CN Bond Cleavage and Ring Expansion of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes using Hydrosilanes

Ring expansion of NHCs! The reaction of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with hydrosilanes Ph(4-n) SiH(n) (n=1, 2, 3) results in complete rupture of the heterocycle and silylene insertion into one of the C?N bonds of the carbene (see scheme; R=alkyl, aryl).     

Taming the Antiferromagnetic Beast: Computational Design of Ultrashort Mn−Mn Bonds Stabilized by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

The development of complexes featuring low-valent, multiply bonded metal centers is an exciting field with several potential applications. In this work, we describe the design principles and extensive computational investigation of new organometallic platforms featuring the elusive manganese-manganese bond stabilized by experimentally realized N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). By using DFT computations benchmarked against multireference calculations, as well as MO- and VB-based bonding analyses, we could disentangle the various electronic and structural effects contributing to the thermodynamic and kinetic stability, as well as the experimental feasibility, of the systems. In particular, we explored the nature of the metal-carbene interaction and the role of the ancillary η⁶ coordination to the generation of Mn₂ systems featuring ultrashort metal-metal bonds, closed-shell singlet multiplicities, and positive adiabatic singlet-triplet gaps. Our analysis identifies two distinct classes of viable synthetic targets, whose electrostructural properties are thoroughly investigated.     

Mechanism and Origin of MAD-Induced Ni/N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective C−H Cyclization of Pyridines with Alkenes

This work presents a DFT-based computational study on the regio- and enantioselective C−H functionalization of pyridines with alkenes at the relatively unreactive C4-position, which was successfully achieved by Shi et al. [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019 , 141, 5628–5634] using Ni⁰/N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis under the assistance of an aluminum-based Lewis acid additive (2,6-tBu₂-4-Me-C₆H₂O)₂AlMe (MAD). The calculations indicate that the selective functionalization involves a three-step mechanism in which a unique H-migration assisted oxidation metalation (HMAOM) step is identified as the rate- and enantioselectivity-determining step. The newly proposed mechanism can well rationalize the experimental observation that the preferred product is the endo-type (vs. exo-type), R-configuration (vs. S-configuration) product at the C4 (vs. C2) position, and also unveil the reasons that the NHC ligand and the MAD additive can facilitate the reaction.     

C−N Bond Activation and Ring Opening of a Saturated N-Heterocyclic Carbene by Lateral Alkali-Metal-Mediated Metalation

Combining alkali-metal-mediated metalation (AMMM) and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) chemistry, a novel C−N bond activation and ring-opening process is described for these increasingly important NHC molecules, which are generally considered robust ancillary ligands. Here, mechanistic investigations on reactions of saturated NHC SIMes ( SIMes =[:C{N(2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂)CH₂}₂]) with Group 1 alkyl bases suggest this destructive process is triggered by lateral metalation of the carbene. Exploiting co-complexation and trans-metal-trapping strategies with lower polarity organometallic reagents (Mg(CH₂SiMe₃)₂ and Al(TMP)iBu₂), key intermediates in this process have been isolated and structurally defined.     

An Isolable Gallium-Substituted Nitrilimine and its Reactivity with B−H,Si−H and B−B Bonds

Reaction of the Ga(I) compound NacNacGa ( 9 ) with the diazo compound N₂CHSiMe₃ affords the nitrilimine compound NacNacGa(N-NCSiMe₃)(CH₂SiMe₃) ( 10 ). Carrying out this reaction in the presence of pyridine does not lead to C−H activation on the transient alkylidene NacNacGa=CHSiMe₃ but generates a metallated diazo species NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe₃)(CN₂SiMe₃) ( 13 ) that further rearranges into the isonitrile compound NacNacGa(NHN=CHSiMe₃)(N(NC)SiMe₃) ( 15 ). Reactions of 10 with the silane H₃SiPh and the borane HBcat furnished products of 1,3 addition to the nitrilimine moiety NacNacGa{N(ER_n)NCSiMe₃}(CH₂SiMe₃), whereas reaction with the diborane B₂cat₂ gave the product of formal nitrene insertion into the B−B bond. DFT calculations suggest that the interaction of 9 with N₂CHSiMe₃ proceeds through intermediate formation of an alkylidene compound that undergoes CH activation with a second molecule of N₂CHSiMe₃. Insertion into the B−B bond likely proceeds through an initial 1,3-addition of the diborane, followed by boryl migration to the former nitrene center.     

Synthesis and Cleavage Studies of a 1,2-Dioxolane-type Peroxide

A [1,2]dioxolane-type peroxide was synthesized and tested for its cleavage behavior with Fe^2 -cysteinate as a simple model of biological redox species. No S-alkylation product was observed.     

Activation of Aromatic C−F Bonds by a N-Heterocyclic Olefin (NHO)

A N-heterocyclic olefin (NHO), a terminal alkene selectively activates aromatic C−F bonds without the need of any additional catalyst. As a result, a straightforward methodology was developed for the formation of different fluoroaryl-substituted alkenes in which the central carbon–carbon double bond is in a twisted geometry.     

