Coupling of Titanacyclopentadienes with a Cp Ligand and Elimination of One Substituent

Titanacyclopentadienes, prepared from [Cp2TiBu2] and either two equivalents of an alkyne or a diyne, were treated with PMe3 (3 equiv) at 50 °C for 3 h and then with azobenzene at room temperature for 12 h to give 4,5,6-trisubstituted indene derivatives with the loss of one substituent in good yields. This reaction contrasts sharply with our previously reported reaction for the formation of 4,5,6,7-tetrasubstituted indene derivatives without the loss of substituents by the treatment of titanacyclopentadienes with azobenzene without PMe3. (13)C NMR spectroscopy of the product derived from a (13)C-enriched complex revealed that the five carbon atoms originating from a Cp ligand were arranged linearly in the trisubstituted indene derivatives, in contrast to the 4,5,6,7-tetrasubsituted indene derivatives, in which the corresponding five carbon atoms are arranged in a ring.