Mechanistic Insights on Reduction of Carboxamides by Diisobutylaluminum Hydride and Sodium Hydride−Iodide Composite

The reaction mechanisms on reduction of tertiary carboxamides by diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAL) and sodium hydride (NaH)‐sodium iodide (NaI) composite were elucidated by the computational and experimental approaches. Reduction of N,N‐dimethyl carboxamides with DIBAL provides the corresponding amines, whereas that with the NaH?NaI composite exclusively forms aldehyde even at high reaction temperature. DFT calculations revealed that dimeric structural nature of DIBAL and Lewis acidity on its Al center play crucial role to decompose the tetrahedral anionic carbinol amine intermediate through C?O bond cleavage. On the other hand, in the reduction with the NaH?NaI composite, the resulting tetrahedral anionic carbinol amine intermediate could be kept stable, thus providing aldehydes as a sole product by the aqueous workup     

Reduction of N,N‐Dimethylcarboxamides to Aldehydes by Sodium Hydride–Iodide Composite

A new and concise protocol for selective reduction of N,N‐dimethylamides into aldehydes was established using sodium hydride (NaH) in the presence of sodium iodide (NaI) under mild reaction conditions. The present protocol with the NaH‐NaI composite allows for reduction of not only aromatic and heteroaromatic but also aliphatic N,N‐dimethylamides with wide substituent compatibility. Retention of α‐chirality in the reduction of α‐enantioriched amides was accomplished. Use of sodium deuteride (NaD) offers a new step‐economical alternative to prepare deuterated aldehydes with high deuterium incorporation rate. The NaH‐NaI composite exhibits unique chemoselectivity for reduction of N,N‐dimethylamides over ketones.     

Understanding the Origins of Nucleophilic Hydride Reactivity of a Sodium Hydride–Iodide Composite

Sodium hydride (NaH) has been commonly used as a Brønsted base in chemical syntheses, while it has rarely been employed to add hydride (H^?) to unsaturated electrophiles. We previously developed a procedure to activate NaH through the addition of a soluble iodide source and found that the new NaH–NaI composite can effect even stereoselective nucleophilic hydride reductions of nitriles, imines, and carbonyl compounds. In this work, we report that mixing NaH with NaI or LiI in tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a solvent provides a new inorganic composite, which consists of NaI interspersed with activated NaH, as revealed by powder X‐ray diffraction, and both solid‐state NMR and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies. DFT calculations imply that this remarkably simple inorganic composite, which is comprised of NaH and NaI, gains nucleophilic hydridic character similar to covalent hydrides, resulting in unprecedented and unique hydride donor chemical reactivity.     

Hydrodehalogenation of Haloarenes by a Sodium Hydride–Iodide Composite

A simple protocol for hydrodebromination and ‐deiodination of halo(hetero)arenes was enabled by sodium hydride (NaH) in the presence of lithium iodide (LiI). Mechanistic studies showed that an unusual concerted nucleophilic aromatic substitution operates in the present process.     

过渡金属盐促进的纳米氢化钠对硝基的还原反应

研究了在过渡金属盐促进下，纳米尺寸的活性氢化钠对硝基化合物的还原反应．结果表明，过渡金属盐的存在，使纳米氢化钠（ＮａＨ＊）的还原活性进一步增强，硝基苯的转化率在较短时间内就超过９０％．镍盐对生成苯胺的选择性最好（１００％），其次是锰盐．不同纳米碱金属氢化物对硝基苯还原的活性和生成苯胺的选择性顺序为ＮａＨ＊＞ＫＨ＊＞ＬｉＨ＊．几种硝基化合物的反应结果表明，ＮａＨ＊－镍盐是硝基还原生成芳胺有效的复合还原剂     

A Benchmark of Density Functional Approximations For Thermochemistry and Kinetics of Hydride Reductions of Cyclohexanones

The performance of density functionals and wavefunction methods for describing the thermodynamics and kinetics of hydride reductions of 2-substituted cyclohexanones has been evaluated for the first time. A variety of exchange correlation functionals ranging from generalized gradient approximations to double hybrids have been tested and their performance to describe the facial selectivity of hydride reductions of cyclohexanones has been carefully assessed relative to the CCSD(T) method. Among the tested methods, an approach in which single-point energy calculations using the double hybrid B2PLYP−D3 functional on ωB97X−D optimized geometries provides the most accurate transition state energies for these kinetically-controlled reactions. Moreover, the role of torsional strain, temperature, solvation, noncovalent interactions on the stereoselectivity of these reductions was elucidated. Our results indicate a prominent role of the substituent on the cis/trans ratios driven by the delicate interplay between torsional strain and dispersion interactions.     

