Mechanism of Al(3+)-catalyzed oxidations of hydrocarbons: dramatic activation of H2O2 toward O-O homolysis in complex [Al(H2O)4(OOH)(H2O2)](2+) explains the formation of HO• radicals

A radical mechanism of hydrocarbon oxidations with the environmentally friendly and cheap homogeneous nontransition metal system [Al(H(2)O)(6)](3+)/H(2)O(2)/MeCN-H(2)O was proposed for the first time on the basis of DFT calculations. A dramatic activation of H(2)O(2) toward homolysis in the key intermediate [Al(H(2)O)(4)(OOH)(H(2)O(2))](2+) due to the presence of the easily oxidizable OOH coligand provides, without a change of metal oxidation state, the generation of HO(?) radicals, which then oxidize hydrocarbons. Nonradical mechanisms of the olefin epoxidation with the same catalytic system were also investigated.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of dibenzoylmethane,C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>–C(O)–CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>–C(O)–C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>: gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

Tautomeric and structural properties of dibenzoylmethane, C₆H₅–C(O)–CH₂–C(O)–C₆H₅, have been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximation with different basis sets up to cc-pVTZ). Analysis of GED intensities resulted in the presence of 100(5)% enol tautomer at 380(5) K. The enol ring possesses C _S symmetry with a strongly asymmetric hydrogen bond. The two phenyl rings are rotated with respect to the enol ring by 15.1(5.0) and 12.1(5.8)°. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ method.     

Integral Representation with Adapted Continuous Integrand with Respect to Fractional Brownian Motion

We show that if a random variable is a final value of an adapted Hölder continuous process, then it can be represented as a stochastic integral with respect to fractional Brownian motion, and the integrand is an adapted process, continuous up to the final point.     

Gas-Phase Structures of Potassium Tetrakis(hexafluoro- acetylacetonato) Lanthanide(III) Complexes [KLn(C5HF6O2)4] (Ln=La,Gd, Lu)

The molecular structures of potassium tetrakis(hexafluoroacetylacetonato)lanthanide(III) complexes [KLn(hfa)₄] (Ln=La, Gd, Lu; hfa=C₅HF₆O₂,) were studied by synchronous gas-phase electron diffraction/mass spectrometry (GED/MS) supported by quantum-chemical (DFT/PBE0) calculations. The compounds sublime congruently and the vapors contain a single molecular species: the heterobinuclear complex [KLn(hfa)₄]. All molecules are of C₁ symmetry with the lanthanide atom in the center of an LnO₈ coordination polyhedron, while the potassium atom is coordinated by three ligands with formation of three K−O and three K−F bonds. One hfa ligand is not bonded to the potassium atom. Topological analysis of the electron-density distributions confirmed the existence of ionic-type K−O and K−F bonding. The structures of the free [KLn(hfa)₄] molecules are compared with those of the related compounds [KDy(hfa)₄] and [KEr(hfa)₄] in their crystalline state. The complex nature of the chemical bonding is discussed on the basis of electron-density topology analyses.     

Alkane oxidation by the system ‘tert‐butyl hydroperoxide–[Mn2L2O3][PF6]2 (L = 1,4,7‐trimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane)–carboxylic acid’

The kinetics of cyclohexane (CyH) oxygenation with tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) in acetonitrile at 50 °C catalysed by a dinuclear manganese(IV) complex 1 containing 1,4,7‐trimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane and co‐catalysed by oxalic acid have been studied. It has been shown that an active form of the catalyst (mixed‐valent dimeric species ‘Mn^IIIMn^IV’) is generated only in the interaction between complex 1 and TBHP and oxalic acid in the presence of water. The formation of this active form is assumed to be due to the hydrolysis of the Mn? O? Mn bonds in starting compound 1 and reduction of one Mn^IV to Mn^III. A species which induces the CyH oxidation is radical tert‐BuO ^. generated by the decomposition of a monoperoxo derivative of the active form. The constants of the equilibrium formation and the decomposition of the intermediate adduct between TBHP and 1 have been measured: K = 7.4 mol^?1 dm³ and k = 8.4 × 10^?2 s^?1, respectively, at [H₂O] = 1.5 mol dm^?3 and [oxalic acid] = 10^?2 mol dm^?3. The constant ratio for reactions of the monomolecular decomposition of tert‐butoxy radical (tert‐BuO ^. → CH₃COCH₃ + CH) and its interaction with the CyH (tert‐BuO ^. + CyH → tert‐BuOH + Cy ^. ) was calculated: 0.26 mol dm^?3. One of the reasons why oxalic acid accelerates the oxidation is due to the formation of an adduct between oxalic acid and 1 (K ≈ 10³ mol^?1 dm³). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cage‐like Copper(II) Silsesquioxanes: Transmetalation Reactions and Structural,Quantum Chemical,and Catalytic Studies

