Hangman salen platforms containing two xanthene scaffolds

A synthetic strategy for the construction of chiral salen ligands bearing two rigid xanthene spacers functionalized with carboxylic acid and ester groups is presented. Suzuki cross-coupling methodology is used to furnish the appropriately functionalized xanthene spacers to a salicylaldehyde, which is subsequently condensed with (1R,2R)-(-)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane to produce salen ligands featuring an expandable molecular cleft capable of multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions in addition to metallosalen oxidation chemistry. The ability of these "Hangman" platforms to support multielectron chemistry mediated by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is established by their proclivity to promote the catalytic disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water via a high-valent metal oxo. Within this functionalized Hangman framework, the stereochemistry of the cyclohexyl backbone of the salen platform is revealed in the epoxidation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene by the metal oxo.     

Studies of the catalytic activity of Fe(III)(salen) complexes as epoxidation catalysts

Two new Fe(III)(salen) complexes, FeL¹ClO₄·2H₂O (1) and FeL²ClO₄ (2) [L¹ = N,N′-ethylenebis(3-formyl-5-methylsalicylaldimine) and L² = N,N′-cyclohexenebis(3-formyl-5-methylsalicylaldimine)], have been synthesized and characterized. The catalytic activity of the complexes for epoxidation of alkenes has been investigated in the presence of two terminal oxidants PhIO and NaOCl, with two solvents CH₃CN and CH₂Cl₂. As alkenes styrene and (E)-stilbene have been chosen for investigation; styrene is a better substrate than electron-rich (E)-stilbene. The study also suggests that unlike their Mn(III) counterparts, 1 and 2 are poor epoxidation catalysts; catalysis proceeds with formation of one intermediate, rather than forming more than one intermediate depending on the terminal oxidant used. Use of exogenous neutral donor ligands such as Py, PyNO and 1-MePy is effective to improve catalytic behavior.     

Alkene epoxidation catalysed by binuclear manganese complexes

Binuclear manganese(II) complexes with macrocyclic ligands have been synthesized by template Schiff base condensation of diethylenetriamine and pentane-2,4-dione or 1,3-diphenyl-propane-1,3-dione. Catalytic epoxidation of simple olefins with hydrogen peroxide and t-BHP were studied using the above manganese complexes in the presence of a base. The influence of reaction temperature, the additive methanol and the cocatalyst had been investigated. The major products of the oxidations were the epoxides. The new manganese complexes showed significant catalytic activities for the epoxidation of alkenes using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and ammonium acetate as cocatalyst.     

Acid-functionalized dissymmetric salen ligands and their manganese(III) complexes

Acid-functionalized symmetric and dissymmetric salen-type ligands were synthesized via a novel self-protection step in a quantitative yield. This synthetic method allows one to quickly prepare salen-based dissymmetric chiral compounds with tailorable coordinating properties. Therefore, this approach provides a blueprint for synthesizing and evaluating a new class of acid-functionalized salen ligands that can be used as chiral building blocks for a wide range of catalysts and coordination polymers with chemically tailorable properties.     

Enhanced catalase-like activity of manganese salen complexes in water: effect of a three-dimensionally fixed auxiliary

A new Mn(Salen) complex bearing an ureido group as an auxiliary that is three-dimensionally fixed by a cyclopentane ring fused to the Salen structure was developed. This compound exhibited considerably higher catalase-like activity than the original Mn(Salen), i.e., the cyclopentane-fused Mn(Salen) without the auxiliary, under near-physiological conditions.     

New chiral (salen)manganese(III) systems for asymmetric epoxidation of styrene

Highly enantioselelctive and repeatable epoxidation of styrene was performed by using new chiral (salen)Mn(III) catalysts, which were derived from the initial immobilization of a homogeneous (salen)Mn(III) complex on solid carriers and subsequent dispersion into ionic liquids. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Enantioselective electrocatalytic epoxidation of olefins by chiral manganese Schiff-base complexes

Asymmetric electrocatalytic epoxidation of olefins has been achieved with chiral manganese Schiff-base complexes immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode surface using molecular dioxygen as oxidant. The electrocatalytic system gives moderate enantiomeric excess (ee) values (65–77%) for the epoxidation of cis-stilbene, trans-stilbene and styrene. Our results indicated that the catalyst turnover number is significantly improved when the manganese complexes are immobilized on the electrode surface, which can be attributed to the suppression of the formation of inactive manganese dimer when the active metal centres are attached to the polymer network.     

