Synergy between Two Metal Catalysts: A Highly Active Silica Supported Bimetallic W/Zr Catalyst for Metathesis of n-Decane

摘要

A well-defined, silica supported, bimetallic precatalyst [≡Si-O-W(Me)5 ≡Si-O-Zr(Np)3](4) has been synthesized for the first time via successively grafting two organometallic complexes [W(CH3)6 (1) followed by ZrNp4 (2)] on a single silica support. Surprisingly, multiple quantum NMR characterization demonstrates that W and Zr species are in close proximity to each other. Hydrogenation of this bimetallic catalyst at room temperature showed the easy formation of Zirconium hydride, probably facilitated by tungsten hydride which was formed at this temperature. This bimetallic W/Zr hydride precatalyst proved to be more efficient (TON: 1436) than the monometallic W hydride (TON: 650) in metathesis of n-decane at 150 0C. This synergy between Zr and W suggests that the slow step of alkane metathesis is the C-H bond activation which occurs on Zr. The produced olefin resulting from a ß–H elimination undergoes easy metathesis on W.