Linker‐Free,Silica‐Bound Olefin‐Metathesis Catalysts: Applications in Heterogeneous Catalysis

A set of heterogenized olefin‐metathesis catalysts, which consisted of Ru complexes with the H₂ITap ligand (1,3‐bis(2′,6′‐dimethyl‐4′dimethyl aminophenyl)‐4,5‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐ylidene) that had been adsorbed onto a silica support, has been prepared. These complexes showed strong binding to the solid support without the need for tethering groups on the complex or functionalized silica. The catalysts were tested in the ring‐opening–ring‐closing‐metathesis (RO‐RCM) of cyclooctene (COE) and the self‐metathesis of methyl oleate under continuous‐flow conditions. The best complexes showed a TON>4000, which surpasses the previously reported materials that were either based on the Grubbs–Hoveyda II complex on silica or on the classical heterogeneous Re₂O₇/B₂O₃ catalyst.     

A phase‐separable second‐generation hoveyda‐grubbs catalyst for ring‐opening metathesis polymerization

Polyisobutylene‐supported second‐generation Hoveyda‐Grubbs catalyst is shown to be an effective nonpolar phase tag for ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The catalytic activities of the supported Ru–carbene complex in ROMP are comparable to those of their homogeneous counterparts. The separability of these catalysts leads to lower Ru contamination (0.5 ppm levels) in the polymer products in comparison to the nonsupported Hoveyda‐Grubbs catalyst (10 PPM). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

ADMET reactions in miniemulsion

This work investigates acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization reactions in aqueous miniemulsion. Different types of ruthenium‐based catalysts and different surfactants (anionic, cationic, and nonionic) were evaluated. A Ru‐indenylidene catalyst (Umicore M2) showed higher activity in water if compared to the Ru‐benzylidene catalysts (Hoveyda Grubbs second generation and Grubbs first generation). Moreover, the catalyst activity was affected by the type of the surfactant. In summary, the Umicore M2 catalyst and the nonionic poly(ethylene oxide) based surfactant Lutensol AT80 were found to be the most suitable combination for ADMET reactions in miniemulsion allowing the preparation of polymers with number average molecular weight (M_n) of up to 15 kDa. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1300–1305     

Heterogenization of a Modified Grubbs–Hoveyda Catalyst on a ROMP‐Derived Monolithic Support

A ring‐opening metathesis polymerization‐ (ROMP‐) based monolith was synthesized using a Grubbs' first generation catalyst. The living termini were used for surface grafting of norborn‐5‐ene‐2‐ylmethyl hexafluoroglutarate. The free carboxylic acid groups of the graft polymer were converted into the corresponding silver salt and reacted with the Grubbs–Hoveyda catalyst [RuCl₂(CH (2‐iPrO )C₆H₄)(IMesH₂)] (IMesH₂ = 1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)‐4,5‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐ylidene) to yield a stable heterogeneous version of this catalyst for use in ring‐closing metathesis (RCM) under continuous flow conditions.

The monolith‐supported Grubbs–Hoveyda catalyst.     

DFT Mechanistic Study on Diene Metathesis Catalyzed by Ru‐Based Grubbs–Hoveyda‐Type Carbenes: The Key Role of π‐Electron Density Delocalization in the Hoveyda Ligand

The catalytic activity and catalyst recovery of two heterogenized ruthenium‐based precatalysts ( H and NO₂(4) ) in diene ring‐closing metathesis have been studied by means of density functional calculations at the B3LYP level of theory. For comparison and rationalization of the key factors that lead to higher activities and higher catalyst recoveries, four other Grubbs–Hoveyda complexes have also been investigated. The full catalytic cycle (catalyst formation, propagation, and precatalyst regeneration) has been considered. DFT calculations suggest that either for the homogeneous and heterogenized systems the activity of the catalysts mainly depends on the ability of the precursor to generate the propagating carbene. This ability does not correlate with the traditionally identified key factor, the Ru???O interaction strength. In contrast, precatalysts with lower alkoxy‐dissociation energy barriers and lower stabilities compared with the propagating carbene also present larger C1? C2 bond length (i.e., lower π character of the C? C bond that exists between the metal–carbene (Ru?C) and the phenyl ring of the Hoveyda ligand). Catalyst recovery, regardless of whether a release–return mechanism occurs or not, is also mainly determined by the π delocalization. Therefore, future Grubbs–Hoveyda‐type catalyst development should be based on fine‐tuning the π‐electron density of the phenyl moiety, with the subsequent effect on the metalloaromaticity of the ruthenafurane ring, rather than considering the modification of the Ru???O interaction.     