Effect of bulky substitution on catalytic activity of a manganese salen complex used in biomimetic alkene epoxidation and alkane hydroxylation with sodium periodate

The catalytic activity of Mn(salen)Cl containing tert-pentyl groups at the 3,5-positions of the salen ligand in the epoxidation of alkenes and hydroxylation of alkanes was studied at room temperature, using sodium periodate as an oxygen source. The effects of various axial ligands were investigated in the epoxidation of cyclooctene. Imidazole, as a strong π-donor ligand, was the best axial ligand. The effect of different solvents was studied in the epoxidation of cyclooctene in CH₃CN/H₂O solvent mixture. The epoxidation reactions of cyclooctene by different oxygen donors including NaIO₄, Bu₄NIO₄, KHSO₅, H₂O₂, H₂O₂/urea, NaOCl and tert-BuOOH were also studied and NaIO₄ was selected as oxygen source. The presence of bulky substituents in the 3,5-positions of the salen ligand was found to increase the catalytic activity of this complex.     

Synthesis and characterization of manganese and copper corrole xanthene complexes as catalysts for water oxidation

Two corrole xanthene ligands and four corresponding Mn^IV and Cu^III complexes have been synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. This kind of complexes, comprising of xanthene and corrole linked by an amide bond, were designed as bio-inspired models for the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) in Photosystem II. We find that both manganese complexes 4a and 5a have efficiency on catalyzing oxygen evolution at low potential (about 0.80 V) by electrochemical method, which is a significant progress in the study of dioxygen formation.     

Organometallic manganese complexes as scaffolds for potential molecular wires

This article reviews recent work in the area of organomanganese chemistry designing organometallic based molecular wires for potential applications in molecular electronics utilising the bottom-up approach. The field of molecular electronics has recently received much attention in the pursuit of continued miniaturization of electronics. Molecular wires that can allow a through-bridge exchange of an electron/electron hole between its remote ends/terminal groups are the basic motifs of single electron devices. Our recent work in this field has been the design and development of transition-metal complexes with a special emphasis on the half sandwich dinuclear manganese complexes and the bis dmpe dinuclear Mn(II)/Mn(II). In this review, we would like to highlight the importance of the nature of the transition metal and their significant effect on the redox process, which is of paramount importance for the design of systems that could be ultimately wired into circuits for various applications.     

Liquid crystalline salen manganese(III) complexes. Mesomorphic and catalytic behaviour

Several salen manganese(III) complexes displaying stable columnar mesophases in a wide range of temperatures have been synthesized. In condensed phases the molecules are assembled into dimers through intermolecular manganese-oxygen interactions and the columnar structure of the mesophases consist of the stacking of supramolecular discs formed by the association of two or three dimers, depending on the number and location of alkoxy chains in the complex. The catalytic activity of the complexes in solution has been studied, and they behave as efficient homogeneous catalysts in the epoxidation of styrene with iodosylbenzene as oxidant.     

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of Cu(salen) complexes bearing long alkoxy chains

Cu(II) salen (salen?=?N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylideneimine)) complexes bearing alkoxy chains of C₁₂ (1) and C₁₀ (2) in the salicylidene moieties were synthesized and subsequently characterized by several independent methods: single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The solid state structures show that the spatial orientation and packing of the complexes are not affected by the alkyl chain length but by a coordinated solvent molecule, as demonstrated by the structure of 1 having methanol in an axial position.     

Enantioselective epoxidation of nonfunctionalized alkenes catalyzed by recyclable new homochiral bis-diamine-bridged bi-Mn(salen) complexes

Three new homochiral bis-diamine-bridged bi-Mn(salen) complexes were synthesized. Their catalysis on asymmetric epoxidation of α-methylstyrene, styrene and indene was studied with NaClO and m-CPBA as oxidants respectively. This homogeneous catalyst exhibited comparable catalytic activity and enantioselectivity to the Jacobsen’s catalyst in the asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins. Furthermore, the catalyst could be conveniently recovered and reused at least five times without significant losses of both activity and enantioselectivity. Specially, it also could be efficiently used in large-scale reactions with superior catalytic disposition being maintained at the same level, which provided the potential for the applications in industry. The effect of axial bases, temperature and solvent on activity and enantioselectivity of the catalytic system were also studied.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the enantioselective epoxidation of olefins catalyzed by manganese complexes

The enantioselective epoxidation of olefin by Mn^II（R,R-PMCP）(OTf)2, H₂O₂ and H₂SO₄ was explored by DFT calculations and experiments. Theoretical results suggest that [MnV（O）(R,R-PMCP)（SO4）]+species with a triplet ground spin state serves as the active species for the olefin epoxidation. It can be generated by the H₂SO₄ assisted O-O heterolysis of Mn^III（OOH） species. Mn^III-persulfate is also involve...     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the enantioselective epoxidation of olefins catalyzed by manganese complexes

The enantioselective epoxidation of olefin by Mn^II（R,R-PMCP）(OTf)2, H₂O₂ and H₂SO₄ was explored by DFT calculations and experiments. Theoretical results suggest that [MnV（O）(R,R-PMCP)（SO4）]+species with a triplet ground spin state serves as the active species for the olefin epoxidation. It can be generated by the H₂SO₄ assisted O-O heterolysis of Mn^III（OOH） species. Mn^III-persulfate is also involve...     

