Preparation of ansa-niobocene and ansa-tantalocene olefin hydride complexes as transition state analogues in metallocene-catalyzed olefin polymerization

To examine the effects of cyclopentadienyl and olefin substitution on preferred stereochemistry, a series of singly [SiMe2]-bridged ansa-niobocene and -tantalocene olefin hydride complexes has been prepared via reduction and alkylation of the corresponding dichloride complexes. In this manner, [Me2Si(eta(5)-C5H4)(eta(5)-C5H3-3-R)]M(CH2=CHR')H (M = Nb, Ta; R = CHMe2, CMe3; R'= H, C6H5; M = Ta; R = CHMe2, CMe3; R'= Me), rac- and meso-[Me2Si(eta(5)-C5H3-3-R)(eta(5)-C5H3-3-R)]Nb(CH2=CH2)H (R = CMe3), and [Me-2 Si(eta(5)-C5H4)(eta(5)-C5H2-2,4-(CHMe2)(2))] Ta(CH2=CHR')H (R' = H, C6H5) have been prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and, in some cases, X-ray diffraction. The doubly [SiMe2]-bridged ansatantalocene ethylene hydride complex [(1,2_SiMe2)(2)(eta(5) -C5H-3,5-(CHMe2)(2))(eta(5)-C5H2-4-CMe3)]-Ta(CH2=CH2)H has been prepared from thermolysis of the methylidene methyl complex [(1,2-SiMe2)(2)(eta(5)-C5H-3,5-(CHMe2)(2))(eta(5)-C5H2-4-CMe3)]Ta(CH2)CH3. Addition of an excess of propylene or styrene to the tantalocene ethylene hydride results in olefin exchange and formation of the olefin hydride complexes [(1,2-SiMe2)(2) (eta(5)-C5H-3,5-(CHMe2)(2))(eta(5)-C5H2-4-CMe3)]Ta(CH2=CHR')H (R' = CH3, C6H5). These compounds serve as stable transition state analogues for the much more kinetically labile group 4 metallocenium cationic intermediates in metallocene-catalyzed olefin polymerization. Characterization of the thermodynamically preferred isomers of metallocene olefin hydride complexes reveals that alkyl substitution on the cyclopentadienyl ligand array may have a significant effect on the stereochemistry of olefin coordination.