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Trends in Sc[sup +]-alkyl bond strengths

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00090a067· OSTI ID:7019409
;  [1]
  1. California Inst. of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States)
Recent Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) studies of the gas-phase [sigma]-bond metathesis reactions of Sc(CH[sub 3])[sub 2][sup +] with alkanes (C[sub 2]H[sub 6], C[sub 3]H[sub 8]. and n-C[sub 4]H[sub 10]) demonstrate a preference for attack at primary rather than secondary C-H bonds, reaction 1a rather than 1b. This occurs even though the substrate primary bond is about 2.4 kcal/mol stronger than the secondary bond. In addition, the efficiencies of the reactions are observed to increase with the size of the alkane ([le] 0.02, 0.17, and 0.37 for C[sub 2]H[sub 6], C[sub 3]H[sub 8], and n-C[sub 4]H[sub 10], respectively). Ab initio calculations on the analogous reaction with CH[sub 4] indicate that the reaction proceeds via a four-center transition state. Consequently, the variations in the observed reactivities should be largely attributable to the differences in the corresponding metal-alkyl and alkyl-H bond strengths. In order to verify that this is the case, we examined the Sc[sup +]-R bond strengths, where R=CH[sub 3], C[sub 2]H[sub 5], n-C[sub 3]H[sub 7]. i-C[sub 3]H[sub 7], and t-C[sub 4]H[sub 9]. Our results indicate that the observed selectivity has a clear thermodynamic origin and the Sc[sup +]-R bond strengths are consistent with two sometimes conflicting trends. 14 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.
OSTI ID:
7019409
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States) Vol. 116:11; ISSN JACSAT; ISSN 0002-7863
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English