Further studies of imido alkylidene complexes of tungsten, well-characterized olefin metathesis catalysts with controllable activity

An alternative synthesis of W(CH-t-Bu)(NAr)(dme)Cl{sub 2} (Ar = 2,6-C{sub 6}-H{sub 3}-i-Pr{sub 2}) consists of the five steps WCl{sub 6} {yields} W(O)Cl{sub 4} {yields} W(NAr)Cl{sub 4} {yields} W(NAr)(O-t-Bu){sub 2}Cl{sub 2}(THF) {yields} W(NAr)(O-t-Bu){sub 2}(CH{sub 2}-t-Bu){sub 2} {yields} W(CH-t-Bu)(NAr)(dme)Cl{sub 2}, in which tert-butoxide protecting groups are replaced by chlorides in the last step upon addition of PCl{sub 5}. The easiest synthesis to a catalyst precursor consists of the three steps WO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} {yields} W(NAr){sub 2}Cl{sub 2}(dme) {yields} W(NAr){sub 2}(CH{sub 2}R){sub 2} {yields} W(CHR)(NAr)(OTf){sub 2}(dme) (R = t-Bu, CMe{sub 2}Ph; OTf = OSO{sub 2}CF{sub 3}), in which an imido ligand protecting group is ultimately replaced by two triflate ligands upon addition of triflic acid in the last step. An X-ray study of W(CH-t-Bu)(NAr)(O-t-Bu){sub 2} shows it to be a pseudotetrahedral complex in which the tert-butyl group points toward the imido ligand.