The transmetalation of bimetallic copper–sodium silsesquioxane cages, namely, [(PhSiO_1.5)₁₀(CuO)₂(NaO_0.5)₂] (“Cooling Tower”; 1 ), [(PhSiO_1.5)₁₂(CuO)₄(NaO_0.5)₄] (“Globule”; 2 ), and [(PhSiO_1.5)₆(CuO)₄(NaO_0.5)₄(PhSiO_1.5)₆] (“Sandwich”; 3 ), resulted in the generation of three types of hexanuclear cylinder‐like copper silsesqui‐ oxanes, [(PhSiO_1.5)₁₂(CuO)₆(C₄H₉OH)₂(C₂H₅OH)₆] ( 4 ), [(PhSiO_1.5)₁₂(CuO)₆(C₄H₈O₂)₄(PhCN)₂(MeOH)₄] ( 5 ), and [(PhSiO_1.5)₁₂(CuO)₆(NaCl)(C₄H₈O₂)₁₂(H₂O)₂] ( 6 ). The products show a prominent “solvating system–structure” dependency, as determined by X‐ray diffraction. Topological analysis of cages 1 – 6 was also performed. In addition, DFT theory was used to examine the structures of the Cooling Tower and Cylinder compounds, as well as the spin density distributions. Compounds 1 , 2 , and 5 were applied as catalysts for the direct oxidation of alcohols and amines into the corresponding amides. Compound 6 is an excellent catalyst in the oxidation reactions of benzene and alcohols.     

Synthesis, molecular structure, and catalytic potential of the tetrairon complex [Fe4(N3O2-L)4(mu-O)2]4+ (L = 1-carboxymethyl-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane)

The reaction of iron sulfate with 1-carboxymethyl-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (L) and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous ethanol gives a brown dinuclear complex considered to be [Fe2(N3O-L)2(mu-O)(mu-OOCCH3)] + (1), which converts upon standing in acetonitrile solution into the green tetranuclear complex [Fe4(N3O2-L)4(mu-O)2]4+ (2). A single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of [2][PF6]4.5MeCN reveals 2 to contain four iron(III) centers, each of which is coordinated to three nitrogen atoms of a triazacyclononane ligand and is bridged by one oxo and two carboxylato bridges, a structural feature known from the active center of methane monooxygenase. Accordingly, complex 2 was found to catalyze the oxidative functionalization of methane with hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution to give methanol, methyl hydroperoxide, and formic acid; the total turnover numbers attain 24 catalytic cycles within 4 h. To gain more insight into the catalytic process, the catalytic potential of 2 was also studied for the oxidation of higher alkanes, cycloalkanes, and isopropanol in acetonitrile, as well as in aqueous solution. The bond selectivities of the oxidation of linear and branched alkanes suggest a ferroxy radical pathway.     

Dinuclear manganese complexes containing chiral 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-derived ligands and their catalytic potential for the oxidation of olefins, alkanes, and alcohols

Five new 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-derived compounds, sodium 3-(4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononan-1-yl)propionate (Na[LMe2R']) as well as the enantiopure derivatives (S)-1-(2-methylbutyl)-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (S-LMe2R'), SS-trans-2,5,8-trimethyl-2,5,8-triazabicyclo[7.4.01,9]tridecane (SS-LBMe3), (S)-1-(2-hydroxypropyl)-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (S-LMe2R), and (R)-1-(2-hydroxypropyl)-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (R-LMe2R), have been synthesized. Reaction of manganese dichloride with the chiral macrocycles S-LMe2R and R-LMe2R in aqueous ethanol gives, upon oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, the brown dinuclear Mn(III)-Mn(IV) complexes which are enantiomers, [Mn2(S-LMe2R)2(mu-O)2]3+ (S,S-1) and [Mn2(R-LMe2R)2(mu-O)2]3+ (R,R-1). The single-crystal X-ray structure analyses of [S,S-1][PF6]3.0.5(CH3)2CO and [R,R-1][PF6]3.0.5(CH3)2CO show both enantiomers to contain Mn(III) and Mn(IV) centers, each of which being coordinated to three nitrogen atoms of a triazacyclononane ligand and each of which being bridged by two oxo and by two chiral hydroxypropyl pendent arms of the macrocycle. The enantiomeric complexes S,S-1 and R,R-1 were found to catalyze the oxidation of olefins, alkanes, and alcohols with hydrogen peroxide. In the epoxidation of indene the enantiomeric excess values attain 13%. The bond selectivities of the oxidation of linear and branched alkanes suggest the crucial step in this process to be the attack of a sterically hindered high-valent manganese-oxo species on the C-H bond.     

Structural analysis and probing the conformational space of dansylamide by means of gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemistry

Dansylamide is perhaps the most ubiquitous fluorophore due to its donor-acceptor bifunctionality and its ability to form intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Among the diversity of its applications is the development of new generation of biosensors for the in vivo monitoring of traces of metals. The structure and conformational stability of dansylamide in the gas phase were investigated for the first time by a combined gas-phase electron diffraction-mass spectrometry (GED/MS), complemented by quantum chemical calculations. GED data indicate that different skewed conformers exist at T?=?464 K, which are characterized by the deviation of two S–N bonds from the perpendicular orientation relative to the naphthalene plane. Maybe the most indicative structural parameters for electronic interactions between the donor-acceptor substituents and the aromatic naphthalene and the subsequent stabilization of the favorable skewed eclipsed-syn conformer are the dihedral angles C₉–C₁–S–N and C₁₀–C₅–N–C with the experimentally determined values of 66.8° (32) and 68.1° (72), respectively. The role of –SO₂NH₂ by forming intramolecular hydrogen bonds was scrutinized by employing the natural bond orbital approach (NBO), quantum theory atoms in molecules (QTAIM), and molecular electrostatic potential (MESP). The non-planarity of the naphthalene skeleton due to the electronic interactions with the substituents and its consequence for the fluorescence activity of dansylamide have been discussed.