Mechanistic Investigation of the Oxidative Cleavage of the Carbon–Carbon Double Bond in α,β‐Unsaturated Compounds by Hexachloroiridate(IV) in Acetate Buffer

The hexachloroiridate(IV) oxidation of α,β‐unsaturated compounds such as acrylic acid, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile (CH₂=CHX; X = –COOH, –CONH₂, and –CN) was carried out in NaOAc‐AcOH buffer medium. The reaction follows complex kinetics, being first order in [Ir^IV] and complex order in [CH₂=CHX]. H⁺ ion has no effect on the reaction rate in the pH range 3.42–4.63. The pseudo–first‐order rate constant decreases with a decrease in the dielectric constant and with a decrease of ionic strength of the medium. The oxidation rate follows the sequence: acrylonitrile > acrylamide > acrylic acid. A mechanism is proposed involving the formation of an unstable intermediate complex between the substrate and the oxidant which is transformed to the radical cation in a slow rate‐determining step with the concomitant reduction of Ir(IV) to Ir(III). The radical cation subsequently decomposes to the aldehyde that appears as the ultimate product of the carbon–carbon double bond cleavage. The major product of oxidation was identified as HCHO by ¹H NMR. Activation parameters for the slow rate‐determining step and thermodynamic parameters associated with the equilibrium step of the proposed mechanism have been evaluated. The enthalpy of activation is linearly related to the entropy of activation, and this linear relationship confirms that the oxidation of all the α,β‐unsaturated compounds follows a common mechanism.     

Kinetic study of the ruthenium(VI)‐catalyzed oxidation of benzyl alcohol by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III)

The kinetics of the Ru(VI)‐catalyzed oxidation of benzyl alcohol by hexacyanoferrate(III), in an alkaline medium, has been studied using a spectrophotometric technique. The initial rates method was used for the kinetic analysis. The reaction is first order in [Ru(VI)], while the order changes from one to zero for both hexacyanoferrate(III) and benzyl alcohol upon increasing their concentrations. The rate data suggest a reaction mechanism based on a catalytic cycle in which ruthenate oxidizes the substrate through formation of an intermediate complex. This complex decomposes in a reversible step to produce ruthenium(IV), which is reoxidized by hexacyanoferrate(III) in a slow step. The theoretical rate law obtained is in complete agreement with all the experimental observations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 421–429, 2002     

Anilinolysis of Picryl Benzoate Derivatives in Methanol: Reactivity,Regioselectivity, Kinetics,and Mechanism

The reaction of picryl benzoate derivatives 1a–g with aniline in methanol proceeds through CO? O and Ar? O bond cleavage pathways. Furthermore, the reactivity of these esters toward anilinolysis is correlated to the energy gap between highest occupied molecular orbital aniline and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of each ester. The regioselectivity of acyl? oxygen versus aryl? oxygen cleavage is also discussed. The overall rate constants k_tot split into k_{CO? O} (the rate constant of acyl‐oxygen cleavage) and k_{Ar? O} (rate constant of aryl‐oxygen cleavage). The CO? O bond cleavage advances through a stepwise mechanism in which the formation of the tetrahedral intermediate is the rate‐determining step. The Ar? O bond cleavage continues through a S_NAr mechanism in which the departure of the leaving group from the Meisenheimer complex occurs rapidly after its formation in the rate‐determining step.     

Mechanistic study on gold(I)‐catalyzed crosscoupling of diazo compounds: A DFT study

The reaction mechanisms of the gold(I)‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of aryldiazoacetate R1 with vinyldiazoacetate R2 leading to N‐substituted pyrazoles have been theoretically investigated using density functional theory calculations. Two possible reaction mechanisms were examined and discussed. The preferred reaction mechanism (mechanism A) can be characterized by five steps: the formation of the gold carbenoid A2 via the attack of catalyst to R1 (step I), nucleophilic addition of another reactant R2 to generate intermediate A3 (step II), intramolecular cyclization of A3 to form intermediate A4 (step III), hydrogen migration to give intermediate A5 (step IV), and catalyst elimination affording the final product P1 (step V). Step IV is found to be the rate‐determining step with an overall free energy barrier of 28.3 kcal/mol. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental observations. The present study may provide a useful guide for understanding these kinds of gold(I)‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions of diazo compounds.     

