Aspects of Living Radical Polymerization Mediated by Cobalt Porphyrin Complexes

Living radical polymerization (LRP) of methyl acrylate (MA), acrylic acid (AA), and vinyl acetate (VAc) mediated by cobalt(II) porphyrin complexes ((TMP)Co^II·, (TMPS)Co^II·) are reported. The polymeric products with relatively low polydispersity and controlled number average molecular weight (M_n) based on one polymer chain per cobalt complex demonstrate the living characters of the polymerization process. The formation of block copolymers of poly(methyl acrylate)‐b‐poly(vinyl acetate) (PMA‐b‐PVAc) and poly(methyl acrylate)‐b‐poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PMA‐b‐PVP) demonstrate another important feature of LRP and extend the application of cobalt porphyrin mediated radical polymerization to a wider array of functionalized monomers. Kinetic studies using ¹H NMR to follow the formation of orGano‐cobalt complexes reveal that two mechanisms, reversible termination (RT) and degenerative transfer (DT), occur during the polymerization process. MA and VAc polymerization mediated by cobalt porphyrin complexes are used to illustrate the properties of these two LRP pathways and evaluate the kinetic and thermodynamic properties for several of the central reactions.     

Thermodynamics of rhodium hydride reactions with CO, aldehydes, and olefins in water: organo-rhodium porphyrin bond dissociation free energies

Tetra(p-sulfonato-phenyl) porphyrin rhodium hydride ([(TSPP)Rh-D(D2O)](-4)) (1) reacts in water (D2O) with carbon monoxide, aldehydes, and olefins to produce metallo formyl, alpha-hydroxyalkyl, and alkyl complexes, respectively. The hydride complex (1) functions as a weak acid in D2O and partially dissociates into a rhodium(I) complex ([(TSPP)Rh(I)(D2O)](-5)) and a proton (D+). Fast substrate reactions of 1 in D2O compared to reactions of rhodium porphyrin hydride ((por)Rh-H) in benzene are ascribed to aqueous media promoting formation of ions and supporting ionic reaction pathways. The regioselectivity for addition of 1 to olefins is predominantly anti-Markovnikov in acidic D2O and exclusively anti-Markovnikov in basic D2O. The range of accessible equilibrium thermodynamic measurements for rhodium hydride substrate reactions is substantially increased in water compared to that in organic media through exploiting the hydrogen ion dependence for the equilibrium distribution of species in aqueous media. Thermodynamic measurements are reported for reactions of a rhodium porphyrin hydride in water with each of the substrates, including CO, H2CO, CH3CHO, CH2=CH2, and sets of aldehydes and olefins. Reactions of rhodium porphyrin hydrides with CO and aldehydes have nearly equal free-energy changes in water and benzene, but alkene reactions that form hydrophobic alkyl groups are substantially less favorable in water than in benzene. Bond dissociation free energies in water are derived from thermodynamic results for (TSPP)Rh-organo complexes in aqueous solution for Rh-CDO, Rh-CH(R)OD, and Rh-CH2CH(D)R units and are compared with related values determined in benzene.     

Activation of C-H / H-H bonds by rhodium(II) porphyrin bimetalloradicals

Reactivity, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies are reported for reactions of a rhodium(II) bimetalloradical with H(2), and with the methyl C-H bonds for a series of substrates CH(3)R (R = H, CH(3), OH, C(6)H(5)) using a m-xylyl diether tethered diporphyrin ligand. Bimolecular substrate reactions involving the intramolecular use of two metalloradical centers and preorganization of the four-centered transition state (M*...X...Y*...M) result in large rate enhancements as compared to termolecular reactions of monometalloradicals. Activation parameters and deuterium kinetic isotope effects for the substrate reactions are reported. The C-H bond reactions become less thermodynamically favorable as the substrate steric requirements increase, and the activation free energy (DeltaG++) decreases regularly as DeltaG degrees becomes more favorable. An absolute Rh-H bond dissociation enthalpy of 61.1 +/- 0.4 kcal mol(-1) is directly determined, and the derived Rh-CH(2)R BDE values increase regularly with the increase in the C-H BDE.     

Bimetallo-radical carbon-hydrogen bond activation of methanol and methane

Carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage reactions of CH3OH and CH4 by a dirhodium(II) diporphyrin complex with a m-xylyl tether (.Rh(m-xylyl)Rh.(1)) are reported. Kinetic-mechanistic studies show that the substrate reactions are bimolecular and occur through the use of two Rh(II) centers in the molecular unit of 1. Second-order rate constants (T = 296 K) for the reactions of 1 with methanol (k(CH3OH) = 1.45 x 10-2 M-1 s-1) and methane (k(CH4) = 0.105 M-1 s-1) show a clear kinetic preference for the methane activation process. The methanol and methane reactions with 1 have large kinetic isotope effects (k(CH3OH)/k(CD3OD) = 9.7 +/- 0.8, k(CH4)/k(CD4) = 10.8 +/- 1.0, T = 296 K), consistent with a rate-limiting step of C-H bond homolysis through a linear transition state. Activation parameters for reaction of 1 with methanol (DeltaH = 15.6 +/- 1.0 kcal mol-1; DeltaS = -14 +/- 5 cal K-1 mol-1) and methane (DeltaH = 9.8 +/- 0.5 kcal mol-1; DeltaS = -30 +/- 3 cal K-1 mol-1) are reported.     

Access to polycyclic carbazoles from ring-fused 2-(9H-carbazol-1-yl)anilines

Abstract

Nine 2-(9H-carbazol-1-yl)anilines with rings fused at the 3,4-position were acylated at the amino group with chloroacetyl, 3-chloropropanoyl, or 4-chlorobutyryl chloride, at yields of 85–99%. The resulting ω-chloroamides were exposed to potassium tert-butoxide in THF. All nine acetamides annulated exclusively at the carbazole N atom, giving benzodiazocinocarbazoles at 76–91% overall yield. The only propanamide prepared underwent α,β-elimination, giving the corresponding acrylamide at 70% overall yield. All nine butanamides annulated exclusively at the amide nitrogen, giving pyrrolidin-2-ones at 70–94% overall yield. Additionally, the 1-indanone derived carbazolylaniline followed the same annulation pattern, but the benzylic methylene group was oxidized, giving the corresponding fluorenones. The cyclohexanone-derived carbazolylaniline was also converted into a maleimide, which participated in a Diels-Alder reaction with cyclopentadiene. Attempts to replace the amino group in the starting material via diazotization were unsuccessful. Instead, a Widman-Stoermer reaction was observed, in which the diazonium group attacked the carbazole 2-position, giving the corresponding cinnoline.     

Macromonomer Chain Growth in the Radical Polymerization of MMA by Cobalt(II) Catalyzed Chain Transfer

Properties of the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of cobalt(II) tetraphenylporphyrin ((TPP)Co^II•) as a chain transfer catalyst are reported. Reversible addition of (L)Co‐H to macromonomers gives living character to the oligomer olefins that grow to higher molecular weight without altering the primary polymer structural features. Incorporation of reversible termination of oligomer radicals in the mechanistic model for chain transfer catalysis by (L)Co^II• complexes is an essential feature of the catalytic chain transfer process.

Average degree of polymerization as a function of monomer conversion for the (TPP)Co^II• mediated CCT polymerization of MMA in C₆D₆ initiated by AIBN at different concentrations of (TPP)Co^II•.