Insight into binding of alkanes to transition metals from NMR spectroscopy of isomeric pentane and isotopically labeled alkane complexes

Alkane complexes of the type Cp′Re(CO)2(alkane) (Cp′ = cyclopentadienyl or (isopropyl)cyclopentadienyl; alkane = isotopomers of n-pentane and cyclopentane) have been characterized using NMR spectroscopy following photolysis of Cp′Re(CO)3 in the appropriate alkane at 163-193 K. In the case of n-pentane, three different complexes are observed corresponding to binding of the three different types of carbon in this alkane. ROESY NMR experiments indicate that these isomeric complexes are slowly interconverting intramolecularly at 173 K. The order of the energetically preferred site of coordination is methylene (C2) ≈ central methylene (C3) > methyl (C1) but with a spread of <0.2 kcal mol-1. Isotopic perturbation of resonance (IPR) experiments, conducted on several isotopomers of (i-PrCp)Re(CO)2(1-pentane), showed a large shielding of the 1H NMR chemical shift of the proton in a bound CHD2 moiety (δ -3.62) and CH2D (δ -2.64) compared with that of a bound CH3 moiety (δ -1.99). Likewise, the value of 1JCH for the coordinated methyl group of isotopomers of (i-PrCp)Re(CO)2(1-pentane) reduces in the order CH3 > CH2D > CHD2. This suggests that the alkane coordinates in an η2-C,H fashion with a rapid exchange of bound hydrogen or deuterium within a methyl or methylene group, and that binding of a hydrogen atom is preferred over a deuterium by an amount of 0.23 ± 0.03 kcal mol-1. Copyright © 2005 American Chemical Society.