Two Distinct Mechanisms of Alkyne Insertion into the Metal–Sulfur Bond: Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study and Application in Catalysis

The present study reports the evidence for the multiple carbon–carbon bond insertion into the metal–heteroatom bond via a five‐coordinate metal complex. Detailed analysis of the model catalytic reaction of the carbon–sulfur (C? S) bond formation unveiled the mechanism of metal‐mediated alkyne insertion: a new pathway of C? S bond formation without preliminary ligand dissociation was revealed based on experimental and theoretical investigations. According to this pathway alkyne insertion into the metal–sulfur bond led to the formation of intermediate metal complex capable of direct C? S reductive elimination. In contrast, an intermediate metal complex formed through alkyne insertion through the traditional pathway involving preliminary ligand dissociation suffered from “improper” geometry configuration, which may block the whole catalytic cycle. A new catalytic system was developed to solve the problem of stereoselective S? S bond addition to internal alkynes and a cost‐efficient Ni‐catalyzed synthetic procedure is reported to furnish formation of target vinyl sulfides with high yields (up to 99 %) and excellent Z/E selectivity (>99:1).     

Theoretical Investigations on the Mechanism of Hetero‐Diels–Alder Reactions of Brassard’s Diene and 1, 3‐Butadiene Catalyzed by a Tridentate Schiff Base Titanium(IV) Complex

The mechanism of the hetero‐Diels–Alder reactions of Brassard’s diene and 1,3‐butadiene catalyzed by a titanium(IV) complex of a tridentate Schiff base was investigated by DFT and ONIOM methods. The calculations indicate that the mechanism of the reaction is closely related to the nucleophilicity–electrophilicity between diene and carbonyl substrates. A stepwise pathway is adopted for Brassard’s diene, and the step corresponding to the formation of the C? C bond is predicted to be the rate‐determining step with a free‐energy barrier of 8.4 kcal mol^?1. For 1,3‐butadiene, the reaction takes place along a one‐step, two‐stage pathway with a free‐energy barrier of 14.9 kcal mol^?1. For Brassard’s diene as substrate, the OCH₃ and OSi(CH₃)₃ substituents may play a key role in the formation of the transition state and zwitterionic intermediate by participating in charge transfer from Brassard’s diene to formaldehyde. The combination of the phenyl groups at the amino alcohol moiety and the ortho‐tert‐butyl group of the salicylaldehyde moiety in the chiral tridentate Schiff base ligand plays an important role in the control of the stereoselectivity, which is in agreement with experimental observations.     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of antimony(III) by keggin‐type 12‐tungstocobaltate(III) in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium

The reaction between Sb(III) and [Co^IIIW₁₂O₄₀]^5? proceeds with two, one‐electron steps; formation of unstable Sb(IV) is the slow first step followed by its reaction with another oxidant in a fast step. The reaction rate is unaffected by the [H⁺] as there are no protonation equlibria involved with both the reactants, whereas the accelerating effect of chloride ion is due to the formation of an active chlorocomplex of the reductant, SbCl₆^3?. Increase in the ionic strength and decrease in the relative permittivity of the medium increases the rate of the reaction, which is attributed to the formation of an outer‐sphere complex between the reactants. The activation parameters were also determined and these values support the proposed mechanism. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 9–14, 2003     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Desymmetrization of Silacyclobutanes with Alkynes to Silicon‐Stereogenic Silanes: A Density Functional Theory Study

The palladium‐catalyzed desymmetrization of silacyclobutanes using electron‐deficient alkynes proceeds with high enantioselectivity in the presence of a chiral P ligand; this provides a facile approach for the synthesis of novel silicon‐stereogenic silanes. In this work, we used hybrid density functional theory (DFT) to elucidate the mechanism of the palladium‐catalyzed desymmetrization of silacyclobutanes with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate. Full catalytic cycle including two different initiation modes that were proposed to be a possible initial step to the formation of the 1‐pallada‐2‐silacyclopentane/alkyne intermediate—the oxidative addition of the palladium complex to the silacyclobutane Si?C bond (cycle MA) or coordination of the Pd⁰ complex with the alkyne C≡C bond (cycle MB)—have been studied. It was found that the ring‐expansion reaction began with cycle MB is energetically more favorable. The formation of a seven‐membered metallocyclic Pd^II intermediate was found to be the rate‐determining step, whereas the enantioselectivity‐determining step, oxidative addition of silacyclobutane to the three‐membered metallocyclic Pd^II intermediate, was found to be quite sensitive to the steric repulsion between the chiral ligand and silacyclobutane.     

