Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Activation of C?H Bonds and Subsequent Intermolecular Amidation at Room Temperature

Disclosed herein is a Rh^III‐catalyzed chelation‐assisted activation of unreactive C H bonds, thus enabling an intermolecular amidation to provide a practical and step‐economic route to 2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)ethanamine derivatives. Substrates with other N‐donor groups are also compatible with the amidation. This protocol proceeds at room temperature, has a relatively broad functional‐group tolerance and high selectivity, and demonstrates the potential of rhodium(III) in the promotive functionalization of unreactive C H bonds. A rhodacycle having a SbF₆⁻ counterion was identified as a plausible intermediate.     

Iridium Anodic Oxidation to Ir(III) and Ir(IV) Hydrous Oxides

Iridium oxide films (IROFs) are known to have an enhanced or the so‐called super‐Nernstian (<59 mV/pH) pH‐sensitivity. The intention in the present study was to find out the reasons of such behavior and also to elucidate the nature of iridium anodic oxidation processes. The methods employed were combined cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. Iridium layers of 0.1 to 0.2 μm thickness, deposited thermally on titanium or gold‐plated titanium substrates, were used for investigations. IROFs on the surface of working electrodes were formed anodically by applying a constant potential in deaerated and oxygen‐containing solutions of 0.5 M H₂SO₄, 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H₃PO₄+KOH. Linear pH‐dependences of the stationary open‐circuit potential with the slopes close to 59 mV/pH were found for iridium electrode oxidized at 0.4 V–0.8 V (RHE) in deaerated and at 0.8 V–1.2 V (RHE) in O₂‐containing solutions. They were attributed to reversible Ir/Ir(OH)₃ and Ir/ IrO₂?nH₂O metal‐oxide electrodes, respectively. It has been suggested that the main current peaks seen in the voltammograms of iridium electrode in acid and alkaline solutions are of different nature. The difference between iridium electrode surface states in acid and alkaline solutions has been presumed to be the main reason of super‐Nernstian pH‐sensitivity of the IROFs. On the basis of the results obtained standard potential of Ir/Ir(OH)₃ electrode and the solubility product of Ir(OH)₃ have been evaluated: =0.78±0.02 V and K_sp=3.3×10^?64.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Activation of C?H Bonds and Subsequent Intermolecular Amidation at Room Temperature

Disclosed herein is a Rh^III‐catalyzed chelation‐assisted activation of unreactive C H bonds, thus enabling an intermolecular amidation to provide a practical and step‐economic route to 2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)ethanamine derivatives. Substrates with other N‐donor groups are also compatible with the amidation. This protocol proceeds at room temperature, has a relatively broad functional‐group tolerance and high selectivity, and demonstrates the potential of rhodium(III) in the promotive functionalization of unreactive C H bonds. A rhodacycle having a SbF₆⁻ counterion was identified as a plausible intermediate.     

EQCM Study of Rhodium Anodic Dissolution in Sulfuric Acid

Rh anodic dissolution is studied in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution in the E range from 0.2 to 1.2 V (RHE) by means of EQCM, cyclic voltammetry, photometry, and XPS. Bright pure Rh electroplate 0.5 m thick on a gold sputtered quartz crystal electrode is used for electrochemical and microgravimetrical studies. It is found that the increase in Rh electrode weight during the anodic process is lesser than its decrease during the cathodic one. The difference is 120 ± 60 ng cm^–2. The electrode weight also decreases under open-circuit conditions, i.e. at E _{I = 0}. A linear relationship between the weight change and the charge exists for the anodic process. The presence of Rh(III) compounds in the solution and on the electrode surface is confirmed by a photometrical analysis and XPS measurements. It is assumed that the formation and reduction of Rh(OH)₃ phase on Rh electrode surface within E range investigated proceed according to equation Rh + 3H₂O [Rh(OH)₃]_s + 3H⁺ + 3e, where [Rh(OH)₃]_s is a surface layer of Rh(OH)₃ phase. is evaluated to be 0.6 V. Rh(OH)₃ partly dissolves in the electrolyte.     

Nitration of rhodium(III) sulfates

Nitration of sulfate complexes of rhodium has been investigated by NMR ¹⁰³Rh, ¹⁴N, ¹⁵N, and ¹⁷O NMR. At high pH, [Rh(NO₂)₆]^3?, dimer [Rh₂(μ-OH)₂(NO₂)₈]^4?, and trimer [Rh₃(μ-OH)₄(OH)(NO₂)₉]^5? are the dominant species in solutions.     