The Reactive Intermediate of Catalytic Borohydride Reduction by Schiff Base–Cobalt Complexes

The key reactive intermediate of borohydride reduction catalyzed by Schiff base–cobalt complexes is proposed to be the dichloromethylcobalt hydride with a sodium cation, based on experimental and theoretical studies. It was revealed that chloroform is not the solvent but the reactant that activates the cobalt catalyst. The substrate carbonyl compounds are fixed and activated by the alkali cation, which is captured by the oxygen atoms of the planar ligand and the chlorine atom of the axial ligand, and attacked by the hydride on the cobalt atom via a six‐membered‐like transition state to afford the corresponding alcohol.     

Interaction of Hydrogen with Ceria: Hydroxylation,Reduction, and Hydride Formation on the Surface and in the Bulk

The study reports the first attempt to address the interplay between surface and bulk in hydride formation in ceria (CeO₂) by combining experiment, using surface sensitive and bulk sensitive spectroscopic techniques on the two sample systems, i.e., CeO₂(111) thin films and CeO₂ powders, and theoretical calculations of CeO₂(111) surfaces with oxygen vacancies (O_v) at the surface and in the bulk. We show that, on a stoichiometric CeO₂(111) surface, H₂ dissociates and forms surface hydroxyls (OH). On the pre-reduced CeO_2−x samples, both films and powders, hydroxyls and hydrides (Ce−H) are formed on the surface as well as in the bulk, accompanied by the Ce³⁺ ↔ Ce⁴⁺ redox reaction. As the O_v concentration increases, hydroxyl is destabilized and hydride becomes more stable. Surface hydroxyl is more stable than bulk hydroxyl, whereas bulk hydride is more stable than surface hydride. The surface hydride formation is the kinetically favorable process at relatively low temperatures, and the resulting surface hydride may diffuse into the bulk region and be stabilized therein. At higher temperatures, surface hydroxyls can react to produce water and create additional oxygen vacancies, increasing its concentration, which controls the H₂/CeO₂ interaction. The results demonstrate a large diversity of reaction pathways, which have to be taken into account for better understanding of reactivity of ceria-based catalysts in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.     

Effect of Sodium Cation on Metallacycle β‐Hydride Elimination in CO2–Ethylene Coupling to Acrylates

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide and olefins into acrylates has been a long standing target, because society attempts to synthesize commodity chemicals in a more economical and sustainable fashion. Although nickel complexes have been known to successfully couple CO₂ and ethylene for decades, a key β‐hydride elimination step has proven a major obstacle to the development of a catalytic process. Recent studies have shown that Lewis acid additives can be used to create a lower‐energy pathway for β‐hydride elimination and facilitate a low number of catalytic turnovers. However, the exact manner, in which the Lewis acid promotes β‐hydride elimination remains to be elucidated. Herein, we describe the kinetic and thermodynamic role that commercially relevant and weakly Lewis acidic sodium salts play in promoting β‐hydride elimination from nickelalactones synthesized from CO₂ and ethylene. This process is compared to a non‐Lewis acid promoted pathway, and DFT calculations were used to identify differences between the two systems. The sodium‐free isomerization reaction gave a rare CO₂‐derived β‐nickelalactone complex, which was structurally characterized.     

Nucleophilic Amination of Methoxy Arenes Promoted by a Sodium Hydride/Iodide Composite

A method for the nucleophilic amination of methoxy arenes was established by using sodium hydride (NaH) in the presence of lithium iodide (LiI). This method offers an efficient route to benzannulated nitrogen heterocycles. Mechanistic studies showed that the reaction proceeds through an unusual concerted nucleophilic aromatic substitution.     

Computational Mechanism Investigation of C=C Bond Hydrogenation Catalyzed by Rhodium Hydride

The hydrogenation of unsaturated carbons is a commonly used synthetic tool in pharmaceutical and industrial production. Recently, the Norton group realized highly selective hydrogenation of C=C bonds catalyzed by a rhodium hydride. Despite the great efforts made by experimentalists, details regarding the mechanism remained unclear. In this work, detailed DFT calculations were carried out to elucidate the principal features of this transformation. For enones we find that two possible competing mechanisms proposed by the experimental groups are computationally excluded, our proposed alternative mechanism with a total barrier of 20.0 kcal mol⁻¹ is theoretically feasible, solvent methanol to also plays a crucial role in assisting β-hydrogenation in addition to being the hydrogen source for α-hydrogenation, and the cross-polarization of the substrate enone-conjugated system to result in an enhanced charge density of the α-carbon, which favors being hydrogenated first. For isolated alkenes, neither of the two possible competing mechanisms can be excluded computationally and which carbon atom is first hydrogenated depends on the electronic properties of the substrate itself. The combination of rhodium and C=C bonds changes the electronic properties of H on the rhodium hydride and enhances its hydrogenation activity.     

