Generation and Stabilization of a Dinickel Catalyst in a Metal-Organic Framework for Selective Hydrogenation Reactions

Although many monometallic active sites have been installed in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for catalytic reactions, there are no effective strategies to generate bimetallic catalysts in MOFs. Here we report the synthesis of a robust, efficient, and reusable MOF catalyst, MOF-NiH, by adaptively generating and stabilizing dinickel active sites using the bipyridine groups in MOF-253 with the formula of Al(OH)(2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate) for Z-selective semihydrogenation of alkynes and selective hydrogenation of C=C bonds in α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones. Spectroscopic studies established the dinickel complex (bpy⋅⁻)Ni^II(μ₂-H)₂Ni^II(bpy⋅⁻) as the active catalyst. MOF-NiH efficiently catalyzed selective hydrogenation reactions with turnover numbers of up to 192 and could be used in five cycles of hydrogenation reactions without catalyst leaching or significant decrease of catalytic activities. The present work uncovers a synthetic strategy toward solution-inaccessible Earth-abundant bimetallic MOF catalysts for sustainable catalysis.     

Photocatalytic 2-Iodoethanol Coupling to Produce 1,4-Butanediol Mediated by TiO2 and a Catalytic Nickel Complex

Photocatalytic 2-iodoethanol (IEO) coupling provides 1,4-butanediol (BDO) of particular interest to produce degradable polyesters. However, the reduction potential of IEO is too negative (−1.9 vs NHE) to be satisfied by most of the semiconductors, and the kinetics of transferring one electron for IEO coupling is slow. Here we design a catalytic Ni complex, which works synergistically with TiO₂, realizing reductive coupling of IEO powered by photo-energy. Coordinating by terpyridine stabilizes Ni²⁺ from being photo-deposited to TiO₂, thereby retaining the steric configuration beneficial for IEO coupling. The Ni complex can rapidly extract electrons from TiO₂, generating a low-valent Ni capable of reducing IEO. The photocatalytic IEO coupling thus provides BDO in 72 % selectivity. By a stepwise procedure, BDO is obtained with 70 % selectivity from ethylene glycol. This work put forward a strategy for the photocatalytic reduction of molecules requiring strong negative potential.     

Mechanistic Evidence of a Ni(0/II/III) Cycle for Nickel Photoredox Amide Arylation

This work demonstrates the dominance of a Ni(0/II/III) cycle for Ni-photoredox amide arylation, which contrasts with other Ni-photoredox C-heteroatom couplings that operate via Ni(I/III) self-sustained cycles. The kinetic data gathered when using different Ni precatalysts supports an initial Ni(0)-mediated oxidative addition into the aryl bromide. Using NiCl₂ as the precatalyst resulted in an observable induction period, which was found to arise from a photochemical activation event to generate Ni(0) and to be prolonged by unproductive comproportionation between the Ni(II) precatalyst and the in situ generated Ni(0) active species. Ligand exchange after oxidative addition yields a Ni(II) aryl amido complex, which was identified as the catalyst resting state for the reaction. Stoichiometric experiments showed that oxidation of this Ni(II) aryl amido intermediate was required to yield functionalized amide products. The kinetic data presented supports a rate-limiting photochemically-mediated Ni(II/III) oxidation to enable C−N reductive elimination. An alternative Ni(I/III) self-sustained manifold was discarded based on EPR and kinetic measurements. The mechanistic insights uncovered herein will inform the community on how subtle changes in Ni-photoredox reaction conditions may impact the reaction pathway, and have enabled us to include aryl chlorides as coupling partners and to reduce the Ni loading by 20-fold without any reactivity loss.     

Enantio- and Diastereoselective NiH-Catalyzed Hydroalkylation of Enamides or Enecarbamates with Racemic α-Bromoamides**

Catalytic methods which control multiple stereogenic centers simultaneously are highly desirable in modern organic synthesis and chemical manufacturing. Herein, we report a regio-, enantio-, and diastereoselective NiH-catalyzed hydroalkylation process which proceeds with simultaneous control of vicinal stereocenters originating from two readily accessible partners, prochiral internal alkenes (enamides or enecarbamates) and racemic alkyl electrophiles (α-bromoamides or Katritzky salts). This reaction produces high-value β-aminoamides and their derivatives under mild conditions and with precise selectivity. Preliminary studies of the mechanism indicate that the reaction involves an enantioselective syn-hydronickelation to generate an enantiomerically enriched alkylnickel(II) species. Subsequent enantioconvergent alkylation with a racemic alkyl electrophile generates the desired product as a single stereoisomer.     

Enantioconvergent Reductive C(sp)−C(sp3) Cross-Coupling to Access Chiral α-Alkynyl Phosphonates Under Dual Nickel/Photoredox Catalysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric carbon−carbon bond formation to forge phosphonates with an α-chiral carbon center through C(sp³)−C(sp³) and C(sp²)−C(sp³) couplings has been successful. However, the enantioselective C(sp)−C(sp³) coupling has not yet been disclosed. Reported herein is an unprecedented enantioconvergent cross-coupling of alkynyl bromides and α-bromo phosphonates to deliver chiral α-alkynyl phosphonates.     

