Olefin metathesis is an outstandingly versatile methodology for the catalytic assembly of carbon-carbon bonds. Metathesis methodologies have been widely embraced since the advent of easily-handled ruthenium catalysts. However, industrial implementation has lagged. Problems of reliability and productivity arising from catalyst decomposition have impeded broad uptake of metathesis in process chemistry. Such challenges also hamper deployment of metathesis in forefront applications such as chemical biology. Better understanding of the mechanisms by which catalysts decompose can thus improve performance in demanding applications, as well as providing guidelines for informed process and catalyst design. Oxygen is often viewed as a relatively innocuous contaminant in reactions promoted by these late transition metal catalysts. Indeed, multiple reports comment on the desirability and operational simplicity of metathesis in air. We suspected, however, that deleterious impacts of O2 may be masked by the high catalyst loadings typically deployed in such reports. The first part of this thesis focuses on examining the robustness of leading metathesis catalysts toward oxygen. Systems examined include the classic, dominant N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) derivatives, as well as recent breakthrough analogues containing cyclic alkyl amino carbene (CAAC) ligands. Both are shown to be decomposed by oxygen, but the CAAC catalysts are found to be not only more productive, but significantly more O2-tolerant. This is important as it overturns the widespread belief that high catalyst activity is invariably a trade-off against higher sensitivity. Studies of the initial oxidation event for the second-generation Grubbs catalyst RuCl2(H2IMes)(PCy3)(=CHPh) suggest that [2+2] cycloaddition of O2, as well as bimolecular decomposition of the four- coordinate species generated by PCy3 oxidation, account for ca. 90% of the observed decomposition. A previously-proposed pathway involving attack of O2 at the benzylidene ligand appears to be a minor contributor. In Chapter 3 of this thesis, a new strategy for inhibiting catalyst decomposition is examined. Specifically, cationic metathesis catalysts were encapsulated within a supramolecular resorcinarene capsule, which self-assembles around the catalysts in water-saturated toluene. Encapsulation nearly doubles RCM yields relative to the parent, neutral catalyst in water-saturated toluene. The increased catalyst productivity is enabled by site-isolation of the catalyst within the capsule, which prevents bimolecular decomposition, and by the hydrophobic nature of the capsule interior, which limits decomposition by water. A final study focuses on attempts to identify a more robust catalyst via ligand redesign. Examined for this purpose are recently reported, electron-rich pyridinylide aminophosphines (PyAPs; these take the general form R2P–N=Ar), which exhibit enhanced s-donor properties relative to NHCs. Strategies for incorporation of PyAP ligands into Ru metathesis catalysts are developed, and the catalytic activity of these species is described. PyAP catalysts are found be significantly less active than the corresponding NHC catalysts, despite their higher donicity. Poor performance results from facile catalyst decomposition. Where the N=Ar group lacks substituents at the ortho sites, o- metalation enables decomposition of the precatalyst. More problematically, the nitrogen atom appears to participate in nucleophilic attack on the key, metathesis-enabling [Ru]=CHR functionality, limiting the potential use of this class of phosphine in metathesis. Criteria for the development of more robust second-generation phosphine catalysts are proposed.

