Organometallic compounds & Catalysis

Books to Refer:
Inorganic Chemistry by James E. Huheey
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry: Cotton and Wilkinson

Prof. Partha Pratim Jana

Department of Chemistry
IIT Kharagpur
Ph: 03222-283330
Email: ppj@chem.iitkgp.ac.in
Transition metal organometallic compounds & Catalysis

Which one is organometallic? Ni(CO)4 or NaCN ?

One metal-carbon bond should be present

(C: part of org gr or attached to H).

CH3
R3P CO
Re
PR3
CO

The term “organometallic” is rather loosely defined

 Metals in Low Oxidation States

• In low oxidation states, the electron density

on the metal ion is very high.
• To stabilize low oxidation states, we require
ligands, which can simultaneously bind the
metal center and also withdraw electron
density from it.

[Ni(CO)4], [Fe(CO)5], [Cr(CO)6], [Mn2(CO)10],

[Co2(CO)8], Na2[Fe(CO)4], Na[Mn(CO)5]
CO does the job (already discussed in Chemical Bonding Part-II)
vacant π*2py, π*2pz

+ + −
−
O C M filled hybrid d orbitals

+
− − +
2 nb e pairs or lp
(MOT)
σ orbital (nb) serves as a donor to a metal atom (M)
&
M to CO pi backbonding

σ donor + π acceptor
 18 electron rule (EAN Rule)
1920 British Chemist Sidgwick
Organic compounds – Octet rule
Organometallic – 18 electron rule (EAN rule for next inert gas)

•predicting stabilities and structures of organometallic compounds

Counting electrons: 1) Oxd state method

2) Neutral atom method
 Counting the number of electrons

Determine the oxidation state of the transition metal center(s)

To do this one must:
a) note any overall charge on the metal complex
b) know the charges of the ligands bound to the metal
center
c) know the number of electrons being donated to the metal
center from each ligand
2) Add up the electron counts for the metal center and ligands
 valance cell e of

Ph3P PPh3
Rh Rh is s1d8 = 9e
Ph3P Cl
since Cl is -1, Rh is +1 (the complex is neutral)

9e - 1e + 8e = 16e 4 ligands x 2e each = 8e

therefore coordinately unsaturated

 Catalysis

Catalyst Catalyzed rxn

A+B C proceeding through
an intermediate

Ea

A catalyst lowers the Ea

∆G catalyzed
activation barrier for a
transformation, by introducing Reactants
∆G
a new reaction pathway.
Products

Reaction Coordinate

Heterogeneous Homogeneous
 Catalysis : Why?

Synthesis of chemicals… pharmaceutical, agricultural

Catalytic converter … environmental

Biology: Enzymes

Catalytic Converter
 How to select an efficient catalyst?
Activity: related to rate of reaction (also called turnover)
efficient catalyst: good activity

Turnover frequency (N): catalytic cycles/unit time

Large turnover frequency – efficient catalyst

Selectivity: Byproducts should be minimized

Lifetime: It is costly to replace the catalyst frequently

Cost: The acceptable cost depends upon the catalyst

lifetime and product value

Poisoning: decomposition of catalyst, adsorption of

reactant/product
 Coordination compounds in catalysis
Nobel Prizes

2010 Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi, Akira Suzuki

2005 Yves Chauvin, Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R.
Schrock.
2001 KNOWLES, NOYORI, SHARPLESS
1973 WILKINSON
1963 ZIEGLER, NATTA
1918 HABER
1909 OSTWALD
Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

H H
-CH=CH- + H2 → -CH-CH-

NOBEL : 1973

The most common catalyst

⇓
Wilkinson’s Catalyst, [RhCl(PPh3)3]
 Wilkinson’s Catalyst (WC)

Ph3P PPh3

Rh

Cl PPh3
Chlorotris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium(I)

square planar 16 e d8 configuration

 Geoffrey Wilkinson
• Born July 14, 1921, Yorkshire, England
• Ph.D from UC Berkeley studying with Glenn Seaborg
• First published compound in 1965 in Journal of the
Chemical Society - Chemical Communications
•Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1973 (shared with Ernst
Otto Fischer) for their pioneering work, performed
independently, on the chemistry of the organometallics

Organometallic compounds prepared by

Wilkinson in display at Harvard Univ.

"Advanced Inorganic Chemistry", often referred

to simply as "Cotton and Wilkinson"
 Synthesis of WC
Ph3P PPh3
EtOH
RhCl3 + 3 H2O + >4 PPh3 Rh + Ph3PO
78 oC
Cl PPh3

Commercially available
 Few Common Organometallic Catalytic Steps

(a) Ligand coordination and dissociation

Facile coordination of the reactant and facile loss of products.