A Hybrid Ring‐Opening Metathesis Polymerization Catalyst Based on an Engineered Variant of the β‐Barrel Protein FhuA

A β‐barrel protein hybrid catalyst was prepared by covalently anchoring a Grubbs–Hoveyda type olefin metathesis catalyst at a single accessible cysteine amino acid in the barrel interior of a variant of β‐barrel transmembrane protein ferric hydroxamate uptake protein component A (FhuA). Activity of this hybrid catalyst type was demonstrated by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of a 7‐oxanorbornene derivative in aqueous solution.     

Imidazol(in)ium-2-Carboxylates as N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligand Precursors for Ruthenium Metathesis Initiators

Summary: Imidazol(in)ium-2-carboxylates were used as N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand precursors to convert the [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ dimer into three ruthenium-arene complexes of the [RuCl₂(p-cymene)(NHC)] type. The decarboxylation of NHC · CO₂ betaines also provided a convenient synthetic path to prepare five well-known ruthenium-NHC catalysts for olefin metathesis and related reactions, including the second generation Grubbs and Hoveyda–Grubbs catalysts, via ligand exchange with phosphine-containing, first generation ruthenium-benzylidene or indenylidene complexes. Both procedures are particularly attractive from a practical point of view, because NHC · CO₂ adducts are stable zwitterionic compounds that can be stored and handled with no particular precautions.     

The synthesis of metal–organic framework Al‐MIL‐53‐derived Brønsted acid catalyst and its application in the Mannich reaction

A metal–organic framework Al‐MIL‐53‐NH₂‐derived Brønsted acid catalyst (Al‐MIL‐53‐RSO₃H) has been synthesized employing a post‐synthetic modification strategy under mild conditions. The Al‐MIL‐53‐RSO₃H catalyst was successfully utilized in the nitro‐Mannich reaction taking advantage of its strong Brønsted acidity. Good to excellent yields of Mannich adducts were achieved for a variety of acylimine substrates in the presence of 0.1 mol% Al‐MIL‐53‐RSO₃H. Furthermore, the Al‐MIL‐53‐RSO₃H catalyst can be recycled five times without decreasing the yield and selectivity of Mannich adducts.     

New air-stable ruthenium olefin metathesis precatalysts derived from bisphenol S

Synthesis and screening of catalytic activity of novel mono- and diruthenium carbene complexes 7a and 7b prepared from inexpensive Bisphenol S via Claisen rearrangement–isomerisation route is described. These catalysts constitute an excellent tool for ring-closing metathesis by combining high stability with increased catalytic activity as compared with the parent Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst.     

Alternating Diene Metathesis Polycondensation (ALTMET) – Opitimizing Catalyst Loading

Summary: Olefin metathesis polymerization is a flexible and easy way to prepare highly functionalized macromolecules with high precision. Within this context, the efficiency of a series of ruthenium based catalysts in the polycondensation of dienes with diacrylates yielding alternating copolymers is studied. Previous works with Grubbs 2^nd generation catalyst are compared with Hoveyda 2^nd generation catalyst that was found to be much more efficient in these reactions giving reasonable conversions and thus high molecular weights at low catalyst loading. Additionally the performance of several other Hoveyda type catalysts has been studied.     

Sustainable Catalysis: Rational Pd Loading on MIL‐101Cr‐NH2 for More Efficient and Recyclable Suzuki–Miyaura Reactions

Palladium nanoparticles have been immobilized into an amino‐functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂, to form Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂. Four materials with different loadings of palladium have been prepared (denoted as 4‐, 8‐, 12‐, and 16 wt %Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂). The effects of catalyst loading and the size and distribution of the Pd nanoparticles on the catalytic performance have been studied. The catalysts were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), N₂‐sorption isotherms, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To better characterize the palladium nanoparticles and their distribution in MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂, electron tomography was employed to reconstruct the 3D volume of 8 wt %Pd@MIL‐101Cr‐NH₂ particles. The pair distribution functions (PDFs) of the samples were extracted from total scattering experiments using high‐energy X‐rays (60 keV). The catalytic activity of the four MOF materials with different loadings of palladium nanoparticles was studied in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction. The best catalytic performance was obtained with the MOF that contained 8 wt % palladium nanoparticles. The metallic palladium nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed, with an average size of 2.6 nm. Excellent yields were obtained for a wide scope of substrates under remarkably mild conditions (water, aerobic conditions, room temperature, catalyst loading as low as 0.15 mol %). The material can be recycled at least 10 times without alteration of its catalytic properties.     