In this study, an attempt was made to identify the electronic and steric properties of the precatalyst ligands that determine the characteristics of phosphine ligated Grubbs-type precatalysts for alkene metathesis by means of molecular modelling. It was found from studying the literature that the possibilities for synthesising a wide range of phosphine ligands are almost unlimited. Additionally, it was found that there is no easy method to determine the electronic and steric properties of the precatalyst ligands in existence. Molecular modelling might provide a method to study potential ligands and precatalysts before tedious synthesis methods are attempted. It was found that the theoretically calculated structures of the commercially available precatalysts compared well with the experimental data reported in literature. It is also shown that the energy profiles for alkene metathesis of simplified model systems do not compare well with non-simplified systems. Correlations between these simplified model systems and experimental work have to be regarded as serendipitous at best. When the energy profiles of the various new and commercially available precatalysts are compared, similarities in the energy trends for 1-octene metathesis are observed. These similarities raise questions about the significance of the differences in the energy barriers. In an effort to better understand this, two low activity precatalysts were also investigated in an attempt to identify the area or trend of poor catalysis. Instead of providing the desired different result, trends very similar to that of the highly active precatalysts were observed. This led to the observation that, without a sufficiently large dataset, great care should be taken before conclusions are drawn from theoretical work. Since the electronic investigation did not provide the desired result of finding a fast and effective method of determining which ligand merits further investigation, some steric aspects were studied. Once again, the precatalysts proved to be remarkably similar and no definitive answer for the observed differences in the various precatalysts could be determined. A preliminary experimental study into the feasibility of the synthesis of the new potential ligands was done. The multi-step synthesis route resulted in low yields in some cases, with the need for large volumes of solvents to purify the products. The toxicity of phenylphosphine also has to be taken into account when considering these types of ligands. A new precatalyst obtained by using a new ligand should show a remarkable improvement over the current commercially available precatalysts to justify the additional cost to synthesise a new ligand. It would seem that for future projects more consideration should be given to the deactivation mechanism of the Grubbs-type precatalysts, since this seems to be the logical starting point to look for the answers to the experimentally observed differences. A deeper understanding of the mechanism of alkene metathesis can only be obtained if all aspects are investigated in as much detail as possible. While the results did not provide the initially expected outcome, some valuable insights were gained that challenge the current way of thinking about the alkene metathesis mechanism. It is also clear that to oversimplify a very complex reaction and using limited data will lead to false assumptions being made. / PhD (Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this study, an attempt was made to identify the electronic and steric properties of the precatalyst ligands that determine the characteristics of phosphine ligated Grubbs-type precatalysts for alkene metathesis by means of molecular modelling. It was found from studying the literature that the possibilities for synthesising a wide range of phosphine ligands are almost unlimited. Additionally, it was found that there is no easy method to determine the electronic and steric properties of the precatalyst ligands in existence. Molecular modelling might provide a method to study potential ligands and precatalysts before tedious synthesis methods are attempted. It was found that the theoretically calculated structures of the commercially available precatalysts compared well with the experimental data reported in literature. It is also shown that the energy profiles for alkene metathesis of simplified model systems do not compare well with non-simplified systems. Correlations between these simplified model systems and experimental work have to be regarded as serendipitous at best. When the energy profiles of the various new and commercially available precatalysts are compared, similarities in the energy trends for 1-octene metathesis are observed. These similarities raise questions about the significance of the differences in the energy barriers. In an effort to better understand this, two low activity precatalysts were also investigated in an attempt to identify the area or trend of poor catalysis. Instead