Coordinatively unsaturated - 16-electron complexes

(b) Oxidative addition

Coordinatively unsaturated complex in a low OS undergoes a formal oxdn

by 2 units (loss of 2 e) & at the same time increases CN by 2.

Oxidation of metal by two units: Mn to Mn+2

CN of metal by two units: 4 to 6 (in general)
Oxidative addition…

X-Y X
+ X-Y LnMn+2
LnMn
LnMn Y

Ph3P H H
Ph3P Cl Ir
Ir + H2
Ph3P CO
Ph3P CO Cl
Vaska’s complex
(c) Insertion or migration
Migration of alkyl and hydride ligands

R L R
* *
L+ M CO M C
O

H CH
2
M M CH2CH3
CH2

L is generally solvents
(d) Nucleophilic attack

-
O
-
L5M CO + OH- L5M C OH L5M H
+
CO2
(d) Reductive elimination

Involves decrease in the oxidation and coordination number

Ph3P Cl
Cl Rh
Ph3P Me Ph3P CO
Rh
Ph3P COR +
CO RCOMe
Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

H H
-CH=CH- + H2 → -CH-CH-

∆G0 = -101 kJ/mol

thermodynamically favourable but does not occur at RT and P

 WC in alkene Hydrogenation: Catalytic Steps
(1) Oxidative addition
H
Ph3P PPh3 Ph3P PPh3
Rh + H2 Rh
Ph3P Cl Ph3P H
Rh+1 16 e Cl
Rh3+ 18 e
(2) Ligand Dissociation

H H
Ph3P PPh3 Ph3P
Rh Rh H + PPh3
Ph3P H Ph3P
Cl Cl
Rh3+ 18 e Rh3+ 16 e
 WC in alkene Hydrogenation: Catalytic Steps
(3) Ligand Association
H H CH
Ph3P H H2
Ph3P CH2 Ph3P Rh
Rh H + Rh CH2
PPh3
Ph3P CH2 Ph3P Cl H
Rh3+ Cl 16 e H2CCl CH2 Rh3+ 18 e
(4) Migration/Insertion

H H CH2
Ph3P H CH
H 2
Ph3P Rh CH2
Cl Rh
CH2
PPh Ph3P
3
Ph3P H Rh H
H2CCl CH2 Ph3P
Rh3+ 18 e Rh3+ Cl 16 e
 WC in alkene Hydrogenation: Catalytic Steps

(5) Ligand association

H CH2 H CH2
CH2 CH2
Ph3P Ph3P PPh3
Rh H + PPh3 Rh
Ph3P Ph3P H
Cl Cl
Rh3+ 16 e Rh3+ 18 e
 WC in alkene Hydrogenation: Catalytic Steps

(6) Reductive elimination

H CH2
CH2
Ph3P PPh3 Ph3P PPh3
Rh Rh
Ph3P H Ph3P + CH3 CH3
Cl
Cl
Rh3+ 18 e Rh+1 16 e
(note: regeneration of the catalyst)
 WC in alkene Hydrogenation: Additional Notes

Highly sensitive to the nature of the phosphine ligand

Highly selective for C=C over C=O
It is used in the selective hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes
without affecting the functional groups like: C=O, CN, NO2, Aryl,
CO2R etc.

Applications

* Laboratory scale organic synthesis

* Production of fine chemicals
 Alkene Hydrogenation & Chirality & Nobel

Chiral phosphine ligands have been developed to synthesize optically

active products.
Synthesis of L-DOPA (used in the treatment of Parkinson’s diseases)
Synthetic route was developed by Knowles & co-workers at Monsanto

Dr. William S. Knowles received Nobel prize in chemistry 2001

along with other two scientists.
 Alkene Hydrogenation, Chirality & Nobel Prize

This reaction, developed by Knowles, Vineyard, and Sabacky, was

used at Monsanto as a commercial route to the Parkinson's drug
L-DOPA.
 Acetic Acid
 Acetic acid is an important industrial chemical
 Over 8 million tonnes is produced all over the world
annually

vinegar

de-icing chemicals are efficient freezing-point depressants

 Synthesis of Acetic Acid
The traditional synthesis uses bio-oxidation of ethanol obtained via
fermentation:
C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2
C2H5OH + O2 → CH3COOH + H2O
This is not a clean and efficient process! (need conc EtOH)

Industrial acetic acid synthesis:

CH3OH + CO → CH3COOH (catalyzed by a rhodium complex)

Zn/CuO
Enormous quantity of MeOH is produced commercially from syn gas: CO+ 2H2 CH3OH
 Monsanto Acetic Acid Process (carbonylation of methanol)

Active/pre- catalyst: [Rh (CO)2I2]−

The rkn can be initiated with any Rh salt eg RhCl3 & source of iodine (HI), the
two combining the CO to produce the active catalyst [Rh(CO)2I2]-
Recovered catalyst
OS of Rh: = +1&+3