Mild and Selective Catalytic Hydrogenation of the C=C Bond in α,β‐Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds Using Supported Palladium Nanoparticles

Chemoselective reduction of the C=C bond in a variety of α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds using supported palladium nanoparticles is reported. Three different heterogeneous catalysts were compared using 1 atm of H₂: 1) nano‐Pd on a metal–organic framework (MOF: Pd⁰‐MIL‐101‐NH₂(Cr)), 2) nano‐Pd on a siliceous mesocellular foam (MCF: Pd⁰‐AmP‐MCF), and 3) commercially available palladium on carbon (Pd/C). Initial studies showed that the Pd@MOF and Pd@MCF nanocatalysts were superior in activity and selectivity compared to commercial Pd/C. Both Pd⁰‐MIL‐101‐NH₂(Cr) and Pd⁰‐AmP‐MCF were capable of delivering the desired products in very short reaction times (10–90 min) with low loadings of Pd (0.5–1 mol %). Additionally, the two catalytic systems exhibited high recyclability and very low levels of metal leaching.     

Metathesis reactions with a low-cost spinning disk system

ABSTRACT

Experimental procedures have been developed to provide at the laboratory scale an efficient and relatively inexpensive continuous flow processing system to undertake metathesis chemistry. Glass discs, coated with porous silica particles impregnated with Grubbs (I) generation or Hoveyda–Grubbs (II) generation catalysts through non-covalent interactions, have been successfully used as annular zones for in situ metathesis reactions. The supported catalysts were active for ring closing metathesis and self-metathesis reactions with a variety of substrates with nearly quantitative conversion depending on the substrate structure. Advantages of these procedures include the ability to conduct reactions efficiently at small (low mmole) scale under ambient laboratory conditions, thereby avoiding the need for high energy/thermal procedures. Multiple experiments can be undertaken during the same day if catalyst screening is required. Moreover, separation of starting materials from products can be achieved using the same unit operations, avoiding the need for additional purification steps, thereby reducing the total solvent consumption.     

Metathesis polymer based on 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene: Synthesis and gas-transport properties

A new silicon-containing bicyclic monomer 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene has been synthesized, and its metathesis polymerization and gas transport properties of the polymer based on it have been studied. The monomer is synthesized by the two-step scheme using the Diels–Alder reaction from 1,3-cyclohexadiene and vinyltrichlorosilane followed by methylation with a Grignard reagent. The resulting 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[ 2.2.2]oct-2-ene is inactive in metathesis homopolymerization in the presence of first- and second- generation Grubbs catalysts and a Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst, but it slowly polymerizes when norbornene is present in the reaction mixture. The high-molecular-mass copolymer (M _w = 3.0 × 10⁵, M _w/M _n = 2.8) of 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene and norbornene possesses good film-forming properties, and its glass transition temperature is 126°C. The gas-transport properties of the copolymer have been studied.     

Ring-rearrangement metathesis of nitroso Diels-Alder cycloadducts

Strained nitroso Diels–Alder bicyclo[2.2.1] or [2.2.2] adducts functionalized with alkene side chains of diverse length undergo a ring‐rearrangement metathesis process with external alkenes and Grubbs II or Hoveyda–Grubbs II ruthenium catalysts, under microwave irradiation or classical heating, to deliver cis‐fused bicycles of various ring sizes, which contain a N? O bond. These scaffolds are of synthetic relevance for the generation of molecular diversity and to the total synthesis of alkaloids. The observation of unexpected reactions, such as epimerization or one‐carbon homologation of the alkene side chain, is also reported.     

