Boron-induced formation of a methylenecyclopropene unit in the bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium coordination sphere
Abstract
Bis(propynyl)zirconocene 1 undergoes alkynyl ligand coupling upon treatment with B(C6F5)3; the resulting (C5H5)2Zr(µ-2,4-hexadiyne)BAr3 betaine 2 reacts with benzonitrile to give a Zr/B-bridging methylenecyclopropene derivative 5 that is formed via intramolecular alkyne insertion into a Zr–C(sp2)σ bond; complex 5 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.