Upper- and lower-bound Hylleraas–CI calculations for the nonrelativistic Po states of the 4He isotope

Extensive Hylleraas–CI calculations for the lowest P^o states of ⁴He were performed. The dependence of the variational energy values E_κ on the mass parameter κ given by κ=m/m is discussed. Furthermore, lower bounds to E_κ were calculated using variance minimization. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 66 : 25–30, 1998     

Thick rhodium electrodeposition on copper backing as the target for production of palladium-103

The Rh target preparation for production of ¹⁰³Pd was investigated by using a thick electrodeposition of rhodium metal on a copper backing. The electrodeposition experiments were performed in acidic sulfate media using RhCl₃·3H₂O, Rh₂(SO₄)₃ (recovered from hydrochloric acid solution) and also in the commercially available Rhodex plating baths. For high current beam irradiation of a Rh target, the qualities of the deposit of the three baths were compared in terms of thermal shock, crack-free and morphology criteria. The quality of the plating obtained from a sulfate bath [Rh₂(SO₄)₃] was comparable with the one obtained from commercially available Rhodex bath. The optimum conditions of the electrodepositions were as follows: 4.8 g rhodium [as Rh₂(SO₄)₃], pH 2, DC current density of ca 8.5 mA·cm^–2, 1% sulfamic acid (w/v) and temperature 40–60 °C.The authors would like to thank their colleagues at the VUB-Cyclotron department for help and assistance in preparation of the electrodeposition equipment and taking the SEM photomicrographs and also K. Aardaneh (NRCAM) for his assistance.     

Thick rhodium electrodeposition on copper backing as the target for production of palladium-103

The Rh target preparation for production of ¹⁰³Pd was investigated by using a thick electrodeposition of rhodium metal on a copper backing. The electrodeposition experiments were performed in acidic sulfate media using RhCl₃·3H₂O, Rh₂(SO₄)₃ (recovered from hydrochloric acid solution) and also in the commercially available Rhodex plating baths. For high current beam irradiation of a Rh target, the qualities of the deposit of the three baths were compared in terms of thermal shock, crack-free and morphology criteria. The quality of the plating obtained from a sulfate bath [Rh₂(SO₄)₃] was comparable with the one obtained from commercially available Rhodex bath. The optimum conditions of the electrodepositions were as follows: 4.8 g rhodium [as Rh₂(SO₄)₃], pH 2, DC current density of ca 8.5 mA·cm^–2, 1% sulfamic acid (w/v) and temperature 40–60 °C.The authors would like to thank their colleagues at the VUB-Cyclotron department for help and assistance in preparation of the electrodeposition equipment and taking the SEM photomicrographs and also K. Aardaneh (NRCAM) for his assistance.     

Rhodium(I)‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Benzylallene‐Alkynes through C?H Activation

The efficient Rh^I‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of benzylallene‐alkynes produced the tricyclo[9.4.0.0^3,8]pentadecapentaene skeleton through a C H bond activation in good yields. A plausible reaction mechanism proceeds via oxidative addition of the acetylenic C H bond to Rh^I, an ene‐type cyclization to the vinylidenecarbene–Rh^I intermediate, and an electrophilic aromatic substitution with the vinylidenecarbene species. It was proposed based on deuteration and competition experiments.     

In Situ Facile Synthesis of Ru‐Based Core–Shell Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Black and Their High Catalytic Activity in the Dehydrogenation of Amine‐Boranes

Well‐dispersed core–shell Ru@M (M=Co, Ni, Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) supported on carbon black have been synthesized via a facile in situ one‐step procedure under ambient condition. Core‐shell Ru@Co NPs were synthesized and characterized for the first time. The as‐synthesized Ru@Co and Ru@Ni NPs exhibit superior catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane compared with their monometallic and alloy counterparts. The Ru@Co/C NPs are the most reactive, with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 320 (mol min^?1) mol_Ru^?1 and activation energy (E_a) of 21.16 kJ mol^?1. Ru@Ni/C NPs are the next most active, whereas Ru@Fe/C NPs are almost inactive. Additionally, the as‐synthesized NPs supported on carbon black exhibit higher catalytic activity than catalysts on other conventional supports, such as SiO₂ and γ‐Al₂O₃.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of some carboxylates by a nickel (III) oxime-imine complex

The kinetics of the oxidation of formate, oxalate, and malonate by |Ni^III(L¹)|²⁺ (where HL¹ = 15-amino-3-methyl-4,7,10,13-tetraazapentadec-3-en-2-one oxime) were carried out over the regions pH 3.0–5.75, 2.80–5.50, and 2.50–7.58, respectively, at constant ionic strength and temperature 40°C. All the reactions are overall second-order with first-order on both the oxidant and reductant. A general rate law is given as - d/dt|Ni^III(L¹)²⁺| = k_obs|Ni^III(L¹)²⁺| = (k_d + nk_s |R|)|Ni^III(L¹)²⁺|, where k_d is the auto-decomposition rate constant of the complex, k_s is the electron transfer rate constant, n is the stoichiometric factor, and R is either formate, oxalate, or malonate. The reactivity of all the reacting species of the reductants in solution were evaluated choosing suitable pH regions. The reactivity orders are: k_HCOOH > k; k > k > k, and k > k < k for the oxidation of formate, oxalate, and malonate, respectively, and these trends were explained considering the effect of hydrogen bonded adduct formation and thermodynamic potential. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 225–230, 1997.     

