Formation and decomposition of C3 metallacycles from ethylene and methylene on MoAl alloy thin films.
The reaction between adsorbed ethylene and methylene species has been investigated on a molybdenum-aluminum alloy grown from Mo(CO)(6) on a planar alumina film formed on a Mo(100) single crystal in ultrahigh vacuum. Di-sigma-bonded ethylene reacts with carbene species, formed on the surface from methylene iodide, to form a C(3) metallacycle. This predominantly decomposes to yield propylene, while a smaller portion yields cross-metathesis products since (12)C(13)CH(4) is formed from reaction between (13)C(2)H(4) and (12)CH(2). This work demonstrates for the first time that the reaction proceeds in heterogeneous phase via a C(3) metallacycle as proposed in the Hérisson-Chauvin mechanism.
Gao
Feng
F
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Laboratory for Surface Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
Wang
Yilin
Y
Tysoe
Wilfred T
WT