On the Origin of E‑Selectivity in the Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization with Molybdenum Imido Alkylidene N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes

• Published in: Organometallics Vol. 40; no. 15; pp. 2478 - 2488
• Main Authors: Podewitz, Maren, Sen, Suman, Buchmeiser, Michael R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 09.08.2021
• ISSN: 0276-7333; 1520-6041
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.1c00229

The understanding and control of stereoselectivity is a central aspect in ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Herein, we report detailed quantum chemical studies on the reaction mechanism of E-selective ROMP of norborn-2-ene (NBE) with Mo­(N-2,6-Me2-C6H3)­(CHCMe3)­(IMes)­(OTf)2 (1, IMes = 1,3-dimesitylimidazol-2-ylidene) as a first step to stereoselective polymerization. Four different reaction pathways based on an ene syn or ene anti approach of NBE to either the syn- or anti-isomer of the neutral precatalyst have been studied. In contrast to the recently established associative mechanism with a terminal alkene, where a neutral olefin adduct is formed, NBE reacts directly with the catalyst via [2 + 2] cycloaddition to form molybdacyclobutane with a reaction barrier about 30 kJ mol–1 lower in free energy than via the formation of a catalyst–monomer adduct. However, the direct cycloaddition of NBE was only found for one out of four stereoisomers. Our findings strongly suggest that this stereoselective approach is responsible for E-selectivity and point toward a substrate-specific reaction mechanism in olefin metathesis with neutral Mo imido alkylidene N-heterocyclic carbene bistriflate complexes.