"Asymmetric" catalysis by lanthanide complexes

Catalysis with lanthanide (Ln) complexes has been underestimated for long time, although Ln(III) complexes have great advantages as Lewis acid catalysts for "asymmetric" carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. Lanthanide complexes are highly active in ligand-substitution reactions, especially with hard ligands. The association with substrates and dissociation of products are achieved fast enough for high catalyst efficiency. The asymmetric catalysis of organic reactions can be greatly advanced by the use of Ln complexes with chiral ligands such as binaphthol (binol). Ln(II) complexes are good reducing agents, which can be used in a wide variety of synthetically important reactions; when chiral ligands are used, many of these reactions are highly stereoselective. In the context of "green chemistry", the development of asymmetric Ln catalysts, and their recyclable use, is of increasing importance. This review gives an overview of the most recent developments in catalysis with lanthanide(II) and lanthanide(III) complexes.     

Redox titrations of tin(II) chloride in non-aqueous solvents

Tin(II) chloride is titrated by Fe(III), Mn(VIl), Cu(II), and I(I), variously in nonaqueous acetone, acetylacetone, acetonitrile, pyridine, and acetic acid. The reactions are followed potentiometrically. Titration by Cu(II) in acetonitrile shows an anomalous negative break at 1/2 equivalent. The significant role of complex formation is emphasized. Solvents of low dielectric constant exert a leveling effect toward ligands, whereas those with high dielectric constants tend to differentiate between ligands.     

One‐Pot C−H Functionalization of Arenes by Diaryliodonium Salts

A transition‐metal‐free, mild, and highly regioselective synthesis of nitroarenes from arenes has been developed. The products are obtained in a sequential one‐pot reaction by nitration of iodine(III) reagents with two carbon ligands, which are formed in situ from iodine(I). This novel concept has been extended to formation of aryl azides, and constitutes an important step towards catalytic reactions with these hypervalent iodine reagents. An efficient nitration of isolated diaryliodonium salts has also been developed, and the mechanism is proposed to proceed by a [2,2] ligand coupling pathway.     

Electrocatalytic reduction of ROOH by iron porphyrins

Electrocatalytic reduction of a series of chemical oxidants of different power (tert-butyl hydroperoxide, potassium peroxomonosulfate, peracetic acid, and m-chloroperbenzoic acid) at iron-porphyrin-modified graphite electrodes is studied in buffered aqueous solutions by rotating disk and ring-disk voltammetry. Both ferric and ferrous porphyrins are catalytically active. Turnover of ferric catalysts is slower than that of the ferrous analogues and involves competing catalytic reduction and disproportionation. The kinetic data are consistent with reactant binding being the rate-determining step in catalysis by Fe(III). In catalysis by Fe(II), the turnover is controlled by the first electron transfer. The covalently linked proximal imidazole ligand is found to be crucial for achieving the Fe(III) catalysis.     

Electrocarboxylation of chloroacetonitrile mediated by electrogenerated cobalt(I) phenanthroline

The electrocarboxylation of chloroacetonitrile mediated by [Co(II)(phen)₃]²⁺ has been investigated. Cyclic voltammetry studies of [Co(II)(phen)₃]²⁺ have shown that [Co(I)(phen)₃]⁺, an 18 electron complex, activates chloroacetonitrile by an oxidative addition through the loss of a phenanthroline ligand to give [RCo(III)(phen)₂Cl]⁺. The unstable one-electron-reduced complex underwent Co–C bond cleavage. In carbon dioxide saturated solution, CO₂ insertion proceeds after reduction of the alkylcobalt complex. A catalytic current is observed which corresponds to the electrocarboxylation of chloroacetonitrile into cyanoacetic acid. Electrolyses confirmed the process and gave faradic yield of 62% in cyanoacetic acid at potentials that are about 0.3 V less cathodic than the one required for Ni(salen).     

Alkoxydiaminophosphine Ligands as Surrogates of NHCs in Copper Catalysis

A family of phosphine ligands containing a five-membered ring similar to the popular N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and an alkoxy third substituent has been developed. These alkoxydiaminophosphine ligands (ADAP) can be generated in one pot and reacted with a copper(I) source leading to the high yield isolation of complexes [(ADAP)CuX]₂ (X=Cl, Br). The dinuclear nature of these compounds has been established by means of X-ray studies and DOSY experiments. A screening of the catalytic properties of these complexes toward carbene-transfer reactions from diazocompounds to C−H bonds (alkane, arene), olefins or N−H bonds, as well as in CuAAC or nitrene transfer reactions have shown a performance at least similar, if not better, than their (NHC)CuCl analogues, opening a new window in copper catalysis with these readily tunable ADAP ligands.     

