Substitution effects on the formation of T-shaped palladium carbene and thioketone complexes from Li/Cl carbenoids

The preparation of palladium thioketone and T-shaped carbene complexes by treatment of thiophosphoryl substituted Li/Cl carbenoids with a Pd(0) precursor is reported. Depending on the steric demand, the anion-stabilizing ability of the silyl moiety (by negative hyperconjugation effects) and the remaining negative charge at the carbenic carbon atom, isolation of a three-coordinate, T-shaped palladium carbene complex is possible. In contrast, insufficient charge stabilization results in the transfer of the sulfur of the thiophosphoryl moiety and thus in the formation of a thioketone complex. While the thioketones are stable compounds the carbene complexes are revealed to be highly reactive and decompose under elimination of Pd metal. Computational studies revealed that both complexes are formed by a substitution mechanism. While the ketone turned out to be the thermodynamically favored product, the carbene is kinetically favored and thus preferentially formed at low reaction temperatures.

Ruthenium complexes of thiocinnamaldehydes: synthesis, structure, and [4+2]-cycloaddition reactions

Ruthenium hydrogensulfido complexes [CpRu(P-P)(SH)] ((P-P)=Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2) (dppm), Ph(2)PC(2)H(4)PPh(2) (dppe)) were obtained from the corresponding chloro complexes by Cl/SH exchange. Condensation with a range of cinnamaldehydes gave thiocinnamaldehyde complexes [CpRu(P-P)(S=CH-CR(2)=CHR(1))]PF(6) (R(1)=C(6)H(4)X, R(2)=H, Me, X=H, OMe, NMe(2), Cl, NO(2)) as highly-colored crystalline compounds. The thiocinnamaldehyde complexes undergo [4+2]-cycloaddition reactions with vinyl ethers CH(2)=CHOR(3) (R(3)=Et, Bu) and styrenes H(2)C=CHC(6)H(4)Y (Y=H, Me, OMe, Cl, Br, NO(2)) to give complexes of 2,4,5-trisubstituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans as mixtures of two diastereoisomers. The rate of addition of para-substituted styrenes H(2)C=CHC(6)H(4)Y to [CpRu(dppm)(S=CH-CH=CHPh)]PF(6) increases in the series Y=NO(2), Br, Cl, H, Me, OMe, indicating that the cycloaddition is dominated by the HOMO(dienophile)-LUMO(diene) interaction. The strained dienophiles norbornadiene and norbornene also add, giving ruthenium complexes of 3-thia-tricyclo[6.2.1.0(2,7)]undeca-4,9-dienes and 3-thia-tricyclo[6.2.1.0(2,7)]undec-4-enes, respectively. Addition reactions with acrolein, methacrolein, methyl vinyl ketone, acrylic ester, or ethyl propiolate finally yielded ruthenium complexes of 3,4-disubstituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans and 4H-thiopyrans, respectively.