Theoretical study of thiolysis in penicillins and cephalosporines

Semiempirical calculations were used to conduct a comprehensive study of the thiolysis of the fundamental core of penicillins and cephalosporins. The significance of the intramolecular protonation of the β‐lactam nitrogen in the formation and cleavage of the tetrahedral intermediate ( T in Scheme 1 ) was examined in two thiols bearing substituents of different basicity in β with respect to the thiol group in the attacking nucleophile, namely 2‐mercaptoethanol ( 6 ) and 2‐mercaptoethylamine ( 7 ). Based on the results, the rate‐determining step in the reaction of penicillins is the cleavage of the tetrahedral intermediate, consistent with an intramolecular acid catalysis process in their thiolysis by 2‐mercaptoethylamine. On the other hand, the rate‐determining step in the reaction of cephalosporins, which possess an appropriate leaving group at position 3', is the formation of the tetrahedral intermediate, so the desolvation energy of the nucleophile is a major contributor to the overall energy of the process. This differential behavior between the two types of β‐lactam bicycles arises from the presence of the acetate group at 3' and the delocalization of π electrons over the N₅–C₄–C₃ system in cephalosporins; this favors the formation of a thiolate with the 5‐ethoxymethylene‐1,3‐thiazine group in the cleavage of the tetrahedral intermediate, which is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between N₅ and the alcohol or amine group in β of the attacking thiol. The theoretical results are consistent with previous experimental data showing that, unlike penicillins, cephalosporins undergo no intramolecular acid catalysis in their thiolysis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 434–443, 2005     

A DFT Study on the Reaction Pathways for Carbon?Carbon Bond‐Forming Reactions between Propargylic Alcohols and Alkenes or Ketones Catalyzed by Thiolate‐Bridged Diruthenium Complexes

The reaction pathways of two types of the carbon? carbon bond‐forming reactions catalyzed by thiolate‐bridged diruthenium complexes have been investigated by density‐functional‐theory calculations. It is clarified that both carbon? carbon bond‐forming reactions proceed through a ruthenium–allenylidene complex as a common reactive intermediate. The attack of π electrons on propene or the vinyl alcohol on the ruthenium–allenylidene complex is the first step of the reaction pathways. The reaction pathways are different after the attack of nucleophiles on the ruthenium–alkynyl complex. In the reaction with propene, the carbon? carbon bond‐forming reaction proceeds through a stepwise process, whereas in the reaction with vinyl alcohol, it proceeds through a concerted process. The interactions between the ruthenium–allenylidene complex and propene or vinyl alcohol have been investigated by applying a simple way of looking at orbital interactions.     

The role of Ni(II) in the oxidation of glycylglycine dipeptide by peroxomonosulfatex

The kinetics of oxidation of the dipeptide glycylglycine by peroxomonosulfate (PMS) was studied in the pH range of 3.42–5.89. The rate is first order in [PMS], glycylglycine concentration, and inverse first order in [H⁺]. The kinetic data suggest that SO^2?₅reacts, with glycylglycine, faster than HSO^?₅ by five orders of magnitude. The observed kinetics can be explained as due to the formation of an intermediate by the nucleophilic interaction of peroxide with the terminal protonated amine of glycylglycine, which then decomposes in the rate‐limiting step to the product aldehyde. The thermodynamic parameters are evaluated. The reaction is catalyzed by Ni(II) ions only when pH ? 4.63, and above this pH the rate is zero order with respect to [Ni(II)]. Perusal of the enhanced rate constant values suggests that the Ni‐peroxide intermediate also reacts with glycylglycine. The Ni‐dipeptide complex is not oxidized by PMS, and this complex in fact inhibits the formation of Ni‐peroxide intermediate. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 18–26, 2009     

Mononuclear Nonheme High‐Spin (S=2) versus Intermediate‐Spin (S=1) Iron(IV)–Oxo Complexes in Oxidation Reactions

Mononuclear nonheme high‐spin (S=2) iron(IV)–oxo species have been identified as the key intermediates responsible for the C?H bond activation of organic substrates in nonheme iron enzymatic reactions. Herein we report that the C?H bond activation of hydrocarbons by a synthetic mononuclear nonheme high‐spin (S=2) iron(IV)–oxo complex occurs through an oxygen non‐rebound mechanism, as previously demonstrated in the C?H bond activation by nonheme intermediate (S=1) iron(IV)–oxo complexes. We also report that C?H bond activation is preferred over C=C epoxidation in the oxidation of cyclohexene by the nonheme high‐spin (HS) and intermediate‐spin (IS) iron(IV)–oxo complexes, whereas the C=C double bond epoxidation becomes a preferred pathway in the oxidation of deuterated cyclohexene by the nonheme HS and IS iron(IV)–oxo complexes. In the epoxidation of styrene derivatives, the HS and IS iron(IV) oxo complexes are found to have similar electrophilic characters.     