of providing the desired different result, trends very similar to that of the highly active precatalysts were observed. This led to the observation that, without a sufficiently large dataset, great care should be taken before conclusions are drawn from theoretical work. Since the electronic investigation did not provide the desired result of finding a fast and effective method of determining which ligand merits further investigation, some steric aspects were studied. Once again, the precatalysts proved to be remarkably similar and no definitive answer for the observed differences in the various precatalysts could be determined. A preliminary experimental study into the feasibility of the synthesis of the new potential ligands was done. The multi-step synthesis route resulted in low yields in some cases, with the need for large volumes of solvents to purify the products. The toxicity of phenylphosphine also has to be taken into account when considering these types of ligands. A new precatalyst obtained by using a new ligand should show a remarkable improvement over the current commercially available precatalysts to justify the additional cost to synthesise a new ligand. It would seem that for future projects more consideration should be given to the deactivation mechanism of the Grubbs-type precatalysts, since this seems to be the logical starting point to look for the answers to the experimentally observed differences. A deeper understanding of the mechanism of alkene metathesis can only be obtained if all aspects are investigated in as much detail as possible. While the results did not provide the initially expected outcome, some valuable insights were gained that challenge the current way of thinking about the alkene metathesis mechanism. It is also clear that to oversimplify a very complex reaction and using limited data will lead to false assumptions being made. / PhD (Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this study a number of cage alkenes were synthesised and tested for activity towards ringopening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) with the commercially available catalysts 55 (Grubbs-I) and 56 (Grubbs-II). The first group of monomers are derivatives of tetracyclo[6.3.0.04,1105,9]undec-2-en-6-one (1). The synthesis of these cage alkenes are summarised in Scheme 7.1. The cage alkene 126b was synthesised by a Diels-Alder reaction between 1 and hexachlorocyclopentadiene (9, Scheme 7.2). The geometry of 126b was determined from XRD data. Knowledge of the geometry of 126b also established the geometry of 127 since conformational changes during the conversion from 126b to 127 are unlikely. Synthesis of the cage alkene 125 by the cycloaddition of 9 to 118 failed. The cage alkene exo-11- hydroxy-4,5,6,7,16,16-hexachlorohexacyclo[7.6.1.03,8.02,13.010,14]hexa-dec-5-ene (124, Scheme 7.3) could therefore not be prepared. Synthesis of 125 by reduction of 126b with various reduction systems was not successful. Theoretical aspects of these reactions were investigated with molecular modelling. A possible explanation for the unreactive nature of 126b towards reduction is presented, but the lack of reactivity of 118 towards 9 eluded clear explanations. The synthesis of cage alkenes from 4-isopropylidenepentacyclo[5.4.0.02,6.03,10.05,9]-undecane-8,11- dione (23) did not meet with much success (Scheme 7.4). Numerous synthetic methods were investigated to affect the transformation from 134a/134b to 135 (Scheme 7.5). These attempts evolved into theoretical investigations to uncover the reasons for the observed reactivity. Possible explanations were established by considering the differences and similarities between the geometries and electronic structures of reactive and unreactive cage alcohols. ROMP of cage monomers based on 1 were mostly unsuccessful. Only the cage monomer 127 showed some reactivity. Endocyclic cage monomers with a tetracycloundecane (TCU) framework showed no reactivity. The results from NMR experiments verified the experimental results. Hexacyclo[8.4.0.02,9.03,13.04,7.04,12]tetradec-5-en-11,14-dione (3) exhibited notable ROMP reactivity. Examination of the orbitals of the cage alkenes used in this study suggested that the reactivity of 1 and 3 could possibly be enhanced by removal of the carbonyl groups. Decarbonylation of 1 and 3 yielded the cage hydrocarbons 159 and 175, respectively. ROMP tests revealed that 175 is an excellent monomer, but 159 was unreactive. The results obtained for the ROMP reactions in this study was rationalised by considering aspects such as ring strain, energy profiles, steric constraints, and frontier orbital theory. The concept of ring strain is less useful when describing the reactivity of cage alkenes towards ROMP and therefore the concepts of fractional ring strain and fractional ring strain energy (RSEf) were developed. A possible link between RSEf and the ROMP reactivity of cage alkenes was also established. The following criteria were put forth to predict the reactivity or explain the lack of reactivity of cage alkenes towards ROMP reactions with Grubbs-I and Grubbs-II. The criteria for ROMP of cage monomers: 1. Sufficient fractional ring strain energy (RSEf). 