Formation of Divalent Ruthenacycles via Oxidative Cyclization of 1,3,5-Cyclooctatriene with Maleic Anhydride or Maleimides:  An Intermediate for the Transition Metal-Mediated [6 + 2] Cycloaddition of 1,3,5-Trienes and Alkenes

• Published in: Organometallics 2006-06, Vol.25 (12), p.2934-2942
• Main Authors: Ura, Yasuyuki, Utsumi, Taka-aki, Tsujita, Hiroshi, Wada, Kenji, Kondo, Teruyuki, Mitsudo, Take-aki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0276-7333; 1520-6041
• DOI: 10.1021/om060242t

Reactions of a zerovalent ruthenium complex, Ru(η4-cod)(η6-cot) (3; cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, cot = 1,3,5-cyclooctatriene), with maleic anhydride or maleimides under mild reaction conditions afforded a series of novel divalent ruthenacycles 4 with an η5-cyclooctadienyl moiety via oxidative cyclization between the carbon−carbon double bonds of cot and the electron-deficient alkene. The solid-state structure clearly showed a newly constructed ruthenacycle skeleton, which was formed in a trans manner. Complex 4 was further reacted with H2 and HCl to give hydrogenated and protonated succinimides with a C8-ring, respectively. When 4 was heated in toluene, a [6 + 2] cycloadduct of cot and a maleimide was obtained via reductive elimination, which shows that a ruthenium-mediated stepwise [6 + 2] cycloaddition was achieved. The addition of PPh3 to complex 4d promoted the reductive elimination, while bidentate phosphines such as 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane did not give the cycloadduct and stable ruthenacycles 11 were formed instead. Reactions of 4 with CO gave novel tricarbonyl ruthenacycles 12 along with dissociation of the cod ligand, where neither reductive elimination nor CO insertion took place. The results of a theoretical study were consistent with the idea that the energy barriers for reductive elimination from ruthenacycles bearing cod or monophosphine ligands were lower than those from a ruthenacycle bearing a diphosphine ligand. The formation of 12 was found to be more energetically favorable than reductive elimination.