Metabolic‐intermediate complex formation with cytochrome P450: Theoretical studies in elucidating the reaction pathway for the generation of reactive nitroso intermediate

Mechanism‐based inhibition (MBI) of cytochrome P450 (CYP) can lead to drug–drug interactions and often to toxicity. Some aliphatic and aromatic amines can undergo biotransformation reactions to form reactive metabolites such as nitrosoalkanes, leading to MBI of CYPs. It has been proposed that the nitrosoalkanes coordinate with the heme iron, forming metabolic‐intermediate complex (MIC), resulting in the quasi‐irreversible inhibition of CYPs. Limited mechanistic details regarding the formation of reactive nitroso intermediate and its coordination with heme‐iron have been reported. A quantum chemical analysis was performed to elucidate potential reaction pathways for the generation of nitroso intermediate and the formation of MIC. Elucidation of the energy profile along the reaction path, identification of three‐dimensional structures of reactive intermediates and transition states, as well as charge and spin density analyses, were performed using the density functional B3LYP method. The study was performed using Cpd I [iron (IV‐oxo] heme porphine with SH^? as the axial ligand) to represent the catalytic domain of CYP, simulating the biotransformation process. Three pathways: (i) N‐oxidation followed by proton shuttle, (ii) N‐oxidation followed by 1,2‐H shift, and (iii) H‐abstraction followed by rebound mechanism, were studied. It was observed that the proton shuttle pathway was more favorable over the whole reaction leading to reactive nitroso intermediate. This study revealed that the MIC formation from a primary amine is a favorable exothermic process, involving eight different steps and preferably takes place on the doublet spin surface of Cpd I . The rate‐determining step was identified to be the first N‐oxidation of primary amine. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Mechanistic Investigation of Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Baeyer–Villiger Reaction of 3‐Substituted Cyclobutanones with H2O2 as the Oxidant

The mechanism of the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed Baeyer–Villiger (B–V) reaction of cyclobutanones with hydrogen peroxide was investigated by using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. Of the two pathways that have been proposed for the present reaction, the pathway involving a peroxyphosphate intermediate is not viable. The reaction progress kinetic analysis indicates that the reaction is partially inhibited by the γ‐lactone product. Initial rate measurements suggest that the reaction follows Michaelis–Menten‐type kinetics consistent with a bifunctional mechanism in which the catalyst is actively involved in both carbonyl addition and the subsequent rearrangement steps through hydrogen‐bonding interactions with the reactants or the intermediate. High‐level quantum chemical calculations strongly support a two‐step concerted mechanism in which the phosphoric acid activates the reactants or the intermediate in a synergistic manner through partial proton transfer. The catalyst simultaneously acts as a general acid, by increasing the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon, increases the nucleophilicity of hydrogen peroxide as a Lewis base in the addition step, and facilitates the dissociation of the OH group from the Criegee intermediate in the rearrangement step. The overall reaction is highly exothermic, and the rearrangement of the Criegee intermediate is the rate‐determining step. The observed reactivity of this catalytic B–V reaction also results, in part, from the ring strain in cyclobutanones. The sense of chiral induction is rationalized by the analysis of the relative energies of the competing diastereomeric transition states, in which the steric repulsion between the 3‐substituent of the cyclobutanone and the 3‐ and 3′‐substituents of the catalyst, as well as the entropy and solvent effects, are found to be critically important.     

Experimental and Computational Evidence for the Mechanism of Intradiol Catechol Dioxygenation by Non‐Heme Iron(III) Complexes

Catechol intradiol dioxygenation is a unique reaction catalyzed by iron‐dependent enzymes and non‐heme iron(III) complexes. The mechanism by which these systems activate dioxygen in this important metabolic process remains controversial. Using a combination of kinetic measurements and computational modelling of multiple iron(III) catecholato complexes, we have elucidated the catechol cleavage mechanism and show that oxygen binds the iron center by partial dissociation of the substrate from the iron complex. The iron(III) superoxide complex that is formed subsequently attacks the carbon atom of the substrate by a rate‐determining C?O bond formation step.     