Hydrogen abstraction reactions from organosilicon compounds. The reactions of methyl,trifluoromethyl, and ethyl radicals with trichlorosilane

Arrhenius parameters have been determined for the hydrogen-abstraction reactions: R + SiHCl₃ + RH + SiCl₃

A Rational Approach to Selective Recognition of NH4+ over K+

An ion-selective electrode (ISE) based on receptor 1 is highly selective for binding NH₄⁺ over K⁺ (lg K=−2.6); the three imine nitrogen atoms in 1 are ideally positioned for hydrogen bonding with the tetrahedral NH₄⁺ ion. This selectivity is considerably greater than that found for commercial ISEs based on nonactin (lg K=−1.0).     

Protonation enthalpies in fluorosulfonic acid using ab initio self-consistent reaction field theory

Electrostatic solvation free energies were computed for several small neutral bases and their conjugate acids using a continuum solvation model called the self-consistent isodensity polarizable continuum model (SCIPCM). The solvation energies were computed at the restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF) and second-order Møller–Plesset (MP2) levels of theory, as well as with the Becke3–Lee–Yang–Parr (B3LYP) density functional theory, using the standard 6–31G** Gaussian basis set. The RHF solvation energies are similar to those computed at the correlated MP2 and B3LYP theoretical levels. A model for computing protonation enthalpies for neutral bases in fluorosulfonic acid solvent leads to the equation ΔH(B)=−PA(B)+ΔE_t(BH⁺)−ΔE_t(B)+β, where PA(B) is the gas phase proton affinity for base B, ΔE_t(BH⁺) is the SCIPCM solvation energy for the conjugate acid, and ΔE_t(B) is the solvation energy for the base. A fit to experimental values of ΔH(B) for 10 neutral bases (H₂O, MeOH, Me₂O, H₂S, MeSH, Me₂S, NH₃, MeNH₂, Me₂NH, and PH₃) gives β=238.4±2.9 kcal/mol when ΔΔE_t is computed using the 0.0004 e⋅bohr⁻³ isodensity surface for defining the solute cavity at the RHF/6–31G** level. The model predicts that for carbon monoxide ΔH(CO)=10 kcal/mol. Thus, protonation of CO is endothermic, and the conjugate acid HCO⁺ (formyl cation) behaves as a strong acid in fluorosulfonic acid. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 250–257, 1998     

Reactivity of dpph• in the oxidation of catechol and catechin

A kinetic study of the reduction of pyrocatechol and catechin by dpph^? radical has been carried out in various ratios of CH₃OH/H₂O mixed solvent at pH 5.5–7.5, μ = 0.10 M [(n‐Bu)₄N]ClO₄, and T = 25°C. The rate constants of oxidation in aqueous solvent, k, were obtained from the extrapolation of the linear plots of the specific rate constants k vs. % H₂O plots at each pH value. A linear relationship between k and 1/[H⁺] was observed for both flavonoids with k = k₁K_a1/[H⁺], where K_a1 was the first acid dissociation constant on the catechol ring and k₁ is the rate constant of the oxidation of the mononegative species HX^?. The values of k₁ obtained from the slopes of the plots are (8.2 ± 0.2) × 10⁵ and (6.1 ± 0.1) × 10⁵ M^?1 s^?1 for pyrocatechol and catechin, respectively. The analysis of the reaction on the basis of Marcus theory for an outer‐sphere electron transfer reaction yielded a value of 3.7 × 10³ M^?1 s^?1 for the self‐exchange rate constant of dpph^?/dpphH couple. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 147–153, 2011     

The effect of water content on the ultimate properties of rubbery nanocomposite gels

