Intramolecular Aminoalkene Hydroamination Catalyzed by Magnesium Complexes Containing Multidentate Phenoxyamine Ligands

The magnesium complexes L2MgiPr (L2 = 4-tert-butyl-6-(triphenylsilyl)-2-[bis((3-(dimethylamino)propyl)amino)methyl]phenoxyl) and L3MgiPr (L3 = 4-tert-butyl-6-(triphenylsilyl)-2-[benzyl((3-(dimethylamino)propyl)amino)methyl]phenoxyl) supported by potentially tetradentate and tridentate triphenylsilyl-substituted phenoxyamine ligands have been prepared and fully characterized. The X-ray crystallographic analysis of L2MgiPr confirmed a monomeric structure in which only one of the amine side arms is bound to the four-coordinate magnesium atom. The free and coordinated side arms in L2MgiPr undergo an exchange process at 25 °C in solution, while the phenoxydiamine complex L3MgiPr, on the other hand, shows no sign of fluxionality. Both complexes, as well as L1MgiPr (L1 = 4,6-di-tert-butyl-2-[bis((3-(dimethylamino)propyl)amino)methyl]phenoxyl), were shown to be competent catalysts in the cyclization of aminoalkenes. L2MgiPr exhibited the best catalytic activity, and both triphenylsilyl-substituted complexes display zero-order rate dependence on substrate concentration and first-order rate dependence on catalyst concentration, whereas the sterically less hindered complex L1MgiPr exhibits second-order rate dependence on substrate concentration. No Schlenk-type ligand redistributions were observed, and the catalytically active magnesium species was stable after prolonged heating to 120 °C, according to an NMR spectroscopic study.