Room-temperature cyclometallation of amines, imines and oxazolines with [MCl2 Cp*]2 (M = Rh, Ir) and [RuCl2 (p-cymene)]2

Abstract

N, N-Dimethylbenzylamine, alkyl and aryl imines derived from benzaldehyde, and 2-phenyl-4,4-dimethyloxazoline all undergo cyclometallation with [IrCl2 Cp*]2 (Cp* =η-C5 Me5 ) when treated with NaOAc in dichloromethane at room temperature. The imines are also cyclometallated by [RhCl2 Cp*]2 under the same conditions whilst only N-alkyl imines are cyclometallated by [RuCl2 (p-cymene)]2 . The role of acetate in the cyclometallation is more than just as a base. X-Ray structures of cyclometallated complexes [MCl(C6 H4 -2-C(H)═NCH2 CH2 OMe-κC, N)(η-ring)](M = Ir, Rh ring = Cp* M = Ru, ring = p-cymene), [MCl(C6 H4 -2-C(H)═NCH2 CH2 OMe-κC, N)Cp*](M = Ir, Rh), [RuCl(η2 -O2 CMe)(p-cymene)] and [IrCl2 (NH2 Ph)Cp*] are reported. © 2003 The Royal Society of Chemistry.