Role of paramagnetic Ni(I) and Ni(III) complexes in catalytic reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons

By analyzing experimental data collected by systematic investigation of Ni(I) complex formation conditions, it is demonstrated that, when a system simultaneously contains Ni(0) and Ni(II) complexes, whether cationic or electroneutral, stabilized by olefinic or organoelement ligands, the complexes undergo comproportionation to form Ni(I) complexes. Using individual Ni(II) complexes as examples, it is shown that the spontaneous decomposition of hydrido and organometallic Ni(II) complexes yields Ni(I) complexes. The Ni(I) and Ni(III) complexes are involved in the catalytic cycles of reactions of olefins and acetylenes.     

The preparation and utility of bis(sulfinyl)imidoamidine ligands for the copper-catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction

The design and preparation of a novel class of ligands based on the sulfinyl imine functionality is described. In particular, an efficient and modular synthesis of bis(sulfinyl)imidoamidine (siam) ligands is reported. The versatility of the synthetic sequence is demonstrated by the preparation of various analogues to explore the effect of substitution about the ligand framework on catalytic activity. The utility of the siam ligands in asymmetric catalysis is demonstrated in the Cu(II)-catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction where highly enantio- and diastereoselective reactions are reported for a range of N-acyloxazolidinone dienophile and diene substrate combinations. Of particular note is the efficiency of these asymmetric catalysts for reactions involving challenging and relatively unreactive acyclic diene substrates. Finally, structural data are provided for several ligands as well as metal-ligand complexes.     

Oriented (Local) Electric Fields Drive the Millionfold Enhancement of the H‐Abstraction Catalysis Observed for Synthetic Metalloenzyme Analogues

This contribution follows the recent remarkable catalysis observed by Groves et al. in hydrogen‐abstraction reactions by a) an oxoferryl porphyrin radical‐cation complex [Por^?+Fe^IV(O)L_ax] and b) a hydroxoiron porphyrazine ferric complex [PyPzFe^III(OH)L_ax], both of which involve positively charged substituents on the outer circumference of the respective macrocyclic ligands. These charge‐coronated complexes are analogues of the biologically important Compound I (Cpd I) and synthetic hydroxoferric species, respectively. We demonstrate that the observed enhancement of the H‐abstraction catalysis for these systems is a purely electrostatic effect, elicited by the local charges embedded on the peripheries of the respective macrocyclic ligands. Our findings provide new insights into how electrostatics can be employed to tune the catalytic activity of metalloenzymes and can thus contribute to the future design of new and highly efficient hydrogen‐abstraction catalysts.     

Oriented (Local) Electric Fields Drive the Millionfold Enhancement of the H-Abstraction Catalysis Observed for Synthetic Metalloenzyme Analogues

This contribution follows the recent remarkable catalysis observed by Groves et al. in hydrogen-abstraction reactions by a) an oxoferryl porphyrin radical-cation complex [Por^⋅+Fe^IV(O)L_ax] and b) a hydroxoiron porphyrazine ferric complex [PyPzFe^III(OH)L_ax], both of which involve positively charged substituents on the outer circumference of the respective macrocyclic ligands. These charge-coronated complexes are analogues of the biologically important Compound I (Cpd I) and synthetic hydroxoferric species, respectively. We demonstrate that the observed enhancement of the H-abstraction catalysis for these systems is a purely electrostatic effect, elicited by the local charges embedded on the peripheries of the respective macrocyclic ligands. Our findings provide new insights into how electrostatics can be employed to tune the catalytic activity of metalloenzymes and can thus contribute to the future design of new and highly efficient hydrogen-abstraction catalysts.     