Sodium Butylated Hydroxytoluene (NaBHT) as a New and Efficient Hydride Source for Pd-Catalysed Reduction Reactions

NaBHT (sodium butylated hydroxytoluene), a hindered and soluble base for the efficient arylation of various base-sensitive amines and (hetero)aryl halides has been found to have an unanticipated role as a hydride donor to reduce (hetero)aryl halides and allylic acetates. Mechanistic studies have uncovered that NaBHT, but not BHT, can deliver multiple hydrides through oxidation of the benzylic methyl group in NaBHT to the aldehyde. Further, performing the reduction with NaBHT-d₂₀ has revealed that the redox-active benzylic position is not the only hydride donor site from NaBHT with one hydride in three coming, presumably, from the tert-butyl groups. The reduction works well under mild conditions and, incredibly, only consumes 20 percent of the NaBHT in the process; the remaining 80 percent can be readily recovered in pure form and reused. This, combined with the low cost of the material in ton-scale quantity, makes it practical and attractive for wider use in industry at scale.     

Mechanistic Investigation of the Ruthenium–N‐Heterocyclic‐Carbene‐Catalyzed Amidation of Amines with Alcohols

The mechanism of the ruthenium–N‐heterocyclic‐carbene‐catalyzed formation of amides from alcohols and amines was investigated by experimental techniques (Hammett studies, kinetic isotope effects) and by a computational study with dispersion‐corrected density functional theory (DFT/M06). The Hammett study indicated that a small positive charge builds‐up at the benzylic position in the transition state of the turnover‐limiting step. The kinetic isotope effect was determined to be 2.29(±0.15), which suggests that the breakage of the C? H bond is not the rate‐limiting step, but that it is one of several slow steps in the catalytic cycle. Rapid scrambling of hydrogen and deuterium at the α position of the alcohol was observed with deuterium‐labeled substrates, which implies that the catalytically active species is a ruthenium dihydride. The experimental results were supported by the characterization of a plausible catalytic cycle by using DFT/M06. Both cis‐dihydride and trans‐dihydride intermediates were considered, but when the theoretical turnover frequencies (TOFs) were derived directly from the calculated DFT/M06 energies, we found that only the trans‐dihydride pathway was in agreement with the experimentally determined TOFs.     

Low-Valent Titanium Species Stabilized with Aluminum/Boron Hydride Fragments

Low-valent titanium species were prepared by reaction of [TiCp*X₃] (Cp*=η⁵-C₅Me₅; X=Cl, Br, Me) with LiEH₄ (E=Al, B) or BH₃(thf), and their structures elucidated by experimental and theoretical methods. The treatment of trihalides [TiCp*X₃] with LiAlH₄ in ethereal solvents (L) leads to the hydride-bridged heterometallic complexes [{TiCp*(μ-H)}₂{(μ-H)₂AlX(L)}₂] (L=thf, X=Cl, Br; L=OEt₂, X=Cl). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for those compounds reveal an open-shell singlet ground state with a Ti−Ti bond and can be described as titanium(II) species. The theoretical analyses also show strong interactions between the Ti−Ti bond and the empty s orbitals of the Al atom of the AlH₂XL fragments, which behave as σ-accepting (Z-type) ligands. Analogous reactions of [TiCp*X₃] with LiBH₄ (2 and 3 equiv.) in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature and at 85 °C lead to the titanium(III) compounds [{TiCp*(BH₄)(μ-X)}₂] (X=Cl, Br) and [{TiCp*(BH₄)(μ-BH₄)}₂], respectively. The treatment of [TiCp*Me₃] with 4 and 5 equiv. of BH₃(thf) produces the diamagnetic [{TiCp*(BH₃Me)}₂(μ-B₂H₆)] and paramagnetic [{TiCp*(μ-B₂H₆)}₂] complexes, respectively.     

Stepwise Reduction of 9,10‐Bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene

Stepwise reduction of 9,10‐bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene afforded an radical anion and a dianion, accompanied by stepwise changes of the aromaticity of the anthracene moiety. The radical has a planar semiquinoidal structure, while the dianion has a puckered quinoidal structure. The alteration of the geometries of the 9,10‐bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene upon reduction is rationalized by the nature of the bonding. These results have been confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, X‐ray crystallography, NMR, EPR, and UV‐vis‐NIR spectroscopy, as well as DFT calculations.     

