The kinetics and thermodynamics of a novel efficient mixed water–1,4-dioxan solvent for the effective complexation of a neutral ruthenium complex with carbon monoxide at atmospheric pressure

Kinetic and thermodynamic investigations were performed for a mixed aqueous-organic, 1:1 (v/v) water–1,4-dioxane medium, which was found to be an efficient solvent for the interaction of a neutral dichlorotris(triphenylphosphine) ruthenium(II), RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ complex with carbon monoxide at atmospheric pressure. During the interaction, RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ dissociates to a neutral complex dichlorobis(triphenylphosphine) ruthenium(II), RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂, by losing a coordinated PPh₃ ligand and RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂ coordinates with CO to form an in situ carbonyl complex RuCl₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂. The in situ formed carbonyl complex RuCl₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂ was thoroughly characterized by equilibrium, spectrophotometric, IR, and electrochemical techniques. Under equilibrium conditions, the rate and dissociation constants for the dissociation of PPh₃ from RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ were found to be favorable for the formation of the carbonyl complex RuCl₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂. The rates of complexation for the formation of RuCl₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂ were found to follow an overall second-order kinetics being first order in terms of the concentrations of both carbon monoxide and RuCl₂(PPh₃)₂. The determined activation parameters corresponding to the rate constant (ΔH^# = 35.9 ± 2.5 kJ mol⁻¹ and ΔS^# = −122 ± 6 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹) and thermodynamic parameters corresponding to the formation constant (ΔH° = −33.5 ± 4.5 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔS° = −25 ± 8 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, and ΔG° = −25.7 ± 2.0 kJ mol⁻¹) were found to be highly favorable for the formation of the complex RuCl2(CO)(PPh3)2. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 359–369, 2008     

Catalytic activity of Pd dithiolate complexes with large-bite-angle diphosphines in Heck coupling reactions

Palladium(II) complexes of aryl dithiolates and wide-bite-angle diphosphines Xantphos and dppf have been developed as efficient catalysts in Suzuki and Suzuki carbonylation reactions. The catalytic activity of these highly stable, discrete and charged complexes was investigated in Heck coupling reactions of styrene and a variety of aryl bromides. Under optimized reaction conditions these palladium complexes showed excellent activity with high turnover number (6 × 10⁶) and high turnover frequency (4 × 10⁵ h⁻¹). The effect of bite angle of diphosphines on the catalytic activity of the complexes [Pd₂(P^∩P)₂(SC₁₂H₈S)]₂(OTf)₄ followed the trend P^∩P = Xantphos > dppf > dppe as the order of their bite angles. The catalyst could be reused, and after three cycles the formation of significant amount of Pd nanoparticles was noticed, which were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The high catalytic activity has been attributed to the Pd nanoparticles.     

Ru 前驱体对 Ru/MgO-CeO2 氨合成催化剂性能的影响

 分别以 K₂RuO₄, Ru(Ac)₃ 和 RuCl₃ 为 Ru 前驱体, 制备了 Ru/MgO-CeO₂ 催化剂, 并运用 X 射线衍射、X 射线荧光光谱, CO 吸附、N₂ 物理吸附和 H₂程序升温还原等技术对催化剂进行了表征, 考察了 Ru 前驱体对 Ru/MgO-CeO₂ 催化剂氨合成性能的影响. 结果表明, Ru 前驱体对载体 MgO-CeO₂ 和 Ru 的还原性能、氯残留量和催化剂比表面积的影响都很大, 从而导致催化剂的氨合成性能的不同. 其中以 K₂RuO₄ 为 Ru 前驱体制备的催化剂的载体和 Ru 容易还原, 无氯离子, 且比表面积较高, 因而催化剂活性和氨合成转换频率较高. 在 10 MPa, 425 °C, 10 000 h^-1 条件下, K₂RuO₄, Ru(Ac)₃ 和 RuCl₃ 作前驱体制备的催化剂上氨合成转换频率比为 1.33:1.05:1.     

