Convenient synthesis of dichloro(oxo)(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)vanadium(V), (eta-C5Me5)V(O)Cl-2

Organometallic oxo compounds have been the subject of an ever-increasing number of investigations over the past decade,(1) with pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands frequently used as ancillary ligands to enhance solubility and to define or limit the reactive sites in these oxo compounds.(2,3) Therefore, it surprised us to find that (eta-C5Me5)V(O)Cl-2 has been the subject of only a limited number of investigations.(4-8) Previously reported synthetic routes to this compound(4-6) involve expensive and highly reactive starting materials, which may present a barrier to the development of new chemistry of (eta-C5Me5)V(O)Cl-2. In examining possible synthetic routes to cyclopentadienyl-substituted vanadium silylimido and nitrido compounds,(9,10) we discovered a high-yield, straightforward synthesis of (eta-C5Me5)V(O)Cl-2(11) that is based on a very easy to handle vanadium reagent, VCl3, and uses O-2, as a reagent gas or from air, as a readily available oxo source. Because (eta-C5Me5)V(O)Cl-2 provides an attractive entry into organovanadium oxo material for other vanadium(V) monopentamethylcyclopentadienyl compounds, me report the details of our synthesis herein.