Chiral manganese complexes with pinene appended tetradentate ligands as stereoselective epoxidation catalysts

A novel family of chiral manganese complexes Lambda-1(CF(3)SO(3)) and Delta-2(CF(3)SO(3)), have been stereoselectively prepared, characterized and studied as epoxidation catalysts. The complexes are structurally related to [Mn(II)(CF(3)SO(3))(2)(alpha-MCP)] (MCP=N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)cyclohexane-trans-1,2-diamine), recently reported as a very efficient epoxidation catalyst in combination with peracetic acid. Pinene rings have been fused to the 4 and 5 positions of the two pyridine groups of the ligand, giving rise to complexes where the two labile binding sites of the manganese ion are confined in a better-defined chiral pocket than in the parent [Mn(II)(CF(3)SO(3))(2)(alpha-MCP)]. Chirality in these complexes arises from the stereochemistry of the trans-diaminocyclohexane ring, from the pinene ring and also from the topological chirality adopted by the ligand upon binding to the manganese ion. While previous studies have demonstrated that small modifications in the structure of the MCP ligand result in a dramatic loss of efficiency, Lambda-1(CF(3)SO(3)) and Delta-2(CF(3)SO(3)) exhibit comparable catalytic activity to [Mn(II)(CF(3)SO(3))(2)(alpha-MCP)]. In addition, the complexes exhibit a remarkable stereoselectivity (up to 46% ee) in the epoxidation of selected substrates. The results reported in this work point towards modification of the 4 and 5 positions of the pyridine groups as a new strategy towards the design of stereoselective versions of this family of highly active and environmentally benign epoxidation catalysts.     

Aminopropyl group-modified SBA-15 covalent attachment Mn(salen) complexes as catalysts for styrene epoxidation

A series of aminopropyl group-modified ordered mesoporous silica materials impregnated with Mn(salen) were prepared using successive grafting procedures. The prepared composite catalysts were well characterized by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and transmission electron microscopy in order to confirm the structure integrities of the Mn(salen) units after the incorporation, to evidence the formation of a covalent bond between the starting Mn(salen) units and the aminopropyl group-modified SBA-15 matrix in the presence of NaOH by abstraction of an HCl molecule. These heterogeneous catalysts exhibited comparable catalytic activity and selectivity to those of the homogeneous counterpart in the epoxidation of styrene by using NaClO as oxidant. In addition, the effects of key reaction parameters, including the loadings of the neat Mn(salen), molar ratios of NaClO to styrene, and PPNO amount on the reactivity and selectivity, were also studied. Finally, the reusability of the prepared heterogeneous catalyst was evaluated.     

Highly selective olefin epoxidation with manganese triazacyclononane complexes: Impact of ligand substitution

Manganese complexes of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane with different substituents catalyze the selective epoxidation of a large number of olefins to epoxides with H₂O₂. The activities of complexes with methyl (L₁), 2-hydroxybutyl (L₂) and acetato (L₃) substituents are compared. The effects of solvent and temperature on the epoxide yield are very different for the three complexes. It is proposed that these differences are related to the binding of the pendant arms in Mn---L₂ and Mn---L₃ complexes. In general, acetone or methanol are preferred solvents. Variations of stereoretention are also observed: with Mn---L₁ in acetone, isomer scrambling occurs, while with Mn---L₁ in methanol, the epoxidation is almost stereospecific. UV-visible and electron spin resonance spectroscopy are used to characterize the state of manganese under oxidizing conditions.     

The synthesis and use in asymmetric epoxidation of metal salen complexes derived from enantiopure trans-cyclopentane- and cyclobutane-1,2-diamine

A complete synthesis of enantiopure trans-cyclopentane-1,2-diamine and trans-cyclobutane-1,2-diamine is described. These diamines have been used as components of novel chiral salen ligands whose chromium and manganese complexes were then evaluated as oxygen transfer agents in the asymmetric epoxidation of alkenes.