Cu−NHC Complex for Chan-Evans-Lam Cross-Coupling Reactions of N-Heterocyclic Compounds and Arylboronic Acids

An efficient copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex with an NCN coordination mode was optimized to catalyze the Chan–Evans-Lam (CEL) cross-coupling reaction of imidazole and other N-heterocyclic nucleophiles with arylboronic acid. This air-stable copper catalyst shows robust catalytic performance and tolerates a diverse array of functional groups on both the N-nucleophile and arylboronic acid coupling partners in C−N bond forming reactions with up to 95 % yield. Formation of the Cu−NHC complex in situ generated similar catalytic performance for CEL coupling. Alternative metal ions (Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ru²⁺, and Pd²⁺) were also screened in the presence of the NHC precursor as CEL catalysts.     

Tetraorganophosphonium and tetraphenylarsonium salts of B5H8− and B6H9−

Eight new quaternary phosphonium or arsonium salts of the polyhedral borane anions B₅H₈⁻ and B₆H₉⁻ have been prepared in order to study the influence of cation size on stability. The salts are, indeed, considerably more stable than those previously prepared, the most stable being the tetraphenylphosphonium and tetraphenylarsonium derivatives. IR and NMR data are reported.     

Metal-Free,Visible-Light-Induced Selective C−C Bond Cleavage of Cycloalkanones with Molecular Oxygen

A metal-free, visible-light-induced oxidative C−C bond cleavage of cycloketones with molecular oxygen is described. Cooperative Brønsted-acid catalysis and photocatalysis enabled selective C−C bond cleavage of cycloketones to generate an array of γ-, δ- and ϵ-keto esters under very mild conditions. Mechanistic studies indicate that singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂) is responsible for this transformation.     

Sulfonate N-Heterocyclic Carbene–Copper Complexes: Uniquely Effective Catalysts for Enantioselective Synthesis of C−C,C−B,C−H,and C−Si Bonds

A copper-based complex that contains a sulfonate N-heterocyclic carbene ligand was first reported 15 years ago. Since then, these organometallic entities have proven to be uniquely effective in catalyzing an assortment of enantioselective transformations, including allylic substitutions, conjugate additions, proto-boryl additions to alkenes, boryl and silyl substitutions, hydride-allyl additions to alkenyl boronates, and additions of boron-containing allyl moieties to N-H ketimines. In this review article, we detail the shortcomings in the state-of-the-art that fueled the development of this air stable ligand class, members of which can be prepared on multigram scale. For each reaction type, when relevant, the prior art at the time of the advance involving sulfonate NHC-Cu catalysts and/or subsequent key developments are briefly analyzed, and the relevance of the advance to efficient and enantioselective total or formal synthesis of biologically active molecules is underscored. Mechanistic analysis of the structural attributes of sulfonate NHC-Cu catalysts that are responsible for their ability to facilitate transformations with high efficiency as well as regio- and enantioselectivity are detailed. This review contains several formerly undisclosed methodological advances and mechanistic analyses, the latter of which constitute a revision of previously reported proposals.     

Intramolecular Nitrene Insertion into Saturated C−H-Bond-Mediated C−N Bond Cleavage of a Coordinated NHC Ligand

Ruthenium(II) complexes bearing a tridentate bis(N-heterocyclic carbene) ligand reacted with iminoiodanes (PhI=NR) resulting in the formation of isolable ruthenium(III)–amido intermediates, which underwent cleavage of a C−N bond of the tridentate ligand and formation of an N-substituted imine group. The Ru^III–amido intermediates have been characterized by ¹H NMR, UV/Vis, ESI-MS, and X-ray crystallography. DFT calculations were performed to provide insight into the reaction mechanism.     

Cleavage of B−C bonds and Anion [PhBH3]− Formation in the Reaction of the Yb(II) Hydride Complex with BPh3

Russian Journal of Coordination Chemistry - The reaction of the amidinatehydride complex of divalent ytterbium [(Amd)YbII(μ2-H)]2 (Amd is {tert-BuC(NC6H3-iso-Pr2-2,6)2}) with BPh3 proceeds...     

Reactions of a Silylyne Complex with Aldehydes: Formation of W−Si−O−C Four-Membered Metallacycles and Their Metathesis-Like Fragmentation

A tungsten silylyne complex having a W≡Si triple bond reacted with two molecules of aldehydes at room temperature to give W−Si−O−C four-membered metallacycles by [2+2] cycloaddition and subsequent formyl hydrogen transfer from one aldehyde molecule to another. Upon heating to 70 °C, the four-membered metallacycles underwent metathesis-like fragmentation cleanly to afford carbyne complexes and “silanoic esters,” in a manner similar to that of metallacyclobutadiene, an intermediate of alkyne metathesis reactions, and dimerization of the latter products gave 1,3-cyclodisiloxanes. The “silanoic ester” was also trapped by pivalaldehyde to give a [2+2] cycloaddition product in high yield.     

