Abstract
Designing supported well-defined bis(carbene) complexes remains a key challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. The reaction of W(CtBu)(CH(2)tBu)(3) with amine-modified mesoporous SBA15 silica, which has vicinal silanol/silylamine pairs [(SiOH)(SiNH2)], leads to [(SiNH2-)(SiO-)W(CHtBu)(CH(2)tBu)(2)] and [(SiNH2-)(SiO-)W(=CHtBu)(2)(CH(2)tBu). Variable temperature, H-1-H-1 2D double-quantum, H-1-C-13 HETCOR, and HETCOR with spin diffusion solid-state NMR spectroscopy demonstrate tautomerization between the alkyl alkylidyne and the bis(alkylidene) on the SBA15 surface. Such equilibrium is possible through the coordination of W to the surface [(Si-OH)(Si-NH2)] groups, which act as a [N,O] pincer ligand. DFT calculations provide a rationalization for the surface-complex tautomerization and support the experimental results. This direct observation of such a process shows the strong similarity between molecular mechanisms in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. In propane metathesis (at 150 degrees C), the tungsten bis(carbene) tautomer is favorable, with a turnover number (TON) of 262. It is the highest TON among all the tungsten alkyl-supported catalysts.