Three characteristic reactions of organocobalt compounds in organic synthesis

Organocobalt compounds in organic synthesis have three characteristic reactions. The first occurs because cobalt has a high affinity to carbon–carbon π‐bonds or carbon–nitrogen π‐bonds. The second occurs because cobalt has a high affinity to carbonyl groups. The third is due to cobalt easily tending to form square‐planar bipyramidal six‐coordination structures with four nitrogen atoms or two nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms at the square‐planar position, and to bond with one or two carbon atoms at the axial position. The first characteristic reactions are the representative reactions of organocobalt compounds with a mutually bridged bond between the two π‐bonds of acetylene and the cobalt–cobalt bond of hexacarbonyldicobalt. These are reactions with a Co₂(CO)₆ protecting group to reactive acetylene bond, the Nicholas reactions, the Pauson–Khand reactions ([2 + 2 + 1] cyclizations), [2 + 2 + 2] cyclizations, etc. These reactions are applied for the syntheses of many kinds of pharmaceutically useful compounds. The second reactions are carbonylations that have been used or developed as industrial processes such as hydroformylation for the manufacture of isononylaldehyde, and carbonylation for the production of phenylacetic acid from benzyl chloride. The third reactions are those reactions with the B₁₂‐type catalysts, and they have recently been used in organic syntheses and are utilized as catalysts for stereoselective syntheses. These reactions have been used as new applications for organic syntheses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polynorbornenes Containing Ferrocene Derivatives and Alkyne‐bis(tricarbonylcobalt)

Coordination of dicobalt hexacarbonyl to the alkyne moiety of norbornene complexes containing either ferrocene or η⁶‐chlorobenzene‐η⁵‐cyclopentadienyliron hexafluorophosphate, gave two unique trimetallic complexes available for ROMP. Polymerization of each monomer using Grubbs second generation catalyst gave organoiron/organocobalt polynorbornenes with weight average molecular weights between 55 300 and 69 000 with PDIs between 1.2 and 1.9. Cyclic voltammetric studies of the monomers and polymers at −40 °C showed a reversible reduction for cationic complexes containing η⁶‐benzene‐η⁵‐cyclopentadienyliron and for the dicobalt hexacarbonyl moieties while, a reversible oxidation for the ferrocene containing complex was observed. Thermal analysis showed that the cobalt carbonyl moiety of the polymers degraded near 130 °C; however, the polymeric backbone was stable up to 350 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM‐EDS indicated that the polymers possessed a fine globular morphology and that the distribution of iron and cobalt atoms was homogenous on the macro‐scale.

     

Synthesis and reactivity of metal-containing monomers

The polymerization of diacrylates of the nontransition metals Mg, Zn, Ba, and Pb, which proceeds at low temperatures (5–10°C) with the complexes of alkylcobalts with tridentate Shiff bases (RCo) as initiators, was studied. The radical mechanism of the process was proved with the aid of free radical scavengers. The polymerization kinetics is given by the equationW _n = k [M] · [RCo]^0.75. The influence of the nature of the metal in the monomer and the alkyl ligand in the initiator on the polymerization process was discussed. Low temperatures promote the formation of polymers with high molecular weights and a predominantly syndiotactic structure. The effect of the steric hindrances arising during polymerization due to the formation of a three-dimensional cross-linked structure in the metal-containing polymer on the microstructure of polymer chain and on polymerization kinetics was considered.For part 24 seeBull. Acad. Sci., Div. Chem. Sci., 1992, 1609.For a preliminary communication see Ref.1.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 500–503, March, 1993.     

Surface‐Guided Formation of an Organocobalt Complex

Organocobalt complexes represent a versatile tool in organic synthesis as they are important intermediates in Pauson–Khand, Friedel–Crafts, and Nicholas reactions. Herein, a single‐molecule‐level investigation addressing the formation of an organocobalt complex at a solid–vacuum interface is reported. Deposition of 4,4′‐(ethyne‐1,2‐diyl)dibenzonitrile and Co atoms on the Ag(111) surface followed by annealing resulted in genuine complexes in which single Co atoms laterally coordinated to two carbonitrile groups undergo organometallic bonding with the internal alkyne moiety of adjacent molecules. Alternative complexation scenarios involving fragmentation of the precursor were ruled out by complementary X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. According to density functional theory analysis, the complexation with the alkyne moiety follows the Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model for a two‐electron‐donor ligand where an alkyne‐to‐Co donation occurs together with a strong metal‐to‐alkyne back‐donation.