Catalytic Hydrogenation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Stereochemical Definition of the Catalytic Cycle for η³-C₃H₅Co(P(OCH₃)₃)₃

The η3-C3H5Co(P(OCH3)3)3-catalyzed hydrogenations with D2 of a series of unsaturated organic molecules, including cyclohexenes, cyclohexadienes, and arenes, have been investigated. Complete cis stereoselectivity was observed in the addition of deuterium to the unsaturated ring systems. When alkyl-substituted arenes were reduced with D2, the hydrogen atoms in the alkyl chains underwent H-D exchange as long as each successive carbon atom in the chain possessed at least one hydrogen atom. Hence, extensive H-D exchange occurred in n-alkyl side chains while the tert-butyl side chain was deuterium free. When alkyl-substituted arenes were hydrogenated in the presence of olefins such as 1-hexene, a variety of isomeric alkylcyclohexenes and alkenylcyclohexanes were observed. The relative concentrations of these isomeric species provided information about the relative stabilities of the (olefin)cobalt species in the catalytic cycle. Further mechanistic information was obtained from other competitive reactions, i.e., hydrogenation reactions involving equimolar quantities of two different unsaturated molecules. The proposed initiation steps of the catalytic cycle have been revised on the basis of a study of η3-C8H13Co(P(OCH3)3)3 as a catalyst precursor. The cyclooctenyl-cobalt bond was cleaved by hydrogen early in the reaction, leaving the highly coordinately unsaturated hydride, HCo(P(OCH3)3)2, which is probably the true catalytic species.