Nb(iPrNPMe2)3Fe–PMe3: A potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for acetylene cycloadditions

Alkynes cycloaddition reactions are powerful tools for constructing cyclic molecules with optimal atom efficiency, but these reactions cannot proceed at ambient temperature without transition-metal catalysts. In this work, a heterobimetallic complex featuring an Nb–Fe triple bond, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃, has been evaluated as the potential catalyst for acetylene cycloaddition, using density functional theory. The calculated results show that the singlet-state (i.e. ground-state) Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ can be applied to benzene synthesis, but is not suitable for cyclobutadiene. Benzene can be obtained easily at room temperature and is the unique product on the singlet potential surface. The irradiation of infrared-red light can drive the excitation of singlet Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ to its triplet state. Both benzene and cyclobutadiene can be formed on the triplet reaction potential surface due to their low energy barriers. Therefore, Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ is a potential high reactivity heterobimetallic catalyst for the cyclotrimerization of alkynes. In the reaction process, the catalytic active site of Nb(ⁱPrNPMe₂)₃Fe–PMe₃ moves from niobium to iron.     

Mechanism and Stereoselectivity of the Elementometalation Process of Activated Alkyne RCCR(RCO2Me) by Cp2TaH3

The elementometalation process is a fundamental chemical step in several catalytic cycles. In this work, density functional theory computations have elucidated the detailed elementometalation mechanism of activated alkyne RCCR(RCO₂Me) by Cp₂TaH₃ and rationalized the selectivity in experimental findings. The calculated results show that in the formation process of (E)-olefin monohydride((E)-Pro), the Gibbs free energy barrier is low and the entire reaction is spontaneous and exothermic; thus, (E)-Pro can be formed easily. The formation of (Z)-η²-olefin monohydride complex ((Z)-Pro) is difficult due to its high Gibbs free energy barrier. The formation process (E)-Pro consists of the following five steps: hydride H1-shift, conformational isomerism 1, hydride H2-shift, conformational isomerism 2, and olefin coordination process. Topological analysis shows that there is a five-membered ring plane structure in the reaction pathway and that the final product (E)-Pro belongs to a typical η²-olefin monohydride complex. Our calculated results provide an explanation for experimental observations and useful insights for further development of olefin functionalization. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stereoselectivity and nonmigratory insertion mechanism of dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate into metallocene-hydride of Cp2M(L)H [Cp = η5-C5H5; M = Nb,V; L = CO,P (OMe)3]: A DFT study

The insertion of an alkyne into transition metal–hydrogen bonds is a key elementary step in catalytic polymerization and hydrogenation processes. It was found that a (Z)- or (E)-type alkyenyl complex can be formed through trans/cis stereospecific processes. In this work, the reaction mechanism of Cp₂M(L)H [Cp = η⁵-C₅H₅; M = Nb, V; L = CO, P (OMe)₃] with dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD), and the factors influencing the stereoselectivity have been investigated based on density functional theory calculations. The calculated results show that all of the reactions are exothermic. For L = CO, the Z-isomer product forms first even at low temperatures because of the low Gibbs free energy barrier (ΔG^#). Then the Z-pro converts to E-pro , while for L = P (OMe)₃, the exclusive product is the E-isomer. For different metal centers, the reaction mechanisms of the Cp₂M(CO)H + DMAD (M = Nb and V) reaction are similar, while their products are different at room temperature. For M = Nb, because the energy barrier of the isomerization from Z-pro to E-pro is low and the relative free energies of Z-pro and E-pro are almost equal, both Z-pro and E-pro can be obtained. While for the Cp₂V(CO)H + DMAD reaction, only the Z-pro can be obtained under mild conditions, E-pro can be obtained only at high temperatures. For the Cp₂M(CO)H+DMAD(M=V and Nb) reactions, the formation of E-isomer products proceeds via two five-membered ring transition states. The calculated results provide an reasonable explanation for the experimental results and predict a new insertion reaction.     

Regulating PdC3/PtC3···thiophene interaction by small molecule doping (AgOTf,CuBr, CuI,CuBr2, PdCl2)

Structural Chemistry - The influences of small molecule doping on PdC3/PtC3···thiophene interaction have been investigated by atoms in molecules (AIM) theory, electron location...     

Energy-preserving trigonometrically fitted continuous stage Runge-Kutta-Nyström methods for oscillatory Hamiltonian systems

Numerical Algorithms - Recently, continuous-stage Runge-Kutta-Nyström (CSRKN) methods for solving numerically second-order initial value problem $q^{\prime \prime }= f(q)$ have been proposed...     

Termination of a pinned spiral wave by the wave train with a free defect

Nonlinear Dynamics - Spiral waves in the cardiac tissue may cause life-threatening arrhythmia. Such waves can be anchored to a local heterogeneity and form stable pinned waves, which are difficult...