Highly Z-selective metathesis homocoupling of terminal olefins.

Mo and W MonoAryloxide-Pyrrolide (MAP) olefin metathesis catalysts can couple terminal olefins to give as high as >98% Z-products in moderate to high yields with as little as 0.2% catalyst. Results are reported for 1-hexene, 1-octene, allylbenzene, allyltrimethylsilane, methyl-10-undecenoate, methyl-9-decenoate, allylB(pinacolate), allylOBenzyl, allylNHTosyl, and allylNHPh.

Fundamental studies of tungsten alkylidene imido monoalkoxidepyrrolide complexes.

Two diastereomers of the monoalkoxidepyrrolide (MAP) species, W(NAr)(CH(2))(Me(2)Pyr)(OR*) (1; Ar = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl, Me(2)Pyr = 2,5-dimethylpyrrolide, OR* = (R)-3,3'-dibromo-2'-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-5,5',6,6',7,7',8,8'-octahydro-1,1'-binaphthyl-2-olate), were generated through addition of R*OH to W(NAr)(CH(2))(Me(2)Pyr)(2). The unsubstituted tungstacyclobutane species, W(NAr)(C(3)H(6))(Me(2)Pyr)(OR*) (2), was isolated by treating the mixture of diastereomers of 1 with ethylene. An X-ray study revealed 2 to have a trigonal bipyramidal structure in which the imido and phenoxide ligands are in axial positions.

Z-selective olefin metathesis processes catalyzed by a molybdenum hexaisopropylterphenoxide monopyrrolide complex.

The molybdenum-based monoaryloxide monopyrrolide (MAP) species, Mo(NAd)(CHCMe(2)Ph)(C(4)H(4)N)(HIPTO) (2a), which contains "small" imido (Ad = 1-adamantyl) and "large" aryloxide (HIPTO = O-2,6(2,4,6-i-Pr(3)C(6)H(2))C(6)H(3)) ligands, catalyzes Z-selective metathesis reactions as a consequence of intermediate metallacyclobutane species not being able to have an (anti) substituent pointing toward the HIPTO group. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of dicarbomethoxynorbornadiene (DCMNBD) with 2% 2a in toluene leads to >99% cis and >99% syndiotactic poly(DCMNBD), while ROMP of cyclooctene and 1,5-cyclooctadiene (300 equiv) with initiator 2a leads to poly(cyclooctene) and poly(cyclooctadiene) that have cis contents of >99%; all are previously unknown microstructures. Z-Selectivity is also observed in the metathesis of cis-4-octene and cis-3-hexene by initiator 2a to give cis-3-heptene.