Long-Range Kinetic Effects on the Alternating Ring Opening Metathesis of Bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamides and Cyclohexene

We report an investigation of rates of ruthenium-catalyzed alternating ring opening metathesis (AROM) of cyclohexene with two different Ru-cyclohexylidene carbenes derived from bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamides (A monomer) that bear different side chains. These monomers are propylbicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide and N-(2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanylbicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide. The amide substitution of these monomers directly affects both the rate of the bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide ring opening and the rate of reaction of the resulting carbene with cyclohexene (B monomer). The resulting Ru-cyclohexylidenes underwent reversible ring opening metathesis with cyclohexene. However, the thermodynamic equilibrium disfavored cyclohexene ring opening. Utilization of triphenylphosphine forms a more stable PPh₃ ligated complex, which suppresses the reverse ring closing reaction and allowed direct measurements of the forward rate constants for formation of various A-B and A-B-A′ complexes through carbene-catalyzed ring-opening metathesis and thus gradient polymer structure-determining steps. The relative rate of the propylbicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide ring opening is 3-fold faster than that of the N-(2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanylbicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide. In addition, the rate of cyclohexene ring-opening catalyzed by the propyl bicyclooctene is 1.4 times faster than when catalyzed by the ethoxyethoxy bicyclooctene. Also, the subsequent rates of bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene-7-carboxamide ring opening by propyl-based Ru-hexylidene are 1.6-fold faster than ethoxyethoxy-based Ru-hexylidene. Incorporation of the rate constants into reactivity ratios of bicyclo[4.2.0]amide-cyclohexene provides prediction of copolymerization kinetics and gradient copolymer structures.