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

Homogeneous carbon monoxide fixation. Progress report, May 1, 1980-December 31, 1980

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6935038

Two carbonyl ligands on CpFe(CO)/sub 3//sup +/ (1) have been selectively converted to the C/sub 2/ organic molecules ethane, ethylene, methyl or ethyl acetate, or acetaldehyde. NaBH/sub 3/CN in methanol or ethanol thus reduces 1 to the alkoxymethyl complexes CpFe(CO)/sub 2/CH/sub 2/OR (2a, R = Me; b, R = Et). Alkoxyacetyl complexes CpFe(CO)L(COCH/sub 2/OR) (3, L = PPh/sub 3/; 4, P(OMe)/sub 3/), which are derived from 2, then serve as templates for synthesizing other C/sub 2/ coordinated ligands. Acidic isomerization of 3, 4 gives the carboalkoxymethyl compounds CpFe(CO)L(CH/sub 2/CO/sub 2/R); these eliminate alkyl acetate with excess acid. Alternatively, alkylation of 3, 4 affords stable ..cap alpha..,..beta..-dialkoxyethylidene complexes (e.g., CpFe(CO)PPh/sub 3/(C(OEt)CH/sub 2/OMe)/sup +/PF/sub 6//sup -/, (7a)) that are activated to reduction by borohydride reagents. BH/sub 4//sup -/ thus produces CpFe(CO)PPh/sub 3/(CH/sub 2/CH/sub 3/) (8), and Et/sub 3/BH/sup -/ gives CpFe(CO)PPh/sub 3/(CH/sub 2/CHO) (10). The ethyl complex 8 releases either ethylene by heating or ethane after protonation; the formylmethyl complex 10 eliminates acetaldehyde upon adding acid. Bimetallic activation of 3, 4, by forming ..mu..-acyl complexes CpFe(CO)L)CO(Mo(CO)/sub 3/Cp)CH/sub 2/OR)/sup +/, also activates alkoxyacetyl ligand to BH/sub 4//sup -/ reduction, giving the ethyl compounds CpFe(CO)L(CH/sub 2/CH/sub 3/).

Research Organization:
Wesleyan Univ., Middletown, CT (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-80ER10625
OSTI ID:
6935038
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/10625-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English