Tartratetitanium

Tartratetitanium, also called titanium tartrate or titanium(IV) tartrate, refers to a class of coordination compounds in which titanium in the +4 oxidation state is bound to tartrate ligands derived from tartaric acid. In typical complexes, two tartrate dianions act as bidentate ligands, giving a Ti(IV) center coordinated by four oxygen donors, with additional ligands such as water completing an octahedral geometry.

Preparation of titanium tartrate complexes is usually achieved by reacting titanium(IV) salts, such as Ti(OiPr)4 or TiCl4, with tartaric acid or potassium sodium tartrate under aqueous or alcoholic conditions. Controlled pH and temperature promote complex formation, and crystalline tartrate complexes can be isolated by gradual evaporation or precipitation.

Properties of these complexes vary with ligand arrangement and solvent. They are generally colorless or pale yellow, reflecting the d0 configuration of Ti(IV), and are often moderately hydrolytically sensitive in water. The coordination environment frequently features two tartrate ligands and two remaining coordination sites filled by water or alcohol molecules.

Applications of tartrate-titanium species appear mainly in coordination chemistry and asymmetric synthesis. A notable example is the titanium-tartrate system formed in situ from titanium tetraisopropoxide and diethyl tartrate, which constitutes the active catalyst in the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, enabling enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols. Beyond catalysis, these complexes serve as model systems for studying metal–tartrate interactions.

See also: Sharpless epoxidation, tartrate ligands, titanium(IV) complexes, coordination chemistry.