Alkane activation on a multimetallic site*
Hiroharu Suzuki**, Akiko Inagaki, Kouki Matsubara, and Toshifumi Takemori
Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of
Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology and CREST, Japan
Science and Technology Corporation (JST) , O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
152-8552, Japan
Abstract: Trinuclear polyhydrido complex of ruthenium effectively
activates alkanes to cleave C-H bonds in a selective manner due
to cooperative action of the metal centers. The reaction of (Cp´Ru) 3 (m-H) 3 (m3
-H) 2 (1) (Cp´ = h5-C5Me5)
with n-alkane at 170 °C leads to the formation of a trinuclear
closo-ruthenacyclopentadiene complex as a result of a successive cleavage
of six C-H bonds. Introduction of a m3-sulfido ligand
into the Ru3 core of the trirutheniumpolyhydrido cluster
significantly modifies the regioselectivity of the alkane C-H activation.
Heating of a solution of (Cp´Ru) 3 (m3-S) (m-H) 3
(4) in alkane exclusively gives a trinuclear m3-alkylidyne
complex via a selective C-H bond cleavage at the less-hindered
terminus of alkane molecule.
* Lecture presented at the XIXth International Conference
on Organometallic Chemistry (XIX ICOMC) , Shanghai, China, 23-28 July
2000. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 205-376.
** Corresponding author
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