Gold-Catalyzed Divergent Ring-Opening Rearrangement of Cyclopropenes Enabled by Dichotomous Gold−Carbenes

The gold-catalyzed ring-opening rearrangement of cyclopropenes affords an efficient route to either polysubstituted naphthols or aryl-substituted furans. Owing to the unique dichotomy of gold−carbenes, this protocol provides a switchable reaction selectivity between naphthols and furans enabled by the use of TFP−Au(MeCN)SbF₆ (tri(2-furyl) phosphine) or PNP(AuNTf₂)₂ (bis(diphenylphosphino)(isopropyl) amine) as catalysts respectively. It is proposed that the gold−carbene intermediate might be involved in the cyclopropene→naphthol rearrangement while the gold-carbocation is more likely to be involved in the cyclopropene→furan rearrangement.     

Synthetic and Structural Studies of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Nickel

Transition metal complexes of stable N-heterocyclic carbenes have recently gained increasing attention as pre-catalysts for a number of important reactions primarily based on the analogy between N-heterocyclic carbenes and strong ó-donating tertiary phosphines,[1] Although a large number of transition-metal carbene complexes have been reported, very few incorporate chelating carbenes were reported.[2,3] Therefore, we have set out to prepare and study transition-metal compounds with chelating di-N-heterocyclic carbenes, and we now report new dicationic tetra(carbine)nickel(Ⅱ) complexes in this class (Scheme 1). Their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies (Figure 1).     

Tuning the Reactivity of a Heterogeneous Catalyst using N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands for C−H Activation Reactions

We report the dramatic impact of the addition of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) on the reactivity and selectivity of heterogeneous Ru catalysts in the context of C−H activation reactions. Using a simple and robust method, we prepared a series of new air-stable catalysts starting from commercially available Ru on carbon (Ru/C) and differently substituted NHCs. Associated with C−H deuteration processes, depending on Ru/C-NHC ratios, the chemical outcome can be controlled to a large extent. Indeed, tuning the reactivity of the Ru catalyst with NHC enabled: 1) increased chemoselectivity and the regioselectivity for the deuteration of alcohols in organic media; 2) the synthesis of fragile pharmaceutically relevant deuterated heterocycles (azine, purine) that are otherwise completely reduced using unmodified commercial catalysts; 3) the discovery of a novel reactivity for such heterogeneous Ru catalysts, namely the selective C-1 deuteration of aldehydes.     

Photocatalyzed Hydrogen Atom Transfer Degradation of Vinyl Polymers: Cleavage of a Backbone C−C Bond Triggered by Radical Activation of a C−H Bond in a Pendant

In this work, we achieved a triggering degradation of polymers composed of carbon-carbon (C−C) bonded backbone without relying on introduction of labile heteroatom-based bond. The crucial point for the achievement is using vinyl ether (VE) as a comonomer in radical copolymerization of (meth)acrylate for introduction of the carbon-hydrogen (C−H) bonds active for photocatalyzed hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) as triggers in the pendant. Interestingly, methyl methacrylate (MMA)-n-butyl vinyl ether (NBVE) copolymer underwent degradation in acetonitrile in the presence of benzophenone (Ph₂CO) under UV irradiation at 80 °C. The degradation did not take place, when any one of UV, Ph₂CO, heat, and NBVE unit was removed or HAT-active solvent such as toluene and 1,4-dioxane was used. These control experiments strongly supported the HAT-triggering degradation. Furthermore, the degradation behaviors of the copolymers with other vinyl ethers such as tert-butyl vinyl ether and methyl isopropenyl ether indicated that the C−H bond neighboring to oxygen on the pendant is mainly responsible for the trigger leading to degradation. The HAT-triggering degradation was also demonstrated even with the acrylate-based copolymer.     

The Solvation of Carbenes: π and O-Ylidic Complexes of p-Nitrophenylchlorocarbene

p-Nitrophenylchlorocarbene (PNPCC) was studied by laser flash photolysis with UV-vis detection in solution at ambient temperature. The π → p (316 nm) and σ → p (628 nm) absorptions of PNPCC were replaced in π- or O-donor solvents by absorptions due to π- or O-ylidic complexes or O-ylides. Donors included anisole, 1,3-dimethoxybenzene, 1,3,4,5-tetramethoxybenzene, diethyl ether, 18-crown-6, and dibenzo-18-crown-6. Suggestive evidence was also obtained for weak π-complexation of PNPCC by benzene. Computational studies aided in understanding the carbene complex and O-ylide absorption spectra, and they provided structures and energetics for these species.     

Asymmetric Catalytic Ring-Expansion of 3-Methyleneazetidines with α-Diazo Pyrazoamides towards Proline-Derivatives

We realized a highly efficient formal [1,2]-sigmatropic rearrangement of ammonium ylides generated from 3-methylene-azetidines and α-diazo pyrazoamides. The employ of readily available chiral cobalt(II) complex of chiral N,N′-dioxide enabled the ring-expansion of azetidines, affording a variety of quaternary prolineamide derivatives with excellent yield (up to 99 %) and enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee) under mild reaction condition. For the rearrangement of ammonium ylides, the installation of a pyrazoamide group as a masked brick to build chiral scaffolds proved successful. The enantioselective ring expansion process was elucidated by DFT calculations.