni(tmc))/sup +/, reacts in aqueous, alkaline solutions on the stopped-flow time scale with alkyl halides to form a new series of organonickel complexes. Kinetic data were obtained for a large number of alkyl halides. The trends in the rate constants are benzyl > allyl > secondary > primary > methyl > cyclopropyl, and RI > RBr > RCl. These trends suggest that carbon-centered free radicals R are produced by a bimolecular reaction between Ni(tmc)/sup +/ and RX and are then captured by a second Ni(tmc)/sup +/. Further evidence for free-radical involvement comes from cyclization of the radical produced from 6-bromo-1-hexene, from the yields of products in those instances where dimerization of the free radical competes with its capture by Ni(tmc)/sup +/, and from the nonreactivity of alkyl tosylates. The organonickel complexes slowly hydrolyze in unimolecular processes to yield hydrocarbon and the nickel(II) complex R,S,R,S-(Ni(tmc))/sup 2 +/. The organonickel complexes do not undergo unimolecular homolysis but react with Co(II) macrocycles with a 1:2 stoichiometry to form cobalt-carbon bonds. This reaction most likely occurs not by homolytic displacement but by electron transfer followed by radical capture.

Research Organization:
Iowa State Univ., Ames
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-82
OSTI ID:
5058053
Journal Information:
Inorg. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: Inorg. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 25:18; ISSN INOCA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English