2. A reasonable energy profile when compared to a reference compound such as cyclopentene. 3. Ability to form a metallacyclobutane intermediate with reasonable distances between different parts of the cage fragment. 4. Sufficient ability of the polymer fragment to take on a conformation that exposes the catalytic site. 5. Sufficient size, shape, orientation and energy of HOMO and/or NHOMO at the alkene functionality of the cage monomer and of the LUMO at the catalytic site. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Chemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

In this study a number of cage alkenes were synthesised and tested for activity towards ringopening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) with the commercially available catalysts 55 (Grubbs-I) and 56 (Grubbs-II). The first group of monomers are derivatives of tetracyclo[6.3.0.04,1105,9]undec-2-en-6-one (1). The synthesis of these cage alkenes are summarised in Scheme 7.1. The cage alkene 126b was synthesised by a Diels-Alder reaction between 1 and hexachlorocyclopentadiene (9, Scheme 7.2). The geometry of 126b was determined from XRD data. Knowledge of the geometry of 126b also established the geometry of 127 since conformational changes during the conversion from 126b to 127 are unlikely. Synthesis of the cage alkene 125 by the cycloaddition of 9 to 118 failed. The cage alkene exo-11- hydroxy-4,5,6,7,16,16-hexachlorohexacyclo[7.6.1.03,8.02,13.010,14]hexa-dec-5-ene (124, Scheme 7.3) could therefore not be prepared. Synthesis of 125 by reduction of 126b with various reduction systems was not successful. Theoretical aspects of these reactions were investigated with molecular modelling. A possible explanation for the unreactive nature of 126b towards reduction is presented, but the lack of reactivity of 118 towards 9 eluded clear explanations. The synthesis of cage alkenes from 4-isopropylidenepentacyclo[5.4.0.02,6.03,10.05,9]-undecane-8,11- dione (23) did not meet with much success (Scheme 7.4). Numerous synthetic methods were investigated to affect the transformation from 134a/134b to 135 (Scheme 7.5). These attempts evolved into theoretical investigations to uncover the reasons for the observed reactivity. Possible explanations were established by considering the differences and similarities between the geometries and electronic structures of reactive and unreactive cage alcohols. ROMP of cage monomers based on 1 were mostly unsuccessful. Only the cage monomer 127 showed some reactivity. Endocyclic cage monomers with a tetracycloundecane (TCU) framework showed no reactivity. The results from NMR experiments verified the experimental results. Hexacyclo[8.4.0.02,9.03,13.04,7.04,12]tetradec-5-en-11,14-dione (3) exhibited notable ROMP reactivity. Examination of the orbitals of the cage alkenes used in this study suggested that the reactivity of 1 and 3 could possibly be enhanced by removal of the carbonyl groups. Decarbonylation of 1 and 3 yielded the cage hydrocarbons 159 and 175, respectively. ROMP tests revealed that 175 is an excellent monomer, but 159 was unreactive. The results obtained for the ROMP reactions in this study was rationalised by considering aspects such as ring strain, energy profiles, steric constraints, and frontier orbital theory. The concept of ring strain is less useful when describing the reactivity of cage alkenes towards ROMP and therefore the concepts of fractional ring strain and fractional ring strain energy (RSEf) were developed. A possible link between RSEf and the ROMP reactivity of cage alkenes was also established. The following criteria were put forth to predict the reactivity or explain the lack of reactivity of cage alkenes towards ROMP reactions with Grubbs-I and Grubbs-II. The criteria for ROMP of cage monomers: 1. Sufficient fractional ring strain energy (RSEf). 2. A reasonable energy profile when compared to a reference compound such as cyclopentene. 3. Ability to form a metallacyclobutane intermediate with reasonable distances between different parts of the cage fragment. 4. Sufficient ability of the polymer fragment to take on a conformation that exposes the catalytic site. 5. Sufficient size, shape, orientation and energy of HOMO and/or NHOMO at the alkene functionality of the cage monomer and of the LUMO at the catalytic site. