β-Hydride elimination is a reaction in which an alkyl group bonded to a metal centre is converted into the corresponding metal-bonded hydride and an alkene. The alkyl must have hydrogens on the β-carbon. For instance butyl groups can undergo this reaction but methyl groups cannot. The metal complex must have an empty (or vacant) site cis to the alkyl group for this reaction to occur. Moreover, for facile cleavage of the C–H bond, a d electron pair is needed for donation into the σ* orbital of the C–H bond. Thus, d0 metals alkyls are generally more stable to β-hydride elimination than d2 and higher metal alkyls and may form isolable agostic complexes, even if an empty coordination site is available.
The β-hydride elimination can either be a vital step in a reaction or an unproductive side reaction. The Shell higher olefin process relies on β-hydride elimination to produce α-olefins which are used to produce detergents. Illustrative of a sometimes undesirable β-hydride elimination, β-hydride elimination in Ziegler–Natta polymerization results in polymers of decreased molecular weight. In the case of nickel- and palladium-catalyzed couplings of aryl halides with alkyl Grignard reagents, the β-hydride elimination can lower the yield. The production of branched polymers from ethylene relies on chain walking, a key step of which is β-hydride elimination.
In some cases, β-hydride elimination is the first in a series of steps. For instance in the synthesis of RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 from ruthenium trichloride, triphenylphosphine and 2-methoxyethanol, an intermediate alkoxide complex undergoes a β-hydride elimination to form the hydride ligand and the pi-bonded aldehyde which then is later converted into the carbonyl (carbon monoxide) ligand.
Several strategies exist for avoiding β-hydride elimination. The most common strategy is to employ alkyl ligands that do not have any hydrogen atoms at the β position. Common substituents include methyl and neopentyl. β-Hydride elimination is also inhibited when the reaction would produce a strained alkene.
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Organometallic chemistry is the study of organometallic compounds, chemical compounds containing at least one chemical bond between a carbon atom of an organic molecule and a metal, including alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals, and sometimes broadened to include metalloids like boron, silicon, and selenium, as well. Aside from bonds to organyl fragments or molecules, bonds to 'inorganic' carbon, like carbon monoxide (metal carbonyls), cyanide, or carbide, are generally considered to be organometallic as well.
Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs).
C-C and C-N bonds are some of the most common structures in molecules ranging from drugs to catalysts and to food additives. Many coupling reactions were developed to form these types of bonds with excellent selectivity and good performance. Still, the syn ...
Base-induced elimination (E2) and bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (S(N)2) are two of the most versatile reactions that are important in preparative organic chemistry. These stereospecific reactions are often found in direct competition with each othe ...
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Transition metal catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling of terminal alkynes with aryl(vinyl) (pseudo)halides has been successfully extended to alkyl halides for the synthesis of functionalized internal alkynes. The direct alkynylation of remote unfunctionali ...