Trivalent metallocene chemistry of some uranium, titanium, and zirconium complexes

Dicyclopentadienyluranium halide dimers have been prepared and their solution behavior examined. These molecules exist as dimers in solution, and the halide ligands undergo rapid site exchange on the NMR timescale above 50 C. Analogous dicyclopentadienyluranium hydroxide dimers have also been prepared; they oxidatively eliminate hydrogen to give the corresponding oxide dimers. Mechanism of this reaction is consistent with αmigration of one of the hydroxide hydrogen atoms to a uranium center followed by elimination of hydrogen. Ground state of [(Me3Si)2C5H3]3M M = Nd, U and their base adducts has been examined by variable temperature magnetic susceptibility and EPR spectroscopy. The ground state is found to be 4I9/2 with a crystal field state consisting largely of Jz = 1/2 lowest, in agreement with previous studies on tris-cyclopentadienylneodymium complexes. The zirconium metallocene Cp3Zr has been prepared, characterized crystallographically, and its reactivity studied. Its chemical behavior is controlled by presence of an electron in the non-bonding, dz2 orbital which prevents formation of base adducts Of Cp3Zr, but allows Cp3Zr to abstract atoms from other molecules. Electonic and EPR spectra of Cp*2TiX complexes, where Cp* is Me5C5 and X is a monodentate, anionic ligand such as halide, have been studied. A π-bonding spectrochemical series is developed, and trends in π-bonding ability are found similar to those in other inorganic complexes. The β-agostic interactions in Cp*2TiN(Me)Ph have been examined using variable temperature EPR spectroscopy, and the enthalpy/entropy of the interaction determined. In Cp*2TiEt, enthalpy of the β-agostic interaction is -1.9 kcal/mol. The titanocene anion, Cp*2TiLi(TMEDA) (TMEDA is N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine), has been prepared and its structure determined