Catalytic Deoxydehydration of Diols to Olefins by using a Bulky Cyclopentadiene-based Trioxorhenium Catalyst

A bulky cyclopentadienyl (Cp)-based trioxorhenium compound was developed for the catalytic deoxydehydration of vicinal diols to olefins. The 1,2,4-tri(tert-butyl)cyclopentadienyl trioxorhenium (2) catalyst was synthesised in a two-step synthesis procedure. Dirhenium decacarbonyl was converted into 1,2,4-tri(tert-butyl)cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl rhenium, followed by a biphasic oxidation with H2O2. These two new three-legged compounds with a ‘piano-stool’ configuration were fully characterised, including their single crystal X-ray structures. Deoxydehydration reaction conditions were optimised by using 2 mol % loading of 2 for the conversion of 1,2-octanediol into 1-octene. Different phosphine-based and other, more conventional, reductants were tested in combination with 2. Under optimised conditions, a variety of vicinal diols (aromatic and aliphatic, internal and terminal) were converted into olefins in good to excellent yields, and with minimal olefin isomerisation. A high turnover number of 1400 per Re was achieved for the deoxydehydration of 1,2-octanediol. Furthermore, the biomass-derived polyols (glycerol and erythritol) were converted into their corresponding olefinic products by 2 as the catalyst.