Triamidoamine-supported zirconium complexes have proven to be useful catalysts for a range of bond-forming reactions involving arsines. Readily prepared zirconium complexes, (N
3N)ZrX (N
3N = N(CH
2CH
2NSiMe
3)
23-; X = monoanionic ligand) facilitate a variety of bond-forming reactions including stoichiometric insertions, catalytic hydroarsination and an efficient synthesis of arsaalkenes. Previous work has shown that (N
3N)Zr-complexes catalyze dehydrocoupling reactions of various arsines. This discovery led to the investigation of stoichiometric insertions into the Zr–As bond using unsaturated polar molecules. It was observed that CS
2, PhCH
2NC, (1-napthyl)NCS, and PhCN engaged in facile 1,1- and 1,2-insertions. The success of these reactions prompted investigation into catalytic hydroarsination of terminal alkynes. In the presence of the Zr-catalyst, it has been observed that hydroarsination of diphenylarsine and a terminal alkyne proceeds with relatively high yields in the dark. The ease with which insertions into the Zr–As bond occurred also spurred investigation of As=C bond formation. It has been demonstrated that isocyanide insertion products thermally rearrange to generate an arsaalkene-containing ligand. Initial results suggest rearrangements that produce a carbon–arsenic double bond are facile, and current efforts are directed at making this process catalytic.