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Chemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Orientadores: Daniela Zanchet, Regina Buffon / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T08:37:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aragao_IsaiasBarbosa_M.pdf: 4247291 bytes, checksum: 09937fc60abf375cebc0a59dc22ae39a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Nanopartículas (NPs) e os ligantes em sua superfície vêm ganhando espaço como meio suporte devido a suas propriedades que aliam o comportamento da catálise homogênea com a heterogênea. Em longo prazo, imagina-se que o controle do ambiente local de espécies ancoradas na superfície destas NPs possa mimetizar o sítio catalítico de enzimas. Visando explorar a influência do ambiente local, foi avaliado o desempenho do catalisador de Grubbs de primeira geração em duas condições: encapsulado em matriz de sílica e na presença de NPs de ouro (NPs-Au). Apesar das reações de encapsulamento pelo método sol-gel serem rotas bastante exploradas, os resultados não foram encorajadores devido à desativação do complexo de rutênio nas condições de formação do gel, tanto pela via hidrolítica quanto não-hidrolítica. Com relação às NPs-Au, elas foram sintetizadas com misturas de ligantes (1-octanotiol e ácido 3-mercaptopropiônico), mostrando separação de fases dos ligantes, com a formação de domínios (raias). Nos estudos com catalisador de Grubbs em reações de metátese (autometátese do 1-hexeno e polimerização por abertura de anel do 1,5-ciclooctadieno), tanto a presença das NPs-Au como a de tiol livre tiveram influência negativa, levando a sua desativação prematura. Na presença de NPs-Au, houve queda da atividade, chegando a conversões nulas para razões mássicas maiores de que 1 mg de ouro/10 mg de catalisador, estando possivelmente associado à complexação das mercaptanas das NPs-Au com o complexo de rutênio. Buscando viabilizar o ancoramento do catalisador nas NPs-Au, sintetizou-se um ligante carbeno NHC com a funcionalização do esqueleto carbônico posterior do anel com um grupamento alil, que representa a primeira etapa para introdução de grupos funcionais e ancoramento em NPs / Abstract: The use of nanoparticles (NPs) and their protecting layer as support in catalysis start to be exploited, due to their unique characteristics at the interface of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. At long term, the tuning of the local environment of catalytic species anchored on the surface of NPs may be a way to mimic the active site of enzymes. Aiming to explore the influence of the local environment, we evaluated the activity of the first generation Grubbs catalyst under two conditions: encapsulating it in a silica matrix and in the presence of gold NPs (NPs-Au). Although the heterogenization via the sol-gel method is a well-known and well-explored route, we could not obtain good results due to catalyst deactivation under gel formation in both hydrolytic and non-hydrolytic (nonaqueous) conditions. Considering the NPs-Au, they were synthesized with success using a mixture of ligands (1-octanethiol and 3-mercaptopropionic acid) that showed phase segregation and formation of stripes. The evaluation of the Grubbs catalyst on metathesis reactions (self-metathesis of 1-hexene and ring opening polymerization of 1,5-ciclooctadiene) showed premature deactivation in the presence of both NPs-Au and free thiol. In the presence of NPs-Au, the catalytic activity descreased, achieving null results when weight ratios bigger than 1mg of NPs-Au to 10 mg of catalyst were used, possibly associated to the interaction between the mercaptans and the ruthenium catalyst. To make possible the catalyst anchoring on the NPs-Au surface, a NHC carbene with an allyl group on its carbon backbone was synthesized, corresponding to the first step to introduce functional groups to the catalyst / Mestrado / Quimica Inorganica / Mestre em Química

Thesis advisor: Marc L. Snapper / Tandem Reactions have proven themselves to be useful reactions for the synthesis of highly complex materials. Ruthenium alkylidenes are shown to be useful precursors for the development of new tandem processes. First, a new tandem metathesis/hetero-Pauson-Khand process is developed using Grubbs' second generation catalyst. Next, various metatheis/olefin isomerization processes are explored. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

La metátesis de olefinas es el intercambio de sustituyentes entre dos unidades de alqueno. La importancia de esta reacción radica en su aplicación directa en la síntesis de una gran cantidad de sustancias, desde polímeros hasta moléculas con actividad biológica. Entre todos los procesos derivados de la metátesis de olefinas, la metátesis intramolecular de eninos y dienos son dos de las reacciones más usadas en síntesis orgánica ya que llevan a la formación de productos cíclicos que son habituales en los productos naturales. En particular, la reacción intramolecular de eninos genera un dieno cíclico y el acoplamiento intramolecular de dos fragmentos alqueno forma un cicloalqueno. La metátesis de olefinas procede solo en presencia de un catalizador. Entre todos los compuestos activos en metátesis, los compuestos tipo Grubbs-Hoveyda representan una de las familias más activas. En realidad, estos sistemas no representan el catalizador propiamente dicho sino un precatalizador que necesita