Kinetic data are reported for the reactions of Mo(CO)5L (where L1=P(c-Hx)3, P(n-Bu)3, NMe3, py, PPh3, AsPh3, P(OEt)3, or P(OMe)3) with L in the presence of Me3NO to form cis-Mo(CO)4L2. The rates of reactions are second order: first order in Mo(CO)5L concentration, first order in Me3NO concentration, and zero order in L concentration. For ligand L with cone angles less than 135*, the rates of reaction increase with increasing stretching frequency of the CO bands in the IR. This supports the proposed mechanism, which involves attack by the O atom of Me3NO on a C of a CO cis to L in Mo(CO)sL. For L=PPh3 or AsPh3, the reactions are faster than expected on the basis of their vco values, and this is discussed in terms of steric effects.

Detailed kinetic data are reported for the reactions of M(CO)6 (where M=Cr, Mo, and W) with Me3NO, in the absence and in the presence of triphenylphosphine (PPha). The rates of reaction are first-order in concentrations of M(CO)6 and of Me3NO but zero-order in PPh8 concentration. The rates of reaction decrease in the order W>Mo>Cr. A mechanism is proposed which involves attack on a carbonyl carbon with the formation of coordinatively unsaturated intermediates of the type M(CO)5, which then rapidly react with an entering ligand. Compared with other nucleophiles reported to react by carbonyl attach in M(CO)6 substrates, Me3NO is a strong nucleophile. Qualitatively, the nucleophilic strengths decrease in the order MeLi>Me3NO>PhCH2MgBr>>N3->NCO->NCS->C1->Br->I-.

Reported are the rates of reaction and activation parameters for CO substitution reactions of M3(CO)12 (M=Fe, Ru, Os) with L (L = PPh3, P(OPh)3, AsPh3) in the presence of (CH3)3NO. In aprotic solvents the reactions are too fast to follow by conventional spectroscopy, but the rates decrease with added protonic solvents. Reactions are readily monitored at room temperature in the mixed solvent CHC13-C2H5OH (v/v, 2:1), and the rates of reaction are inversely proportional to the concentration of C2H5OH. It is suggested that this is due to hydrogen bonding to give (CH3)3NO…HOC2H5, which is unreactive compared with the very reactive free (CH3)3NO at these reaction conditions. The rates of formation of M3(CO)llL are first-order in concentrations of metal cluster and of (CH3)3NO but zero-order in concentration of L. This suggests a mechanism that involves a nucleophilic attack of the O atom of (CH3)3NO on the C atom of a CO, accompanied by oxidation of CO to CO2. Since CO2 is a good leaving group, its departure from the metal clusters affords the active intermediates M3(CO)II. These then rapidly react with entering ligands to form the monosubstituted products M3(CO)11. The rates of reaction decrease in the order F3(CO)12>Ru3(CO)12>Os3(CO)12, and an attempt is made to account for the observed relative rates.

Vanadium hexacarbonyl readily disproportionates upon treatment with oxygen and nitrogen Lewis bases. The reaction is first order with respect to Lewis base and V(CO)6. Nucleophilic attack on the metal center appears to be the rate-determining step. Second-order rate constants in dichloromethane decrease in the series py>Et3N>MeCN>MeOH>acetone>THF>2,5-Me2THF>DME>MeNO2>EhO, with a factor of 104 separating the first and last members of this group. Activation parameters for disproportionation by THF are in accord with an associative mechanism: △H*=14.2±1.2 kcal/mol and △S*=-21.5±4.2 cal/mol.deg. The structure of the disproportionation product is also dependent on the nature of the Lewis base. For Et20, the bridging isocarbonyl complex [V(Et20)4] [O-C-V(CO)5]2 can be isolated from CH2C12-Et20 solution. For stronger oxygen and nitrogen bases (B), [V(B)6] [V(CO)6]2 is the final product. In the case of B = pyridine, a bridging isocarbonyl intermediate can be detected as a kinetic product of the disproportionation process. This intermediate reacts with additional pyridine to afford [V(B)6] [V(CO)6]2. The observation of an isocarbonyl-bridged intermediate suggests that electron transfer may take place through an isocarbonyl ligand. Phosphine-substituted derivatives of V(CO)6 undergo disproportionation much more slowly than V(CO)6, although the rate-limiting step also appears to be CO substitution by the Lewis base. For example, disproportionation of V(CO)5P(n-Bu)3 induced by CH3CN is five orders of magnitude slower than that of V(CO)6.

Reported are rates of reaction and activation parameters for CO substitution by PPh3 of M(CO)5 (M=Fe, Ru, Os) in the presence of (CH3)3NO. The reactions follow a second-order rate law, being first-order in concentrations of M(CO)5 and of (CH3)3NO but zero-order in PPh3 concentration. The reaction rates show an approximate overall fourfold increase in the order Fe<Ru<Os. This contrasts the roughly 40-fold decrease in rate in the order Fe>Ru> Os for M3(CO)12. An attempt is made to account for the relative reaction rates of the M(CO)5 compounds and for why the order differs from that of the corresponding metal carbonyl clusters.