ISOMERIZATION OF DIFUNCTIONAL AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL ALLYL COMPOUNDS CATALYZED BY RUTHENIUM AND RHODIUM COMPLEXES

A method was developed for the isomerization of a series of di- and mu ltifunctional allyl compounds (e.g. triallylamine, diallylamines, N,N- diallylamides, diallylsilanes, tetraallyloxysilane, triallyioxyboron, triallyl ortho-eaters, 1,4-di- and 1,3,5-triallyloxybenzene) to the co rresponding 1-propenyl derivatives. The catalysts of these reactions w ere the ruthenium complexes: Ru(CO)(3)L-2, RuCl(H)(CO)L-3, RuCl2L3, Ru Cl2L3 + NaBH4, RuH2L4 and RhH(CO)L-3 (L = PPh3). The reactions were us ually carried out under mild conditions in solvents or with no solvent . The products of the reactions were found to be (Z)-1-propenylisomers mainly or almost exclusively, with high or quantitative yields. The r uthenium complexes were not observed to catalyze the isomerization rea ctions of allyl systems which contain strongly coordinating nitrogen a toms not shielded by large groups. The solvents with an active hydroge n atom were found to inhibit the isomerization catalyzed by hydride co mplexes.