In this project within the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organo- metallic Chemistry program, Susan E. Kegley of Williams College will synthesize organometallic compounds of molybdenum which contain a chiral molybdenum atom bonded to an olefin and other auxiliary ligands. The reaction chemistry of these compounds will be studied and in particular their possible use for asymmetic induction reactions which could provide ready access to inexpensive chiral intermediates for constructing more complex biologically-active molecules. The particular compounds to be investigated are cyclopentadien- ylcarbonyl(bis-1,2-dimethoxyphosphinoethane)molybdenum(prochiral olefin) cation and derivatives in which the phosphine ligand is also made chiral by various substitutions on the ethylene car- bons. The resulting diastereomers and enantiomers will be separated and resolved and then the coordinated prochiral olefin of a particular stereoisomer will be subjected to nucleophilic attack by various nucleophiles such as hydroxide, alkoxides, ammonia and carbanions. The chiral organic group will then be cleaved from the metal atom to produce the synthetically useful chiral molecules.
