Half-sandwich Mo(III) complexes with asymmetric diazadiene ligands

The asymmetric 1,4-diazadiene ligands R ∗ N CHCH NR ∗ [R ∗  = ( S )-CH(CH 3 )Ph], R 2 ∗ dad , and 2,2′-bis(4-ethyloxazoline), as-ox, have been used to generate half-sandwich Mo III derivatives by addition to Cp 2 Mo 2 Cl 4 . Ligand R 2 ∗ dad affords a mononuclear, paramagnetic 17-electron product, CpMoCl 2 ( R 2 ∗ dad ) , whereas as-ox leads to the isolation of a dinuclear compound where only one molecule of ligand has been added per two Mo atoms, Cp 2 Mo 2 Cl 4 (as-ox). In the presence of free as-ox, this compound coexists with the paramagnetic mononuclear complex in solution. Both products are capable of controlling the radical polymerization of styrene under typical atom transfer radical…