Chemistry of Complexes with Transition Metal Heteroatom Bonds: Novel Insertion Chemistry and XH Bond Activation (Final Report)

Rh(111). Ethanol and acetaldehyde are formed from CO + H{sub 2} by parallel routes on Rh catalysts which do not contain interacting supports or oxide promoters; i.e., the two compounds result from CO insertion into different metal-hydrocarbon bonds. Aldehydes decarbonylate via {alpha}-CH scission to form acyl, followed by C-C scission to release an alkyl ligand; this ligand undergoes hydrogenation and dehydrogenation steps. Alcohols form surface alkoxides, but these do not dehydrogenate further to the aldehydes, they release CO + H{sub 2} but no volatile hydrocarbon. These results indicate that {beta}-CH scissors to form a surface oxametallacycle intermediate; supporting evidence is spresented for this intermediate. Chemistry of alcohols blocked to different extends at the {beta}-position was also studied; complete blocking (CF{sub 3}CH{sub 2}OH) forces the reaction to follow the aldehyde-acyl path, while partial substitution at the {beta} position (branched alcohols) favors the oxametallacycle pathway. (DLC)