Olefin metathesis is a powerful tool for the making and breaking of carbon-carbon double bonds. Among well-defined homogenous catalysts for olefin metathesis, ruthenium-based alkylidenes stand out for their robustness and relative ease-of-use. Synthesis of the most active Ru-based metathesis catalysts remains challenging, however, and there is continued interest in new and improved routes to alkylidene installation as metathesis begins to see wide uptake in industry.
The first part of this thesis focuses on developing new routes to known catalysts. Magnesium carbenoids are investigated as a potential alkylidene source, and in the process a novel route to benzylmagnesium carbenoids is developed. Initially promising results showing ca. 40% conversion to first generation metathesis catalysts failed to lead to a viable high-yield route to Ru-alkylidenes.
A high yield route to RuCl2(H2IMes)(py)4 (previously reported in low yields as a decomposition product of the third-generation Grubbs’ metathesis catalyst) is developed and this complex is investigated as a precursor to indenylidene-based catalysts. Although RuCl2(H2IMes)(py)4 is shown to be substitutionally labile, indenylidene installation could not be achieved.
Finally, zinc aryloxides are investigated as an alternative to thallium and silver reagents for the installation of aryloxide ligands. Initial results indicate that zinc aryloxides are kinetically, though not thermodynamically, competent for the installation of the challenging aryloxide C6F5O- on the second-generation Hoveyda catalyst.
The second part of this thesis concerns progress towards the development of a new low-valent catalyst platform. Initial experiments involving treating the second-generation Hoveyda catalyst with various reducing agents fail to produce low-valent alkylidenes, leading instead to decomposition of alkylidene.
Drawing inspiration from early transition metal systems, the remainder of the second part focuses on alpha-hydride elimination from a RuII alkyl as a means of accessing low-valent alkylidenes. To this end, a novel benzylruthenium complex as well as bis-benzyl and mono-aryloxide derivatives are developed. While attempts to induce benzyl-to-benzyl hydride abstraction or intramolecular deprotonation of the benzyl ligand failed to produce alkylidenes, ligand-induced benzyl-to-aryloxide hydride abstraction appears to be successful, leading to the observation of a broad 1H NMR signal in the region characteristic for low-valent Ru-alkylidenes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/42272 |
| Date | 10 June 2021 |
| Creators | White, Andrew James |
| Contributors | Fogg, Deryn |
| Publisher | Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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