A 1-Norbornene Adduct of a Transition Metal and an Electrochemical Study of the Bridgehead Olefin Complex

Abstract

Treatment of a slurry of (PCy3)2NiCl2 in pentane with 1-norbornyllithium did not lead to the expected bis(1-norbornyl) nickel complex but instead led to formation of a 1-norbornene adduct, which has been structurally characterized. The X-ray data and the electrochemistry of the 1-norbornene complex suggest a metallacyclopropane extreme of olefin binding, stemming from the highly reactive nature of the bridgehead double bond.