Highly Productive CNN Pincer Ruthenium Catalysts for the Asymmetric Reduction of Alkyl Aryl Ketones

Chiral pincer ruthenium complexes of formula [RuCl(CNN)(Josiphos)] ( 2 – 7 ; Josiphos=1‐[1‐(dicyclohexylphosphano)ethyl]‐2‐(diarylphosphano)ferrocene) have been prepared by treating [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] with (S,R)‐Josiphos diphosphanes and 1‐substituted‐1‐(6‐arylpyridin‐2‐yl)methanamines (HCNN; substituent=H ( 1 a ), Me ( 1 b ), and tBu ( 1 c )) with NEt₃. By using 1 b and 1 c as a racemic mixture, complexes 4 – 7 were obtained through a diastereoselective synthesis promoted by acetic acid. These pincer complexes, which display correctly matched chiral PP and CNN ligands, are remarkably active catalysts for the asymmetric reduction of alkyl aryl ketones in basic alcohol media by both transfer hydrogenation (TH) and hydrogenation (HY), achieving enantioselectivities of up to 99 %. In 2‐propanol, the enantioselective TH of ketones was accomplished by using a catalyst loading as low as 0.002 mol % and afforded a turnover frequency (TOF) of 10⁵–10⁶ h^?1 (60 and 82 °C). In methanol/ethanol mixtures, the CNN pincer complexes catalyzed the asymmetric HY of ketones with H₂ (5 atm) at 0.01 mol % relative to the complex with a TOF of ≈10⁴ h^?1 at 40 °C.     

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones catalyzed by ruthenium(II) complexes bearing a chiral phosphinoferrocenyloxazoline ligand

The catalytic activity in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones using octahedral and half-sandwich (η⁵-indenyl and η⁶-arene) ruthenium(II) complexes containing the chiral ligand (4S)-2-[(S_p)-2-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenyl]-4-(isopropyl)oxazoline (FcPN) has been explored. Catalytic studies with complex fac-[RuCl₂{η²(P,N)-FcPN}(PMe₃)₂] (1) show excellent TOF values (9600 h⁻¹). Experiments in the presence of free FcPN, which lead to an increase in conversion rates and ee values when the catalyst is complex [Ru(η⁵-C₉H₇){κ²(P,N)-FcPN}(PPh₃)][PF₆] (4) have been carried out. The characterization of the new complexes mer-trans-[RuCl₂{P(OMe)₃}₂{κ²(P,N)-FcPN}] and of the water-soluble complexes fac- and mer-trans-[RuCl₂(PTA)₂{κ²(P,N)-FcPN}] is also reported.     

A Water‐Soluble Copper–Polypyridine Complex as a Homogeneous Catalyst for both Photo‐Induced and Electrocatalytic O2 Evolution

The water‐soluble polypyridine copper complex [Cu(F₃TPA)(ClO₄)₂] [ 1 ; F₃TPA=tris(2‐fluoro‐6‐pyridylmethyl)amine] catalyzes water oxidation in a pH 8.5 borate buffer at a relatively low overpotential of 610 mV. Assisted by photosensitizer and an electron acceptor, 1 also exhibits activity as a homogeneous catalyst for photo‐induced O₂ evolution with a maximum turnover frequency (TOF) of (1.58±0.03)×10^?1 s^?1 and a maximum turnover number (TON) of 11.61±0.23. In comparison, the reference [Cu(TPA)(ClO₄)₂] [TPA=tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine] displayed almost no activity under either set of conditions, implying the crucial role of the ligand in determining the behavior of the catalyst. Experimental evidence indicate the molecular catalytic nature of 1 , leading to a potentially practical strategy to apply the copper complex in a photoelectrochemical device for water oxidation.     

Highly Selective Enamination of β‐ketoesters Catalyzed by Interlocked [Cu8] and [Cu18] Nanocages

Interlocking cages are of great interest due to their fascinating structures and potential applications. However, the interlocking of different cages has not been previously reported. Herein, quadruply interlocked [Cu₈] and [Cu₁₈] nanocages have been constructed and structurally characterized in cationic metal–organic framework {[Cu^ICu₄^II(XN)₄(PTA)₄(H₂O)₄]0.5 SO₄?5 H₂O?EtOH}_n ( 1 ). 1 can trap the anionic pollutant CrO₄^2? and the radioactive‐contaminant simulant ReO₄^? with an uptake capacity of 83.2 and 218 mg g^?1, respectively. Catalytic investigations reveal 1 is an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the enamination of ethyl acetoacetate with aniline and the turnover frequency (TOF) can reach a record value of 4000 h^?1. More importantly, 1 represents the first of a catalyst of enamination to exhibit excellent size selectivity on different substrates. The robust catalyst can be reused at least ten times without obvious loss in catalytic activity.     

