Facile synthesis and reactions of some olefin-substituted acetylacetonate complexes

Synthesis of transition metal complexes of olefin-substituted acetylacetones has been effected by reaction of nonaqueous solutions of substituted acetylacetones with the metal salt in the presence of Zn or Mg. 3-Allylacetylacetonates of Be(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Pd(II) and Zn(II) have thus been synthesized in quantitative yields. 3-Propylideneacetylacetone, which exists mainly in the keto form, afforded the corresponding 3-propenylacetylacetonates in which 3-propylideneacetylacetone has rearranged to 3-propenylacetylacetone which has a greater probability of existing in the enol form, thus making its reaction with metal ions favorable. Metal–metal exchange reactions of transition metal salts with olefin-substituted Zn or Mg acetylacetonates provide yet another route for the synthesis of transition metal olefin-substituted acetylacetonates. The homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of the olefin moiety in olefin-substituted metal acetylacetonates could be achieved by a Pt/Sn catalyst.