A beneficial kinetic effect of an η(5)-C5Me4H ligand

C-H activation of benzene at 26 °C by (η(5)-C(5)Me(5))W(NO)(CH(2)CMe(3))(η(3)-CH(2)CHCHMe) results after 4 h in the production of five new organometallic complexes, only two of which are isomers of the desired (η(5)-C(5)Me(5))W(NO)(C(6)H(5))(η(3)-CH(2)CHCHMe) compound. In contrast, the identical reaction involving the η(5)-C(5)Me(4)H analogue affords only the phenyl complexes during the first 24 h, thereby facilitating their isolation in good yields. This striking difference in reactivity can be attributed to the lesser steric demands of the η(5)-C(5)Me(4)H ligand that result in its complexes reacting at a significantly slower rate.