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes of P,P and P,O donor diphosphine ligands,Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2 and Ph2P(CH2)nP(O)Ph2, n = 2, 3 and their activities in catalytic transfer hydrogenation reactions

The polymeric precursor [RuCl₂(CO)₂]_n reacts with the ligands, P∩P (a, b) and P∩O (c, d), in 1:1 M ratio to generate six-coordinate complexes [RuCl₂(CO)₂(?²-P∩P)] (1a, 1b) and [RuCl₂(CO)₂(?²-P∩O)] (1c, 1d), where P∩P: Ph₂P(CH₂)_nPPh₂, n = 2(a), 3(b); P∩O: Ph₂P(CH₂)_nP(O)Ph₂, n = 2(c), 3(d). The complexes are characterized by elemental analyses, mass spectrometry, thermal studies, IR, and NMR spectroscopy. 1a–1d are active in catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone and its derivatives to corresponding alcohols with turnover frequency (TOF) of 75–290 h^?1. The complexes exhibit higher yield of hydrogenation products than catalyzed by RuCl₃ itself. Among 1a–1d, the Ru(II) complexes of bidentate phosphine (1a, 1b) show higher efficiency than their monoxide analogs (1c, 1d). However, the recycling experiments with the catalysts for hydrogenation of 4-nitroacetophenone exhibit a different trend in which the catalytic activities of 1a, 1b, and 1d decrease considerably, while 1c shows similar activity during the second run.     

Ruthenium-benzocrownether complexes: Synthesis, structures, catalysis and immobilisation in ionic liquids

A facile pathway to [RuCl₂(η⁶-benzocrownether)]₂ complexes is described and crystal structures of the complexes [RuCl₂(η⁶-benzo-15-crown-5)]₂ and [RuCl₂(η⁶-dibenzo-18-crown-6)]₂ are reported. The complexes were derivatised with (1S,2R)-2-amino-1,2-diphenylethanol and evaluated in the enantioselective transfer-hydrogenation of acetophenone. The effect of complexation of different alkaline metals (Na, K, Cs) within the crown on the selectivity and reaction rate was studied. Interaction of a sulfonated phosphine ligand with the crown was probed by NOESY-NMR and utilisation of the crownether to serve as an anchor for catalyst immobilisation was investigated.     

Efficient and selective hydration of nitriles to amides in aqueous systems with Ru(II)-phosphaurotropine catalysts

A simple and efficient synthesis of amides by selective hydration of aromatic and aliphatic nitriles is described. The catalysts are prepared in situ from easily available Ru-precursors and ligands using water as the solvent. The most active catalyst, is obtained from [RuCl₂(dmso)₄] and benzylated 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane. Of the 16 substrates examined, 92–99% conversions of 14 nitriles were achieved in one hour at reflux temperature.     

Upgrading CO2 by Incorporation into Urethanes through Silver‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Stepwise Amidation Reaction

One‐pot two‐step stepwise reaction of terminal propargylic alcohols, carbon dioxide, and primary/secondary amines for the effective synthesis of various urethanes through robust silver‐catalysed C‐O/C‐N bond formation is reported. Catalytic activities were investigated by controlling catalyst loading, reaction pressure and time, and very high turnover number (turnover frequency) was obtained: 3350 (35 h⁻¹) with 0.01 mol% silver catalyst under 0.1 MPa, and up to 13360 (139 h⁻¹) with 0.005 mol% silver catalyst under 2.0 MPa at room temperature. The strategy was ingeniously regulated, and synchronously afforded a wide range of β‐oxopropylcarbamate and 1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one motifs in excellent yields and selectivity together with unprecedented high turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) value.     

Temperature‐tuned enantioselectivity in transfer hydrogenation: preparation and catalytic property of amino acid‐modified benzimidazole

A series of l ‐amino acid‐modified benzimidazoles have been synthesized and their application in Ru‐catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones has been evaluated using i‐propanol as hydrogen donor as well as solvent. The enantioselectivity of the product was sensitive to the reaction conditions and showed reversed temperature effect. Better reaction activity and enantioselectivity were obtained at higher reaction temperature and higher molar ratio of substrate to catalyst (S/C). At an S/C of 2000:1 and 5000:1, the turnover frequency (TOF) and the enantiomeric excess (ee) value of the ATH of acetophenone promoted by the combination of l ‐proline benzimidazole 7c and [RuCl₂(p‐cymene)]₂ were up to 6880, 13 000 h^?1 and 67%, 51% respectively. The ee value dropped off after the reaction reached equilibrium. The high activity and enantioselectivity of [RuCl₂(p‐cymene)]₂/ 7c was primarily influenced by the (S,R) configuration, whereas the (S,S) configuration had low activity and enantioselectivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ibuprofenamide: a convenient method of synthesis by catalytic hydration of 2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionitrile in pure aqueous medium

An efficient and practical synthesis of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofenamide by catalytic hydration of 2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionitrile is described. The readily accessible arene-ruthenium(II) complex [RuCl₂(η⁶-C₆Me₆){P(NMe₂)₃}] is used as the catalyst, pure water as the solvent, and microwave irradiation as the heating source.     