The mechanism of the modified Ullmann reaction

The copper-mediated aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions developed by Fritz Ullmann and Irma Goldberg required stoichiometric amounts of copper and very high reaction temperatures. Recently, it was found that addition of relatively cheap ligands (diamines, aminoalcohols, diketones, diols) made these reactions truly catalytic, with catalyst amounts as low as 1 mol% or even lower. Since these catalysts are homogeneous, it has opened up the possibility to investigate the mechanism of these modified Ullmann reactions. Most authors agree that Cu(I) is the true catalyst even though Cu(0) and Cu(II) catalysts have also shown to be active. It should be noted however that Cu(I) is capable of reversible disproportionation into Cu(0) and Cu(II). In the first step, the nucleophile displaces the halide in the LnCu(I)X complex forming LnCu(I)ZR (Z = O, NR′, S). Quite a number of mechanisms have been proposed for the actual reaction of this complex with the aryl halide: 1. Oxidative addition of ArX forming a Cu(III) intermediate followed by reductive elimination; 2. Sigma bond metathesis; in this mechanism copper remains in the Cu(II) oxidation state; 3. Single electron transfer (SET) in which a radical anion of the aryl halide is formed (Cu(I)/Cu(II)); 4. Iodine atom transfer (IAT) to give the aryl radical (Cu(I)/Cu(II)); 5. π-complexation of the aryl halide with the Cu(I) complex, which is thought to enable the nucleophilic substitution reaction. Initially, the radical type mechanisms 3 and 4 where discounted based on the fact that radical clock-type experiments with ortho-allyl aryl halides failed to give the cyclised products. However, a recent DFT study by Houk, Buchwald and co-workers shows that the modified Ullmann reaction between aryl iodide and amines or primary alcohols proceeds either via an SET or an IAT mechanism. Van Koten has shown that stalled aminations can be rejuvenated by the addition of Cu(0), which serves to reduce the formed Cu(II) to Cu(I); this also corroborates a Cu(I)/Cu(II) mechanism. Thus the use of radical clock type experiments in these metal catalysed reactions is not reliable. DFT calculations from Hartwig seem to confirm a Cu(I)/Cu(III) type mechanism for the amidation (Goldberg) reaction, although not all possible mechanisms were calculated.     

Transition-Metal Complexes with Nano-Sized Phosphine and Pyridine Ligands-Catalysis,Fluxional Behavior and Molecular Recognition

Nano-sized phosphine and pyridine ligands having tetraphenylphenyl-, m-terphenyl-, poly(benzylether) moieties were synthesized. These ligands showed a remarkable effect on homogeneous transition metal catalyzed reactions. Pd(II) complexes with tetraphenylphenyl substituted pyridine ligands show high catalytic activities for oxidation of ketones suppressing Pd black formation and maintains the catalytic activity for a long time. Rh(I) complex catalysts with m-terphenyl substituted phosphine ligands showed remarkable rate acceleration in the hydrosilylation of ketones. In addition, several phosphinocalixarene ligands were synthesized and their coordination studies with Pd(II), Pt(II), Ru(II), Ir(I), and Rh(I) metals were documented. Ir(I) and Rh(I) cationic complexes with a 1,3,5-triphosphinocalix[6]arene ligand showed dynamic behavior with size-selective molecular recognition.     

Leveraging Metal and Ligand Reactive Sites for One Pot Reactions: Ligand-Centered Borenium Ions for Tandem Catalysis with Palladium

Tandem catalysts that perform two different organic transformations in a single pot are highly desirable because they enable rapid and efficient assembly of simple organic building blocks into more complex molecules. Many examples of tandem catalysis rely on metal-catalyzed reactions involving one or more metal complexes. Remarkably, despite surging interest in the development of chemically reactive (i. e., non-innocent) ligands, there are few examples of metal complexes that leverage ligand-centered reactivity to perform catalytic reactions in tandem with separate catalytic reactions at the metal. Here we report how multifunctional Pd complexes with triaminoborane-derived diphosphorus ligands, called TBDPhos, appear to facilitate borenium-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions at the ligand, and Pd-catalyzed Stille and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions at the metal. Both transformations can be accessed in one pot to afford rare examples of tandem catalysis using separate metal and ligand catalysis sites in a single complex.     

Indole Synthesis by Conjugate Addition of Anilines to Activated Acetylenes and an Unusual Ligand‐Free Copper(II)‐Mediated Intramolecular Cross‐Coupling

A versatile new synthesis of indoles was achieved by the conjugate addition of N‐formyl‐2‐haloanilines to acetylenic sulfones, ketones, and esters followed by a copper‐catalyzed intramolecular C‐arylation. The conjugate addition step was conducted under exceptionally mild conditions at room temperature in basic, aqueous DMF. Surprisingly, the C‐arylation was performed most effectively by employing copper(II) acetate as the catalyst in the absence of external ligands, without the need for protection from air or water. An unusual feature of this process, for the case of acetylenic ketones, is the ability of the initial conjugate‐addition product to serve as a ligand for the catalyst, which enables it to participate in the catalysis of its further transformation to the final indole product. Mechanistic studies, including EPR experiments, indicated that copper(II) is reduced to the active copper(I) species by the formate ion that is produced by the base‐catalyzed hydrolysis of DMF. This process also served to recycle any copper(II) that was produced by the adventitious oxidation of copper(I), thereby preventing deactivation of the catalyst. Several examples of reactions involving acetylenic sulfones attached to a modified Merrifield resin demonstrated the feasibility of solid‐phase synthesis of indoles by using this protocol, and tricyclic products were obtained in one pot by employing acetylenic sulfones that contain chloroalkyl substituents.     

