Ligand exchange processes in zirconocene dichloride-trimethylaluminum bimetallic systems and their catalytic properties in reaction with alkenes.

Ligand exchange processes in the systems L2ZrCl2-AlMe3 (L2ZrCl2: Cp2ZrCl2, (CpMe)2ZrCl2, (C5Me5)2ZrCl2, Me2SiCp2ZrCl2, Me2Si(C5Me4)2ZrCl2, rac-Me2C(2-Me-4-But-Cp)2ZrCl2, meso-Me2C(2-Me-4-But-Cp)2ZrCl2, rac-Me2C(3-But-Cp)2ZrCl2, Ind2ZrCl2, rac-H2C(Ind)2ZrCl2, rac-Me2C(Ind)2ZrCl2, rac-Me2Si(Ind)2ZrCl2, rac-C2H4(Ind)2ZrCl2, rac-C2H4(THInd)2ZrCl2, rac-Me2Si(THInd)2ZrCl2) and Cp2ZrMeCl2-n-AlMe3 (n = 1, 2) were studied by NMR spectroscopy with the goal to establish the structures and dynamic features of probable intermediates in the zirconocene-catalyzed reactions of alkenes with AlMe3. The effect of solvent, the organoaluminum compound concentration and the addition of (ClAlMe2)2 on the activation parameters of the alkyl exchange in the trimethylaluminum dimer was studied as well. The constants and activation parameters of the methyl group exchange in the monoalkyl-substituted ansa-complexes L2ZrMeCl (L2 = rac-Me2C(2-Me-4-But-Cp)2, rac-Me2C(3-But-Cp)2, rac-H2CInd2, rac-Me2CInd2, rac-Me2SiInd2, rac-H4C2Ind2) were established for the first time. The catalytic activity and chemoselectivity of zirconocenes in the reaction of alkenes with AlMe3 were evaluated and compared with the exchange and equilibrium constants of ligand exchange processes. A mechanism of the reaction was proposed.

Intramolecular mobility of η(5)-ligands in chiral zirconocene complexes and the enantioselectivity of alkene functionalization by organoaluminum compounds.

The effect of solvent nature (CD2Cl2, d8-toluene, d8-THF) on the conformational behavior of neomenthyl-substituted zirconocenes CpInd*ZrCl2 (Cp = η(5)-C5H5, Ind* = η(5)-neomenthylindenyl), CpCp'ZrCl2 (Cp = η(5)-C5H5, Cp' = η(5)-neomenthyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl), and Ind*2ZrCl2 (Ind* = η(5)-neomenthylindenyl) was shown by means of dynamic NMR spectroscopy, and the constants and thermodynamic parameters of conformer exchange were determined. The experimental conformational composition of the complexes was compared with structures obtained by quantum chemical modeling using the DFT methods PBE/3ζ and M06-2X/cc-pVDZ(H, C, Cl)/cc-pVDZ-PP(Zr), which predicted three rotamers in the case of both CpInd*ZrCl2 and CpCp'ZrCl2, and seven rotational isomers for Ind*2ZrCl2, three of these being C2-symmetric and the others being asymmetric. The enantioselectivity of the conformationally mobile complex Ind*2ZrCl2 in the reactions of terminal alkenes with AlR3 (R = Me, Et) was compared with that of rigid ansa-complexes, rac-p-S, p-S-[Y(η(5)-C9H10)2]ZrX2 (Y = SiMe2, C2H4; X = S-binaphtholate). Faster exchange between the conformers of Ind*2ZrCl2 in a chlorinated solvent gives the structural isomer of catalytically active sites, which affords higher substrate conversion and reaction enantioselectivity. Binding of the ligands to ansa-zirconocenes prevents the rotational isomerism of the complexes, providing the same configuration of the ß-stereogenic center in the methyl- and ethylalumination products (unlike the conformationally mobile complex Ind*2ZrCl2) with an enantiomeric purity of 50-65%.