An investigation was conducted into the effects of water content (R) on the ultimate tensile properties of nanocomposite hydrogels (NC gels) based on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/clay networks. Rubbery NC gels with low clay contents (<NC10) exhibited unique changes in their stress–strain curves, depending on the R. At high R, where PNIPA chains are fully hydrated, NC gels retained their rubbery tensile properties, whereas they changed to exhibit plastic‐like deformations with decreasing R. Consequently, for a series of NC gels with different R, a failure envelope was obtained by connecting the rupture points in the stress–strain curves. Here, the counterclockwise movement was observed as either the R decreased or the strain rate increased. This seemed to be analogous to that of a conventional elastomer (e.g., SBR), although the mechanisms are different in the two cases. From the R and C_clay dependences of the ultimate properties, three critical values of R were defined, where R showed a maximum strain at break, a steep increase in initial modulus, and onset of brittle fracture. Compared with NC gels, OR gels (chemically crosslinked hydrogels) showed similar but very small changes in their stress–strain curves on altering R, whereas LR (viscous PNIPA solution) showed a monotonic decrease (increase) in ε_b (E_i) with decreasing R. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2328–2340, 2009     

Characterization of Au-Rh/TiO2 catalysts by CO adsorption; XPS, FTIR and TPD experiments

On X-ray photoelectron spectra of the Au-Rh/TiO₂ catalysts the position of Au4f peak was practically unaffected by the presence of rhodium, the peak position of Rh3d, however, shifted to lower binding energy with the increase of gold content of the catalysts. Rh enrichment in the outer layers of the bimetallic crystallites was experienced. The bands due to Au⁰-CO, Rh⁰-CO and (Rh⁰)₂-CO were observed on the IR spectra of bimetallic samples, no signs for Rh⁺-(CO)₂ were detected on these catalysts. The results were interpreted by electron donation from titania through gold to rhodium and by the higher particle size of bimetallic crystallites.     

Cationic RhI Complexes of Azulenes and Their Catalytic Activity on the Formation of Heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates from Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate and Azulenes

[Rh¹(η⁵-azulene)(cod)]⁺BF complexes 3a–g (cod = (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene) have been synthesized by reaction of [Rh¹(cod)]⁺BF in THF with the corresponding azulenes 1a–g (Table 1). The structure of [Rh¹(cod)(η⁵-guaiazulene)]⁺BF ( 3a ) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (Fig. 1 and 2). The Rh-atom is oriented above the five-membered ring of the azulene with almost equal Rh? C distances to all five C-atoms of the ring. The (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene ring occurs in two enantiomorphic distorted (C_2v → C₂) tub conformations in the crystals (Fig. 3). In CDCl₃ solution, the cod ligand in the complexes 3 shows a dynamic behavior on the ¹H-NMR time scale which is best explained by rotation of the cod ligand relative to the azulene ligands around an imaginary cod? Rh? azulene axis. The new complexes 3 catalyze the formation of heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates 2 from dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) and the corresponding azulenes 1 just as effectively as [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] and the analogous [RhH(PPh₃)₄] complex in MeCN solution (Table 3). On grounds of simplicity, 3 can be generated in situ, when [RhCl(cod)]₂ is applied as catalyst (Table 3).     

Barriers to internal rotation in neopentylbenzenes substituted on the benzyl group. A 13C NMR band shape study

Two series of neopentylbenzenes with one or two substituents on the benzyl group have been synthesized. In one series the substituents were H, F, Cl, Br, I, OCH₃, OCOCH₃, OSi(CH₃)₃ CH₃ and CH₂CH₃, and in the other OH and R [R ? H, CH₃, CH₂CH₃, (CH₂)₃CH₃, CH(CH₃)₂ and C(CH₃)₃]. Barriers to internal C? C and C? C rotation have been estimated by ¹³C NMR band shape methods. Estimated barriers were found to increase as the size of the substituent increases. The results are discussed in terms of possible initial and transition states, based on summations of results from molecular mechanics (MM) calculations, using the Allinger MMP1 program. Barriers estimated experimentally are compared with results from other systems found in the literature.     

The 13C and D kinetic isotope effects in the reaction of CH4 with Cl

The kinetic isotope effects in the reaction of methane (CH₄) with Cl atoms are studied in a relative rate experiment at 298 ± 2 K and 1013 ± 10 mbar. The reaction rates of ¹³CH₄, ¹²CH₃D, ¹²CH₂D₂, ¹²CHD₃, and ¹²CD₄ with Cl radicals are measured relative to ¹²CH₄ in a smog chamber using long path FTIR detection. The experimental data are analyzed with a nonlinear least squares spectral fitting method using measured high‐resolution spectra as well as cross sections from the HITRAN database. The relative reaction rates of ¹²CH₄, ¹³CH₄, ¹²CH₃D, ¹²CH₂D₂, ¹²CHD₃, and ¹²CD₄ with Cl are determined as k/k = 1.06 ± 0.01, k/k = 1.47 ± 0.03, k/k = 2.45 ± 0.05, k/k = 4.7 ± 0.1, k/k = 14.7 ± 0.3. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 110–118, 2005