Reactions of fluorinated acid anhydrides with metal alkoxides

Abstract Metal alkoxides M(OR) 4 (where MTi or Zr and Rmethyl or ethyl) have been reacted with trifluoroacetic, trifluoromethanesulfonic and fluorosulfonic anhydrides. The methoxides yielded disubstituted derivatives in all cases, whereas the ethoxides gave different products. In this way new compounds, i.e. Zr(OCH 3 ) 2 (O 2 CCF 3 ) 2 , Ti(OCH 3 ) 2 (O 2 CCF 3 ) 2 , Ti 2 O(O 2 CCF 3 ) 6 , Zr(OCH 3 ) 2 (O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 , Ti(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 (O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 , Zr(OCH 3 ) 2 (O 3 SF) 2 and Ti(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 (O 3 SF) 2 , have been isolated in nearly quantitative yield. These reactions also provide an alternative route for the synthesis of previously known compounds Zr(O 2 CCF 3 ) 4 and Zr(O 3 SCF 3 ) 4 . The products have been characterised by elemental analysis, infrared and NMR ( 1 H and 19 F) spectroscopy and molecular weight determination.