Subnanometer Bimetallic Platinum–Zinc Clusters in Zeolites for Propane Dehydrogenation

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) has great potential to meet the increasing global demand for propylene, but the widely used Pt-based catalysts usually suffer from short-term stability and unsatisfactory propylene selectivity. Herein, we develop a ligand-protected direct hydrogen reduction method for encapsulating subnanometer bimetallic Pt–Zn clusters inside silicalite-1 (S-1) zeolite. The introduction of Zn species significantly improved the stability of the Pt clusters and gave a superhigh propylene selectivity of 99.3 % with a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 3.6–54 h⁻¹ and specific activity of propylene formation of 65.5 mol g_Pt⁻¹ h⁻¹ (WHSV=108 h⁻¹) at 550 °C. Moreover, no obvious deactivation was observed over PtZn4@S-1-H catalyst even after 13000 min on stream (WHSV=3.6 h⁻¹), affording an extremely low deactivation constant of 0.001 h⁻¹, which is 200 times lower than that of the PtZn4/Al₂O₃ counterpart under the same conditions. We also show that the introduction of Cs⁺ ions into the zeolite can improve the regeneration stability of catalysts, and the catalytic activity kept unchanged after four continuous cycles.     

Palladium Complexes Based on Ylide-Functionalized Phosphines (YPhos): Broadly Applicable High-Performance Precatalysts for the Amination of Aryl Halides at Room Temperature

Palladium allyl, cinnamyl, and indenyl complexes with the ylide-substituted phosphines Cy₃P⁺−C⁻(R)PCy₂ (with R=Me ( L1 ) or Ph ( L2 )) and Cy₃P⁺−C⁻(Me)PtBu₂ ( L3 ) were prepared and applied as defined precatalysts in C−N coupling reactions. The complexes are highly active in the amination of 4-chlorotoluene with a series of different amines. Higher yields were observed with the precatalysts in comparison to the in situ generated catalysts. Changes in the ligand structures allowed for improved selectivities by shutting down β-hydride elimination or diarylation reactions. Particularly, the complexes based on L2 (joYPhos) revealed to be universal precatalysts for various amines and aryl halides. Full conversions to the desired products are reached mostly within 1 h reaction time at room temperature, thus making L2 to one of the most efficient ligands in C−N coupling reactions. The applicability of the catalysts was demonstrated for aryl chlorides, bromides and iodides together with primary and secondary aryl and alkyl amines, including gram-scale applications also with low catalyst loadings of down to 0.05 mol %. Kinetic studies further demonstrated the outstanding activity of the precatalysts with TOF over 10.000 h⁻¹.     

Oxygen bridged Homobinuclear Mn(II) compounds with Anthranilic acid: Theoretical calculations,oxidation and catalase activity

Two new homobinuclear manganese compounds with mixed ligands, [Mn₂(μ_1,1–2‐NH₂C₆H₄COO)₂(phen)₄](ClO₄)2(CH₃OH) ( 1 ), and [Mn₂(μ_1,3–2‐NH₂C₆H₄COO)₂(bipy)₄](ClO₄)2 ( 2 ) (NH₂C₆H₄COOH = anthranilic acid, bipy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, phen = 1,10‐ phenanthroline) were synthesized and thoroughly characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV and single crystal X‐ray crystallography. X‐ray structure analysis shows that in the mono‐ and bidentate carboxylate bridged compounds, Mn–Mn distances of 1 and 2 are 3,461 Å, and 4,639 Å, respectively. The energy of the compounds was determined with a DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculation on B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) optimized geometry by using the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) basis set. These compounds acts as biomimetic catalyst and show catalase‐like activity for the hydrogen peroxide dismutation at room temperature in different solvents with remarkable activity (TOF, Turnover frequency = mol of subst./(mol of cat. × time)) up to 12640 h^?1 with 1 , and 17910 h^?1 with 2 in Tris–HCl buffer). Moreover, the catalytic activity of 1 and 2 has been studied for oxidation of alcohols (cinnamyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol, 1‐octanol and 1‐heptanol) and alkenes (cyclohexene, styrene, ethyl benzene, 1‐octene and 1‐hexene) in a homogeneous catalytic system consisting t‐butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant in acetonitrile. Both compounds exhibited very high activity in the oxidation of cyclohexene to cyclohexanone (~80% selectivity, ~99% conversion in 1 h, TOF = 243 h^?1 and 226 h^?1) and cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde (~64% selectivity) as the main product with very high TOF value (9180 h^?1 and 13040 h^?1 in the first minute of reaction) (~100% conversion in 0.5 h) with TBHP at 70 °C in acetonitrile, for 1 and 2 , respectively.     

