Intramolecular C-H activation reactions of molybdenacyclobutanes

Molybdenacyclobutane complexes can be prepared by reaction of Cp*Mo(NO)(=CHCMe3) (formed spontaneously by loss of neopentane from Cp*Mo(NO)(CH2CMe3)2 (1) under ambient conditions) with cyclic olefins, including cyclopentene, cycloheptene, and cyclooctene. The cyclopentene metallacyclobutane orients the metallacycle bridgehead protons cis to each other. A trans arrangement is observed for the cyclooctene congener, and both cis and trans orientations occur for the cycloheptene species. The reaction of 1 with cyclohexene initially forms a metallacyclobutane that then undergoes an allylic C-H activation to form an allyl-alkyl-coupled product with the concomitant loss of H2. The analogous allyl-alkyl structure is also observed as the thermodynamic product for the reactions of cycloheptene and cyclooctene with 1. The cyclooctene allyl-alkyl compound (5C) can be converted to an eta2-diene complex by heating with pyridine. Alternatively, heating of 5C in the presence of a variety of olefins displaces the diene ligand that can then be isolated in its unbound state.