11C-Cyanation of Aryl Fluorides via Nickel and Lithium Chloride-Mediated C−F Bond Activation

Aryl fluorides are expected to be useful as radiolabeling precursors due to their chemical stability and ready availability. However, direct radiolabeling via carbon-fluorine (C−F) bond cleavage is a challenging issue due to its significant inertness. Herein, we report a two-phase radiosynthetic method for the ipso-¹¹C-cyanation of aryl fluorides to obtain [¹¹C]aryl nitriles via nickel-mediated C−F bond activation. We also established a practical protocol that avoids the use of a glovebox, except for the initial preparation of a nickel/phosphine mixture, rendering the method applicable for general PET centers. This method enabled the efficient synthesis of diverse [¹¹C]aryl nitriles from the corresponding aryl fluorides, including pharmaceutical drugs. Stoichiometric reactions and theoretical studies indicated a significant promotion effect of lithium chloride on the oxidative addition, affording an aryl(chloro)nickel(II) complex, which serves as a precursor for rapid ¹¹C-cyanation.     

Nickel-Catalyzed Selective C(sp2)−F Bond Alkylation of Industrially Relevant Hydrofluoroolefin HFO-1234yf

The selective transition-metal catalyzed C−F bond functionalization of inexpensive industrial fluorochemicals represents one of the most attractive approaches to valuable fluorinated compounds. However, the selective C(sp²)−F bond carbofunctionalization of refrigerant hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) remains challenging. Here, we report a nickel-catalyzed selective C(sp²)−F bond alkylation of HFO-1234yf with alkylzinc reagents. The resulting 2-trifluoromethylalkenes can serve as a versatile synthon for diversified transformations, including the anti-Markovnikov type hydroalkylation and the synthesis of bioactive molecule analogues. Mechanistic studies reveal that lithium salt is essential to promote the oxidative addition of Ni⁰(L_n) to the C−F bond; the less electron-rich N-based ligands, such as bipyridine and pyridine-oxazoline, feature comparable or even higher oxidative addition rates than the electron-rich phosphine ligands; the strong σ-donating phosphine ligands, such as PMe₃, are detrimental to transmetallation, but the less electron-rich and bulky N-based ligands, such as pyridine-oxazoline, facilitate transmetallation and reductive elimination to form the final product.     

Cover Feature: Copper and Nickel Complexes of Oxamate−Phenol Containing Ligands: A Structural Dichotomy in Oxidized Species (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 15/2023)

The copper and nickel complexes of two tetradentate ligands derived from bis(aminophenol) and bis(phenol) architectures connected by an oxamate linker were isolated. Depending on the metal and ligand, the complex is isolated with either an intact (deprotonated) ligand ( 1²⁻ ), one-electron oxidized ligand ( 2⁻ ) or quinone form ( 3 ). Surprisingly, the Mannich base is easier to oxidize than the amidophenol derivatives. The complexes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, UV-Vis-NIR and EPR spectroscopies. Complex 1 shows two reversible oxidation waves assigned to the successive iminosemiquinone/aminophenolate redox systems. Complex 2⁻ shows an intense NIR feature, as well as an EPR signal at g_iso=2.043, consistent with a metallic contribution to the main ligand radical SOMO. Complex 3 shows the typical feature of an isolated Cu(II) complex. Spectro-electrochemistry coupled to DFT calculations demonstrate a ligand-centered oxidative redox chemistry for all the complexes.     

流动注射在线分离富集-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定水中镍(Ⅱ)

应用D412螯合树脂作为富集柱填充物,将在线分离富集装置与火焰原子吸收光谱法联用测定水中镍(Ⅱ)的含量。优化的试验条件如下:1富集柱采用干法填充;2吸附介质的p H为6;3进样速率为5 m L·min-1;4 3 mol·L-1硝酸溶液(洗脱剂)用量为2.5 m L;5洗脱速率为7.5 m L·min-1。镍的质量浓度在50μg·L-1以内与其吸光度呈线性关系,检出限(3s)为0.35μg·L-1。方法用于自来水和河水样品的分析,加标回收率在96.0%~101%之间,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=7)在2.5%~3.1%之间。     

非晶态镍硼酸盐结构的EXAFS研究

由摩尔比分别为1:2和1:8的NiCl₂·6H₂O和Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O作为反应物, 合成两种非晶态镍硼酸盐, 同时通过水热法合成β-Ni(OH)₂. 化学分析和热重-微商热重法(TG-DTG)分析结果确定两种非晶态镍硼酸盐的分子组成分别为NiO·0.8B₂O₃·4.5H₂O和NiO·B₂O₃·3H₂O. 激光拉曼(Raman)实验结果表明镍硼酸盐样品中主要存在的硼氧阴离子为B₃O₃(OH)₅^2-和B₂O(OH)₆^2-. 同步辐射扩展X射线吸收精细结构(EXAFS)方法对样品进行结构解析, 通过数据拟合给出样品中Ni 原子周围近邻配位原子种类、配位数以及原子间距离. 用不同晶体结构作为标准对两种非晶态镍硼酸盐进行拟合的结果表明, 样品中Ni 原子周围局域结构与Ni₃B₂O₆晶体(ICSD No.31387)中的吻合较好. Ni 原子周围配位原子为O、B和Ni, 对于NiO·0.8B₂O₃·4.5H₂O, 配位数分别为5.7、3.8和3.8, 配位距离分别为0.208、0.263 和0.311 nm; 对于NiO·B₂O₃·3H₂O, 配位数分别为6.0、4.0 和4.0, 配位距离分别为0.207、0.262和0.310 nm.