posted on 2008-12-15, 00:00authored byNatcharee Kongprakaiwoot, Bruce C. Noll, Seth N. Brown
A 2,2′-bis(methylene)biphenyl-bridged bis(hydroxamic acid) (HoxH2) is prepared by reaction of 2,2′-biphenyldiacetyl chloride with 2 equiv of N-methylhydroxylamine. Use of 1 equiv of CH3NHOH gives the cyclic diacylhydroxylamine, which is selectively ring-opened to give a mixed monohydroxamate-monodiketonate ligand HobH2. Both ligands are metalated by Ti(OiPr)4 to give the corresponding LTi(OiPr)2 complexes as exclusively the cis-α, (R)-Λ/(S)-Δ isomers, similar to the previously prepared bis(diketonate) analogues (Bob)TiX2. The carbonyl oxygens of the hydroxamates in the Hox ligand are constrained to be cis to each other, and the crystal structure of (Hob)Ti(OiPr)2 suggests that the carbonyl oxygen is a slightly weaker donor than the diketonate oxygen, based on a modest difference in their trans influences. A differential trans effect is also manifest in the observation of only a single geometric isomer of (Hob)Ti(OiPr)(O3SCF3) and in a 15.6:1 preference for the isomer of (Hob)Ti(OCH2CMe2CO2) in which the alkoxide is trans to the hydroxamate ligand.