ser activado para llevar a cabo la reacción deseada. Así pues, se pueden distinguir tres etapas en una reacción de metátesis catalizada por estos compuestos: activación del precatalizador, ciclo catalítico y la eventual recuperación del precursor. Esta tesis se dedica al estudio del proceso global de metátesis (activación, recuperación y selectividad del ciclo catalítico) de las reacciones intramoleculares de eninos y dienos. En concreto, la tesis se centra en: i) analizar la viabilidad de los mecanismos propuestos experimentalmente para la activación del precatalizador; ii) determinar si el proceso conocido como efecto boomerang (metátesis cruzada de la especie activa con el estireno del precursor) puede racionalizar las cantidades de catalizador que se recuperan; y iii) establecer los factores que influyen en la obtención del producto exo y endo durante el ciclo catalítico. Los resultados sugieren que, independientemente de la naturaleza del precursor y de la olefina, la etapa determinante de la velocidad global del proceso de activación del precatalizador es la disociación del estireno al final de la metátesis cruzada. Igualmente, se ha encontrado que, al nivel de cálculo empleado, el mecanismo disociativo es ligeramente más favorable que el mecanismo de intercambio y el asociativo. Sin embargo, los dos primeros pueden ser competitivos. Además, se observa que el efecto boomerang es posible termodinámica y cinéticamente y, además, debería ser un proceso fácil. Esto hace pensar que otros procesos deben tener lugar para justificar las cantidades de catalizador recuperado en la mayoría de experimentos. Finalmente, los cálculos indican que la presencia de sustituyentes en el enino influye de manera significativa en el producto final obtenido en el ciclo catalítico y que en especial los eninos con un fragmento alquino interno y un grupo alqueno disubstituido deberían favorecer la formación del compuesto endo. Las conclusiones obtenidas en esta tesis pueden ayudar en el futuro al diseño de nuevos catalizadores y en la optimización de procesos hacia un producto determinado. / The olefin metathesis reaction is the substituent exchange between two alkene molecules. This reaction is important because of its application in the synthesis of several compounds, from polymers to biologically active molecules. Among all derivative processes, the ring closing enyne and diene metathesis reactions (RCEYM and RCDEM respectively) are the most currently used reactions in organic synthesis, since they lead to the formation of cyclic products as found in many natural products. The RCEYM reaction generates a cyclic diene product, while the RCDEM one forms a cycloalkene and ethene. These processes require an appropriate catalyst to take place, the Grubbs-Hoveyda-type family being one of the most active in metathesis. Actually, these systems are not the catalytic species but precursors that need to be activated to carry out the reaction. Therefore, it can be distinguished three stages of the global metathesis process catalyzed by these compounds: precursor activation, the catalytic cycle and the eventual precursor recovery. This PhD thesis is devoted to the study of the global metathesis reaction (activation, catalytic cycle and recovery) of the ring closing enyne and diene metathesis reactions. In particular, this thesis focuses on: i) the analysis of the viability of the three experimentally proposed activation mechanisms: ii) determining whether the boomerang effect (cross metathesis between the active species and the styrene) can rationalize the amounts of experimentally recovered precursor and iii) evaluating the influence of reactant substituents in controlling the nature of the final product (exo or endo). Results suggest that the rate-determining step of the activation process is the styrene decoordination at the end of the cross metathesis process, independently of the precursor and olefin nature. Moreover, the dissociative mechanism seems to be the most favorable over the interchange and associative ones. However, the two first mechanisms tend to be competitive. On the other hand, it was found that the precursor recovery by the boomerang effect is possible both kinetically and thermodynamically and, also, it must be an easy process. This fact leads us to think that other processes must to take place in order to justify the amounts of experimentally recovered precursor. Finally, it was found that the presence of substituents in the enyne skeleton significantly influences the product obtained during the catalytic cycle of the ring closing enyne metathesis reaction. In particular, the reacting enynes with internal alkynes and disubstituted alkenes seem to favor the obtaining of the endo product in larger proportions. All these results can be used to rationalize the further design of new catalytic systems and the optimization of appropriate processes to obtain as specific product.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.