[RhIII(dmbpy)2Cl2]+ as a Highly Efficient Catalyst for Visible‐Light‐Driven Hydrogen Production in Pure Water: Comparison with Other Rhodium Catalysts

We report a very efficient homogeneous system for the visible‐light‐driven hydrogen production in pure aqueous solution at room temperature. This comprises [Rh^III(dmbpy)₂Cl₂]Cl ( 1 ) as catalyst, [Ru(bpy)₃]Cl₂ ( PS1 ) as photosensitizer, and ascorbate as sacrificial electron donor. Comparative studies in aqueous solutions also performed with other known rhodium catalysts, or with an iridium photosensitizer, show that 1) the PS1 / 1 /ascorbate/ascorbic acid system is by far the most active rhodium‐based homogeneous photocatalytic system for hydrogen production in a purely aqueous medium when compared to the previously reported rhodium catalysts, Na₃[Rh^I(dpm)₃Cl] and [Rh^III(bpy)Cp*(H₂O)]SO₄ and 2) the system is less efficient when [Ir^III(ppy)₂(bpy)]Cl ( PS2 ) is used as photosensitizer. Because catalyst 1 is the most efficient rhodium‐based H₂‐evolving catalyst in water, the performance limits of this complex were further investigated by varying the PS1 / 1 ratio at pH 4.0. Under optimal conditions, the system gives up to 1010 turnovers versus the catalyst with an initial turnover frequency as high as 857 TON h^?1. Nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy measurements show that the initial step of the photocatalytic H₂‐evolution mechanism is a reductive quenching of the PS1 excited state by ascorbate, leading to the reduced form of PS1 , which is then able to reduce [Rh^III(dmbpy)₂Cl₂]⁺ to [Rh^I(dmbpy)₂]⁺. This reduced species can react with protons to yield the hydride [Rh^III(H)(dmbpy)₂(H₂O)]²⁺, which is the key intermediate for the H₂ production.     

A Pyridinium-Pyridinium Zinc(II) Porphyrin Ion Porous Organic Polymer as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Cycloaddition of Epoxides with CO2

A zinc(II)porphyrin-based ion porous organic polymer (ZnTPyPBr₄-iPOP) is successfully synthesized from newly designed pyridinium-functionalized cationic Zn-porphyrin monomer (ZnTPyPBr₄) by free radical self-polymerization, and is employed as an efficient bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst for CO₂ cycloaddition reaction with epoxides. The ZnTPyPBr₄-iPOP exhibits excellent catalytic performance and good substrate expansion in CO₂ cycloaddition reaction under solvent-free and cocatalyst-free conditions with a TOF as high as 15,500 h⁻¹ for the cycloaddition of CO₂ and epichlorohydrin. The synergistic effect of zinc(II)porphyrin as the Lewis acidic site and the Br⁻ anion as the nucleophile in ZnTPyPBr₄-iPOP responds to the high catalytic activity. Moreover, ZnTPyPBr₄-iPOP can easily be recovered and reused at least seven times without the loss of activity. This work provides a valuable approach for the synthesis of novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for CO₂ cycloaddition.     

Ruthenium catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of β-ketoesters

Chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of β-ketoesters to the corresponding alcohols is achieved in the presence of catalytic combinations of [RuCl₂(η⁶-arene)]₂ and ephedrine or diamino type chiral ligands with activities up to 190 h⁻¹ at 20°C and moderate to good enantiomeric excesses ranging from 36 to 94%.     

Stereoretentive N-Arylation of Amino Acid Esters with Cyclohexanones Utilizing a Continuous-Flow System

The N-arylation of chiral amino acid esters with minimal racemization is a challenging transformation because of the sensitivity of the α-stereocenter. A versatile synthetic method was developed to prepare N-arylated amino acid esters using cyclohexanones as aryl sources under continuous-flow conditions. The designed flow system, which consists of a coil reactor and a packed-bed reactor containing a Pd(OH)₂/C catalyst, efficiently afforded the desired N-arylated amino acids without significant racemization, accompanied by only small amounts of easily removable co-products (i. e., H₂O and alkanes). The efficiency and robustness of this method allowed for the continuous synthesis of the desired product in very high yield and enantiopurity with high space-time yield (74.1 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹) and turnover frequency (5.9 h⁻¹) for at least 3 days.