Titanium hydroamination catalysts bearing a 2-aminopyrrolinato spectator ligand: monitoring the individual reaction steps.

A series of new titanium half sandwich complexes, containing a 2-aminopyrrolinato ligand {N(Xyl)N}(-) as the ancillary ligand, have been prepared and are shown to be pre-catalysts for the hydroamination of alkynes. The coordination of {N(Xyl)N}(-) to titanium was achieved by reaction of [Cp*TiMe(3)] with the protioligand N(Xyl)NH giving [Cp*Ti(N(Xyl)N)(Me)(2)] (). Upon reaction of complex with an excess of tert-butylamine, the imido complex [Cp*Ti(N(Xyl)N)(N(t)Bu)(NH(2)(t)Bu)] () was formed.

2-Aminopyrrolines: new chiral amidinate ligands with a rigid well-defined molecular structure and their coordination to Ti(IV).

The use of an amino-oxazolinate (NN(ox) = kappa2-2,6-dimethylphenylamido-4(S)-isopropyloxazoline) as a chiral analogue to amidinate ligands in the chemistry of titanium was found to lead to undesired side reactions. The reaction of 2,6-dimethylphenylamido-4(S)-isopropyloxazoline with [Ti(NMe2)4] afforded the bis(amidinato) complex [Ti(NN(ox))2(NMe2)2] (2) which was thermally converted to the ring-opened decomposition products [Ti(NN(ox)){kappa3-N(2,6-C6H3Me2)C(NMe2)NC(iPr)CH2O}(NMe2)] (3) and [Ti{kappa3-N(2,6-C6H3Me2)C(NMe2)-NC(iPr)CH2O}2] (4). The NMR spectra of 4 recorded at low temperature displayed two sets of resonances corresponding to two symmetric isomers in a 2:5 ratio, the probable geometries of which were established by ONIOM (QM/MM) simulations.