The electronic structures of the 1-sila-3-metallacyclobutane complexes, Cp2 activated M(CH2SiMe2CH2), where Cp = eta(5)-C5H5 and M = Ti, Zr, Mo, Th, have been investigated by a combination of SCF Hartree-Fock-Slater discrete variational X-alpha calculations and He I, He II UV photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoelectron data are completely consistent with the energy sequences and valence orbital atomic compositions determined by the theoretical calculations. It is found that these "stabilized" metallacyclobutane complexes are best described electronically as heterodinuclear molecules containing bridging mu-CH2 groups rather than simple strained hydrocarbyl derivatives. The formation of the four-membered ring involves bonding interactions analogous to those found in cyclobutane. The metal-ligand bonding involves stabilizing interactions between higher-lying empty orbitals of the bridging mu-CH2 groups and appropriate metal orbitals of the metallocene fragment. The resulting higher-lying molecular orbitals representing the M-C bonds have energies modulated by the relative amount of metal participation. More internal metallacycle molecular orbitals also provide a bonding contribution, although to a smaller extent. The population of these orbitals causes a redistribution of electron densities and, in spite of the high formal metal oxidation state (+4), partially restores the d2 metal configuration. The 2 + 2 reactivity modes in the related metallacyclobutanes can be accounted for by analyzing the evolution of correlated molecular orbitals of Cp2 activated Ti(CH2SiMe2CH2), Cp2 activated TiCH2CH2CH2, Cp2Ti = CH2(C2H4), and of noninteracting Cp2Ti = CH2 + C2H4 molecules. The titanacyclobutane complex, Cp2 activated TiCH2CH2CH2, can be considered as a latent olefin complex even though the metallacyclic structure is thermodynamically favored. Variation in orbital character and decreasing metal-d or -f covalency (with Ti greater-than-or-equal-to >> Th) of the LUMO in the corresponding 1-sila-3-metallacyclobutanes is closely connected with differences in reactivity.

COMBINED DV-X-ALPHA AND GAS-PHASE UV PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURES OF TETRAVALENT TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, MOLYBDENUM, AND THORIUM 1-SILA-3-METALLACYCLOBUTANE METALLOCENE COMPLEXES

CILIBERTO, Enrico;DI BELLA, Santo;GULINO, Antonino;
1992-01-01

Abstract

The electronic structures of the 1-sila-3-metallacyclobutane complexes, Cp2 activated M(CH2SiMe2CH2), where Cp = eta(5)-C5H5 and M = Ti, Zr, Mo, Th, have been investigated by a combination of SCF Hartree-Fock-Slater discrete variational X-alpha calculations and He I, He II UV photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoelectron data are completely consistent with the energy sequences and valence orbital atomic compositions determined by the theoretical calculations. It is found that these "stabilized" metallacyclobutane complexes are best described electronically as heterodinuclear molecules containing bridging mu-CH2 groups rather than simple strained hydrocarbyl derivatives. The formation of the four-membered ring involves bonding interactions analogous to those found in cyclobutane. The metal-ligand bonding involves stabilizing interactions between higher-lying empty orbitals of the bridging mu-CH2 groups and appropriate metal orbitals of the metallocene fragment. The resulting higher-lying molecular orbitals representing the M-C bonds have energies modulated by the relative amount of metal participation. More internal metallacycle molecular orbitals also provide a bonding contribution, although to a smaller extent. The population of these orbitals causes a redistribution of electron densities and, in spite of the high formal metal oxidation state (+4), partially restores the d2 metal configuration. The 2 + 2 reactivity modes in the related metallacyclobutanes can be accounted for by analyzing the evolution of correlated molecular orbitals of Cp2 activated Ti(CH2SiMe2CH2), Cp2 activated TiCH2CH2CH2, Cp2Ti = CH2(C2H4), and of noninteracting Cp2Ti = CH2 + C2H4 molecules. The titanacyclobutane complex, Cp2 activated TiCH2CH2CH2, can be considered as a latent olefin complex even though the metallacyclic structure is thermodynamically favored. Variation in orbital character and decreasing metal-d or -f covalency (with Ti greater-than-or-equal-to >> Th) of the LUMO in the corresponding 1-sila-3-metallacyclobutanes is closely connected with differences in reactivity.
1992
complexes; calculation; UPS
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/30484
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