Enhancing the Water Stability of Al‐MIL‐101‐NH2 via Postsynthetic Modification

The resistance of metal–organic frameworks towards water is a very critical issue concerning their practical use. Recently, it was shown for microporous MOFs that the water stability could be increased by introducing hydrophobic pendant groups. Here, we demonstrate a remarkable stabilisation of the mesoporous MOF Al‐MIL‐101‐NH₂ by postsynthetic modification with phenyl isocyanate. In this process 86 % of the amino groups were converted into phenylurea units. As a consequence, the long‐term stability of Al‐MIL‐101‐URPh in liquid water could be extended beyond a week. In water saturated atmospheres Al‐MIL‐101‐URPh decomposed at least 12‐times slower than the unfunctionalised analogue. To study the underlying processes both materials were characterised by Ar, N₂ and H₂O sorption measurements, powder X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and chemical analysis as well as solid‐state NMR and IR spectroscopy. Postsynthetic modification decreased the BET equivalent surface area from 3363 to 1555 m² g^?1 for Al‐MIL‐101‐URPh and reduced the mean diameters of the mesopores by 0.6 nm without degrading the structure significantly and reducing thermal stability. In spite of similar water uptake capacities, the relative humidity‐dependent uptake of Al‐MIL‐101‐URPh is slowed and occurs at higher relative humidity values. In combination with ¹H‐²⁷Al D ‐HMQC NMR spectroscopy experiments this favours a shielding mechanism of the Al clusters by the pendant phenyl groups and rules out pore blocking.     

An efficient route to biscardanol derivatives and cardanol-based porphyrins via olefin metathesis

Ru-catalyzed olefin metathesis has been successfully applied to the synthesis of biscardanol derivatives and cardanol-based porphyrins. Using Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst (C627), the reactions were performed with various cardanol derivatives (2, 5, 7, and 9) to make novel biscardanol derivatives. With the use of the second-generation Grubbs catalyst (C848) and Ti(OⁱPr)₄, the ring-closing metathesis of cardanol-based porphyrin 11 was carried out to afford cyclic cardanol-based porphyrin derivative 12.     

Conformational Fixation of a Rectangular Antiaromatic [28]Hexaphyrin Using Rationally Installed Peripheral Straps

A rectangular [28]hexaphyrin bearing outer straps at the long side has been synthesized by S_NAr reaction of [26]hexaphyrin with allyl alcohol, intramolecular olefin metathesis by using Hoveyda–Grubbs second‐generation catalyst, and reduction with NaBH₄. The peripheral straps enforce a rectangular conformation for the [28]hexaphyrin, which shows Hückel antiaromatic character, as confirmed by its planar X‐ray structure, a strong paratropic ring current, characteristic UV/Vis/NIR absorption features, small electrochemical HOMO–LUMO gap, and very fast S₁ decay.     

The Key Role of the Nonchelating Conformation of the Benzylidene Ligand on the Formation and Initiation of Hoveyda–Grubbs Metathesis Catalysts

Experimental studies of Hoveyda–Grubbs metathesis catalysts reveal important consequences of substitution at the 6‐position of the chelating benzylidene ligand. The structural modification varies conformational preferences of the ligand that affects its exchange due to the interaction of the coordinating site with the ruthenium center. As a consequence, when typical S‐chelated systems are formed as kinetic trans‐Cl₂ products, for 6‐substituted benzylidenes the preference is altered toward direct formation of thermodynamic cis‐Cl₂ isomers. Activity data and reactions with tricyclohexylphosphine (PCy₃) support also a similar scenario for O‐chelated complexes, which display fast trans‐Cl₂?cis‐Cl₂ equilibrium observed by NMR EXSY studies. The presented conformational model reveals that catalysts, which cannot adopt the optimal nonchelating conformation of benzylidene ligand, initiate through a high‐energy associative mechanism.     

Synthesis,Water Adsorption,and Proton Conductivity of Solid‐Solution‐Type Metal–Organic Frameworks Al(OH)(bdc‐OH)x(bdc‐NH2)1−x

Mixed‐ligand metal–organic frameworks Al(bdc‐OH)_x(bdc‐NH₂)_1?x (H₂bdc‐NH₂=aminoterepthalic acid, H₂bdc‐OH=hydroxyterephthalic acid) were synthesized and their water adsorption behavior and proton conductivity were investigated. All obtained compounds were isostructural to MIL‐53 (MIL=Materials of Institut Lavoisier) according to XRD measurements under ambient humidity conditions, and were also found to be single phase across the whole mixing ratio from the XRD measurements under humidified conditions. This result clearly shows that all compounds are a solid‐solution‐type mixture of ligands. MIL‐53‐NH₂ adsorbs one water molecule per formula with humidification whereas MIL‐53‐OH adsorbs five water molecules. The mixing ratio of the ligands in Al(OH)(bdc‐OH)_x(bdc‐NH₂)_1?x affected the gate‐opening pressure for water adsorption and total water uptake. Proton conductivity of these compounds largely depends on the adsorbed amount of water, which indicates that the proton conductivity of these compounds depends strongly on the hydrogen‐bond network of the conducting media.