Mechanisms of allene stereoinversion by imidozirconium complexes.

The zirconium-mediated stereoinversion of allenes has been investigated by studying the stereochemical behavior of metallacycles derived from [2 + 2] cycloaddition of enantioenriched allenes with chiral and achiral imidozirconocene complexes. Relative rates of metallacycle racemization were measured by circular dichroism, and intermediates in the selective stereoinversion of diphenylallene with a chiral imidozirconium complex were observed by NMR spectroscopy. Metallacycles derived from dialkylallenes are proposed to racemize via reversible beta-hydride elimination. Stereoinversion of diarylallene-derived metallacycles proceeds much more slowly and is thought to proceed through an eta4-azatrimethylenemethane transition state.