Dihydrogen Evolution by Protonation Reactions of Nickel(I)

Nickel-mediated formation of H(2) by protonation of Ni(I) has been established and the kinetics of the process investigated. The diamagnetic complex [Ni(II)(psnet)](BF(4))(2) was prepared and reduced to [Ni(I)(psnet)](BF(4)) with NaBH(4) in THF (psnet = bis(5-(diphenylphosphino)-3-thiapentanyl)amine). Both complexes were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. [Ni(psnet)](1+) was demonstrated to be an authentic Ni(I) complex with a.(d(z)()2)(1) ground state. Under appropriate conditions, [Ni(psnet)](+) reacts with acids in nonaqueous media to give near-quantitative yields of H(2) according to the stoichiometry Ni(I) + H(+) --> Ni(II) + (1)/(2)H(2). Dihydrogen production was demonstrated to be directly related to Ni(I) oxidation. The reaction system [Ni(psnet)](+)/HCl/DMF, which gives H(2) yields of greater, similar90%, was subjected to a kinetics analysis. The overall reaction [Ni(psnet)](+) + HCl --> [Ni(psnet)Cl](+) + (1)/(2)H(2) proceeds by two parallel pathways dependent on chloride concentration. Addition of Bu(4)NCl accelerates the reaction, whereas (Bu(4)N)(PF(6)) decreases the rate. A two-term rate law is presented which includes contributions from both pathways, whose common initial step is protonation of Ni(I). Path A (low chloride concentration) involves the formation and collapse of nickel hydride chloride ion pairs; the rate-determining step is the minimal reaction 2Ni(III)-H(-) --> H(2) + 2Ni(II). Path B (high chloride concentration) includes as the rate-limiting step collapse of a nickel hydride dichloride ion pair followed by the bimolecular reaction of two Ni(III)-H(-) intermediates or reduction to Ni(II)-H(-) by Ni(I) followed by protonation of the hydride. The relation of these results to the reactions of hydrogenase enzymes is considered.     

Water oxidation catalysis: influence of anionic ligands upon the redox properties and catalytic performance of mononuclear ruthenium complexes

Aiming at highly efficient molecular catalysts for water oxidation, a mononuclear ruthenium complex Ru(II)(hqc)(pic)(3) (1; H(2)hqc = 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid and pic = 4-picoline) containing negatively charged carboxylate and phenolate donor groups has been designed and synthesized. As a comparison, two reference complexes, Ru(II)(pdc)(pic)(3) (2; H(2)pdc = 2,6-pyridine-dicarboxylic acid) and Ru(II)(tpy)(pic)(3) (3; tpy = 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine), have also been prepared. All three complexes are fully characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry (MS), and X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 showed a high efficiency toward catalytic water oxidation either driven by chemical oxidant (Ce(IV) in a pH 1 solution) with a initial turnover number of 0.32 s(-1), which is several orders of magnitude higher than that of related mononuclear ruthenium catalysts reported in the literature, or driven by visible light in a three-component system with [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) types of photosensitizers. Electrospray ionization MS results revealed that at the Ru(III) state complex 1 undergoes ligand exchange of 4-picoline with water, forming the authentic water oxidation catalyst in situ. Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to explain how anionic ligands (hqc and pdc) facilitate the 4-picoline dissociation compared with a neutral ligand (tpy). Electrochemical measurements show that complex 1 has a much lower E(Ru(III)/Ru(II)) than that of reference complex 2 because of the introduction of a phenolate ligand. DFT was further used to study the influence of anionic ligands upon the redox properties of mononuclear aquaruthenium species, which are postulated to be involved in the catalysis cycle of water oxidation.     

p‐Nitrophenyl Picolinate Cleavage by Unsymmetrical Bis‐Schiff Base Manganese(III) and Cobalt(II) Complexes with Aza‐Crown Ether or Morpholino Pendants

The unsymmetrical bis‐Schiff base manganese(III) and cobalt(II) complexes with either benzo‐10‐aza‐crown ether pendants (MnL¹Cl, MnL²Cl) or morpholino pendant (MnL³Cl, CoL³) have been employed as models for hydrolase by studying the kinetics of their hydrolysis reactions with p‐nitrophenyl picolinate (PNPP). A kinetic model of PNPP cleavage catalyzed by these complexes is proposed. The effects of complex structures and reaction temperature on the rate of PNPP hydrolysis have been examined. All four complexes exhibit high catalytic activity and the rate increases with pH under 25°C. The complexes of ligands containing a crown ether group exhibit higher catalytic activities than the non‐crown analogues. The catalytic activity of the complexes follows the order Mn(III)>Co(II) under the same ligands.     

