The reaction of 1,2-ferrocenediylazaphosphinines (
1a, R
1 = H;
1b, R
1 = Me;
1c, R
1 = Ph)with M(CO)
6 (M = Mo, W), MX(CO)
5 (M = Mn, Re; X = Br, Cl),
and [Pd(
3-C
3H
5)Cl]
2 showsa strong tendency to adopt an unusual chelating bidentate coordination through nitrogen
and the carbonyl oxygen, yielding M(
2-N,O)(CO)
4 (
2, M = Mo;
3, M = W), M(
2-N,O)(X)(CO)
3 (
6, M = Mn, X = Br;
7, M = Re, X = Cl),
and [Pd(
2-N,O)(
3-C
3H
5)]BF
4 (after treatmentwith AgBF
4) (
8), respectively. X-ray crystallographic structure determinations of
3a (R
1 =H)
and 8a (R
1 = H) show the formation of a five-membered metallacycle with the distanceof the metal-carbonyl oxygen bond being shorter than that of the metal-nitrogen bond inboth compounds. The complexes
2 and 3 further undergo oxidative addition with allyl iodideto yield the corresponding M(II) complexes of the type [M(
2-N,O)(
3-C
3H
5)(I)(CO)
2] (
4, M =Mo;
5, M = W). Complexes
2-
5 and 8 were employed as catalysts for nucleophilic allylicsubstitution of allyl acetates as a probe for both regio-
and enantioselectivities of the reaction.All reactions involving unsymmetrical allyl acetates (
E)-RCH=CHCH
2OAc (R = Pr, Ph) ledexclusively to the formation of achiral linear product (
E)-RCH=CHCH
2Nu regardless of thetype of catalysts, the lig
and, or the allyl substrate employed. One exception to the abovestatement is the observation that Mo-
and W-based catalysts (
2-
5) are totally inactive towardthe allylic substitution of cinnamyl acetate (R = Ph). Asymmetric allylic alkylation of asymmetrically 1,3-disubstituted substrate, PhCH=CHCH(OAc)Ph, is accomplished only byPd-catalysts (
8) with enantiomeric excesses up to 50% ee.