Computational Insight into Nickel‐Catalyzed Carbon–Carbon versus Carbon–Boron Coupling Reactions of Primary,Secondary, and Tertiary Alkyl Bromides

The nickel‐catalyzed alkyl–alkyl cross‐coupling (C?C bond formation) and borylation (C?B bond formation) of unactivated alkyl halides reported in the literature show completely opposite reactivity orders in the reactions of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl bromides. The proposed Ni^I/Ni^III catalytic cycles for these two types of bond‐formation reactions were studied computationally by means of DFT calculations at the B3LYP level. These calculations indicate that the rate‐determining step for alkyl–alkyl cross‐coupling is the reductive elimination step, whereas for borylation the rate is determined mainly by the atom‐transfer step. In borylation reactions, the boryl ligand involved has an empty p orbital, which strongly facilitates the reductive elimination step. The inability of unactivated tertiary alkyl halides to undergo alkyl–alkyl cross‐coupling is mainly due to the moderately high reductive elimination barrier.     

A non-radical mechanism for methane hydroxylation at the diiron active site of soluble methane monooxygenase

We propose a non‐radical mechanism for the conversion of methane into methanol by soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO), the active site of which involves a diiron active center. We assume the active site of the MMOH_Q intermediate, exhibiting direct reactivity with the methane substrate, to be a bis(μ‐oxo)diiron(IV ) complex in which one of the iron atoms is coordinatively unsaturated (five‐coordinate). Is it reasonable for such a diiron complex to be formed in the catalytic reaction of sMMO? The answer to this important question is positive from the viewpoint of energetics in density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our model thus has a vacant coordination site for substrate methane. If MMOH_Q involves a coordinatively unsaturated iron atom at the active center, methane is effectively converted into methanol in the broken‐symmetry singlet state by a non‐radical mechanism; in the first step a methane C? H bond is dissociated via a four‐centered transition state (TS1) resulting in an important intermediate involving a hydroxo ligand and a methyl ligand, and in the second step the binding of the methyl ligand and the hydroxo ligand through a three‐centered transition state (TS2) results in the formation of a methanol complex. This mechanism is essentially identical to that of the methane–methanol conversion by the bare FeO⁺ complex and relevant transition metal–oxo complexes in the gas phase. Neither radical species nor ionic species are involved in this mechanism. We look in detail at kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for H atom abstraction from methane on the basis of transition state theory with Wigner tunneling corrections.     

Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation of Adipic Acid by Ce(IV) Ion in Acidic Medium

Kinetic study of oxidation of adipic acid by Ce(IV) ion in aqueous solution of sulphuric acid shows that the reaction follows first order kinetics in both Ce(IV) and adipic acid and the over all reaction order ascertained is two. The specific rate constant increases with an increase in the concentration of adipic acid. Effects of hydrogen ion concentration, bisulphate ion and temperature have been studied in detail. Various kinetic parameters have been computed. The experimental findings are consistent with the mechanism involving rapid resersible formation of an activated complex between Ce(IV) and adipic acid followed by a rate determining step involving C-C bond fission.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of some organic sulfides by morpholinium chlorochromate

The oxidation of organic sulfides by morpholinium chlorochromate (MCC) resulted in the formation of the corresponding sulfoxides. The reaction is first order with respect to both MCC and the sulfide. The reaction is catalyzed by toluene‐p‐sulfonic acid (TsOH). The oxidation was studied in 19 different organic solvents. An analysis of the solvent effect by Swain's equation showed that both the cation‐ and anion‐solvating powers of the solvents play important roles. The correlation analyses of the rate of oxidation of 34 sulfides were performed in terms of various single and multiparametric equations. For the aryl methyl sulfides, the best correlation is obtained with Charton's localized‐delocalized‐resonance and localized‐delocalized‐resonance‐steric equations. The oxidation of alkyl phenyl sulfides exhibited a very good correlation in terms of the Pavelich–Taft equation. The polar reaction constants are negative, indicating an electron‐deficient sulfur center in the rate‐determining step. A mechanism involving formation of a sulfonium cation intermediate in the slow step has been proposed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 65–72, 2009     

The oxidative decarboxylation of polyaminocarboxylic acidm-VI Reaction of diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid with cerium(IV) in sulphuric acid media

The oxidation of diethylenetrianunepenta-acetic acid (DTPA) by Ce(IV) in sulphuric add was investigated spectrophotometrically by the stopped-flow technique. The rate of reaction is influenced by the acidity, but can be expressed by a simplified rate law At [H(2)SO(4)] below 0.75M the reaction proceeds stepwise as shown by formation of a 1:1 Ce(IV)-DTPA complex with measurable rate of formation and decay. At higher acid strengths, the formation of an intermediate is not evident. The rate is maximal in ~ 0.75M sulphuric add. The overall stoichiometry varies with time.