Palladium(II)-catalyzed enyne coupling reaction initiated by acetoxypalladation of alkynes and quenched by protonolysis of the carbon-palladium bond

[reaction: see text] Divalent palladium-catalyzed inter- and intramolecular enyne coupling reactions initiated by acetoxypalladation of alkynes were developed. The reaction involves the acetoxypalladation of the alkyne, followed by the insertion of the alkene and the protonolysis of the carbon-palladium bond. The protonolysis of the carbon-palladium bond in the presence of bidentate nitrogen containing ligands is the key step in completing the Pd(II) catalytic cycle. The nitrogen-containing ligands, like halides, served to favor the protonolysis of the carbon-palladium bond over the beta-H elimination in the Pd(II)-mediated reactions. The intermolecular coupling reactions provide an efficient method for synthesizing gamma,delta-unsaturated carbonyls. The intramolecular coupling reactions offer a method to construct a variety of synthetically important carbo- and heterocycles. The asymmetric version of such a cyclization was developed with moderate enantioselectivity when employing pymox (pyridyl monooxazoline) as the ligand.     

Oxidative palladium(II) catalysis: A highly efficient and chemoselective cross-coupling method for carbon-carbon bond formation under base-free and nitrogenous-ligand conditions

We report herein the development of a general and mild protocol of oxygen-promoted Pd(II) catalysis resulting in the selective cross-couplings of alkenyl- and arylboron compounds with various olefins. Unlike most cross-coupling reactions, this new methodology works well even in the absence of bases, consequently averting undesired homo-couplings. Nitrogen-based ligands including dimethyl-phenanathroline enhance reactivities and offer a highly efficient and stereoselective methodology to overcome challenging substrate limitations. For instance, oxidative palladium(II) catalysis is effective with highly substituted alkenes and cyclic alkenes, which are known to be incompatible with other known catalytic conditions. Most examined reactions progressed smoothly to completion at low temperatures and in short times. These interesting results provide mechanistic insights and utilities for a new paradigm of palladium catalytic cycles without bases.     

Conjugate Addition vs Heck Reaction: A Theoretical Study on Competitive Coupling Catalyzed by Isoelectronic Metal (Pd(II) and Rh(I))

Density functional theory studies have been carried out to investigate the mechanism of the Pd(II)(bpy)- and Rh(I)(bpy)-catalyzed conjugate additions and their competitive Heck reactions involving α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The critical steps of the mechanism are insertion and termination. The insertion step favors 1,2-addition of the vinyl-coordinated species to generate a stable C-bound enolate intermediate, which then may isomerize to either an oxa-π-allyl species or an O-bound enolate. The termination step involves a competition between β-hydride elimination, leading to a Heck reaction product, and protonolysis reaction that gives a conjugate addition product. These two pathways are competitive in the Pd(II)-catalyzed reaction, while a preference for protonolysis has been found in the Rh(I)-catalyzed reaction. The calculations are in good agreement with the experimental observations. The potential energy surface and the rate-determining step of the β-hydride elimination are similar for both Pd(II)- and Rh(I)-catalyzed processes. The rate-determining steps of the Pd(II)- and Rh(I)-catalyzed protonolysis are different. Introduction of an N- or P-ligand significantly stabilizes the protonolysis transition state via the O-bound enolate or oxa-π-allyl complex intermediate, resulting in a reduced free energy of activation. However, the barrier of the β-hydride elimination is less sensitive to ligands. For the Rh(I)-catalyzed reaction, protonolysis is calculated to be more favorable than the β-hydride elimination for all investigated N and P ligands due to the significant ligand stabilization to the protonolysis transition state. For the Pd(II)-catalyzed reaction, the complex with monodentate pyridine ligands prefers the Heck-type product through β-hydride elimination, while the complex with bidentate N and P ligands favors the protonolysis. The theoretical finding suggests the possibility to control the selectivity between the conjugate addition and the Heck reaction by using proper ligands.