The E2 state of FeMoco: Hydride Formation versus Fe Reduction and a Mechanism for H2 Evolution

The iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) is responsible for dinitrogen reduction in Mo nitrogenase. Unlike the resting state, E₀, reduced states of FeMoco are much less well characterized. The E₂ state has been proposed to contain a hydride but direct spectroscopic evidence is still lacking. The E₂ state can, however, relax back the E₀ state via a H₂ side-reaction, implying a hydride intermediate prior to H₂ formation. This E₂→E₀ pathway is one of the primary mechanisms for H₂ formation under low-electron flux conditions. In this study we present an exploration of the energy surface of the E₂ state. Utilizing both cluster-continuum and QM/MM calculations, we explore various classes of E₂ models: including terminal hydrides, bridging hydrides with a closed or open sulfide-bridge, as well as models without. Importantly, we find the hemilability of a protonated belt-sulfide to strongly influence the stability of hydrides. Surprisingly, non-hydride models are found to be almost equally favorable as hydride models. While the cluster-continuum calculations suggest multiple possibilities, QM/MM suggests only two models as contenders for the E₂ state. These models feature either i) a bridging hydride between Fe₂ and Fe₆ and an open sulfide-bridge with terminal SH on Fe₆ ( E₂-hyd ) or ii) a double belt-sulfide protonated, reduced cofactor without a hydride ( E₂-nonhyd ). We suggest both models as contenders for the E₂ redox state and further calculate a mechanism for H₂ evolution. The changes in electronic structure of FeMoco during the proposed redox-state cycle, E₀→E₁→E₂→E₀, are discussed.     

Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reactions in Fuel Cells on H‐Decorated and B‐Substituted Graphene

In the light of recent experimental research on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with carbon materials doped with foreign atoms, we study the performance of graphene with different defects on this catalytic reaction. In addition to the reported N‐graphene, it is found that H‐decorated and B‐substituted graphene can also spontaneously promote this chemical reaction. The local high spin density plays the key role, facilitating the adsorption of oxygen and OOH, which is the start of ORR. The source of the high spin density for all of the doped graphene is attributed to unpaired single π electrons. Meanwhile, the newly formed C? H covalent bond introduces a higher barrier to the p electron flow, leading to more localized and higher spin density for H‐decorated graphene. At the same time, larger structural distortion should be avoided, which could impair the induced spin density, such as for P‐substituted graphene.     

One-Pot Etherification of Ketones and Aldehydes with Organic Halides Using Sodium Hydride as a Reductant

One-pot etherification reaction of aromatic and some aliphatic carbonyl compounds with organic halides in the presence of sodium hydride as a reducing reagent proceeded smoothly in dioxane, a polar solvent with higher boiling point, to provide desired ethers in moderate to high yields.     

Bio‐Inspired Transition Metal–Organic Hydride Conjugates for Catalysis of Transfer Hydrogenation: Experiment and Theory

Taking inspiration from yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (yADH), a benzimidazolium (BI⁺) organic hydride‐acceptor domain has been coupled with a 1,10‐phenanthroline (phen) metal‐binding domain to afford a novel multifunctional ligand ( L ^BI+) with hydride‐carrier capacity ( L ^BI++H^?? L ^BIH). Complexes of the type [Cp*M( L ^BI)Cl][PF₆]₂ (M=Rh, Ir) have been made and fully characterised by cyclic voltammetry, UV/Vis spectroelectrochemistry, and, for the Ir^III congener, X‐ray crystallography. [Cp*Rh( L ^BI)Cl][PF₆]₂ catalyses the transfer hydrogenation of imines by formate ion in very goods yield under conditions where the corresponding [Cp*Ir( L ^BI)Cl][PF₆] and [Cp*M(phen)Cl][PF₆] (M=Rh, Ir) complexes are almost inert as catalysts. Possible alternatives for the catalysis pathway are canvassed, and the free energies of intermediates and transition states determined by DFT calculations. The DFT study supports a mechanism involving formate‐driven Rh?H formation (90 kJ mol^?1 free‐energy barrier), transfer of hydride between the Rh and BI⁺ centres to generate a tethered benzimidazoline (BIH) hydride donor, binding of imine substrate at Rh, back‐transfer of hydride from the BIH organic hydride donor to the Rh‐activated imine substrate (89 kJ mol^?1 barrier), and exergonic protonation of the metal‐bound amide by formic acid with release of amine product to close the catalytic cycle. Parallels with the mechanism of biological hydride transfer in yADH are discussed.