Silsesquioxane dendrimers as catalysts: a bite-sized molecular dynamics study

A method of calculating the bite (P-M-P) angle for dendritic ligands is reported. Diphenylphosphine terminated dendritic ligands were modified with either a single rhodium or a rhodium complex [HRh(CO)(2)] and molecular dynamics techniques used to run simulations to determine the dynamic bite angle (beta(d)) as a time averaged property. The effects of changing the composition of the dendritic branches is investigated and comparison with experimental hydroformylation data reveals that the dendrimer with the highest linear: branched ratio also has a dynamic bite angle closest to the theoretical ideal value of 120 degrees .     

Palladium nanoparticles captured onto spherical silica particles using a urea cross-linked imidazolium molecular band

Palladium nanoparticles were captured onto spherical silica particles using a molecular band composed of imidazolium chloride and urea moieties to form raspberry-like Pd@SiO2 composites, which can be recovered and reused without any loss of catalytic activity in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling.     

Phosphine-functionalized dendrimers for transition-metal catalysis

Dendrimers are well-defined hyperbranched macromolecules with characteristic globular structures for the larger systems, of which their use has been explored for various applications including catalysis. Dendritic catalysts potentially combine the advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis since the soluble dendritic catalyst can be separated from the product-stream by nano-filtration. In addition, dendritic effects on transition-metal catalysis can be expected, depending on the position of the catalytic site(s) as well as the spatial separation of the catalysts within the dendritic framework. We have prepared both core- and periphery-functionalized dendritic catalysts that are sufficiently large to enable separation by nano-filtration techniques. Here we review our findings using these promising novel transition metal-functionalized dendrimers as catalysts in several reactions. To cite this article: J.N.H. Reek, C. R. Chimie 6 (2003).     

Selective catalysis with peptide dendrimers

Peptide dendrimers incorporating 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid 1 as a branching unit (B) were prepared by solid-phase synthesis of ((Ac-A(3))(2)B-A(2))(2)B-Cys-A(1)-NH(2) followed by disulfide bridge formation. Twenty-one homo- and heterodimeric dendrimers were obtained by permutations of aspartate, histidine, and serine at positions A(1), A(2), and A(3). Two dendrimers catalyzed the hydrolysis of 7-hydroxy-N-methyl-quinolinium esters (2-5), and two other dendrimers catalyzed the hydrolysis of 8-hydroxy-pyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate esters (10-12). Enzyme-like kinetics was observed in aqueous buffer pH 6.0 with multiple turnover, substrate binding (K(M) = 0.1-0.5 mM), rate acceleration (k(cat)/k(uncat) > 10(3)), and chiral discrimination (E = 2.8 for 2-phenylpropionate ester 5). The role of individual amino acids in catalysis was investigated by amino acid exchanges, highlighting the key role of histidine as a catalytic residue, and the importance of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in modulating substrate binding. These experiments demonstrate for the first time selective catalysis in peptide dendrimers.     

Palladium nanoparticles stabilized by sterically hindered phosphonium salts as Suzuki cross-coupling catalysts

Palladium nanoparticles with an average size of 2.5±0.5 nm formed from palladium acetate in the presence of tri-tert-butyl(decyl)phosphonium tetrafluoroborate without an additional reducing agent exhibit high activity as a catalyst for the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction involving bromo- and chloroarenes under mild conditions.     

钯纳米颗粒负载在聚苯胺材料上制得催化Suzuki-Miyaura偶联反应的高效催化剂

在最近的几十年里,金属钯催化的Suzuki-Miyaura偶联反应已经得到了越来越多的关注,被广泛应用于药物、天然产物以及新材料的合成.与此同时均相催化剂发展迅速,高效的配体和大量的设计被用于Suzuki-Miyaura偶联反应中,但是钯催化剂的配体通常很昂贵和难以合成,因此钯催化剂系统的回收是非常有价值的,不仅是经济上的原因,同时也避免了产品的污染,所以发展非均相催化剂是必要的.近年来,研究学者们致力于设计非均相的钯催化剂,如将钯纳米颗粒负载到金属有机骨架、介孔分子筛以及活性炭等多种材料上得到的非均相钯催化剂并应用于Suzuki-Miyaura偶联反应中.我们主要介绍了钯纳米颗粒被负载在含磷配体的交联的聚苯胺材料上制得负载的钯催化剂,首先通过钯催化的三(4-碘苯基)胺与金刚烷基膦的C–P偶联,再由钯催化三(4-碘苯基)胺与对苯二胺的C–N偶联,进而得到钯纳米颗粒负载在含金刚烷基膦的聚苯胺材料上的催化剂Pd@PAN-Ad-0.5(钯含量为0.58 wt%),同时我们对催化剂进行了一些表征,如TEM,SEM,XRD,EDX,XPS,FT-IR,ICP等.通过TEM分析,我们发现钯纳米颗粒在聚合物表面分布均匀,并且金属钯的平均粒径为2–3 nm;EDX检测显示催化剂含有C,N,P,Pd,I元素,说明钯负载到含金刚烷基膦的聚苯胺材料上的催化剂Pd@PAN-Ad-0.5已经形成,并被用于Suzuki-Miyaura偶联反应.我们对反应体系中的各种影响因素进行了优化,包括溶剂、碱、反应时间、催化剂加入量以及不同的催化剂的优化,最终确定了最佳反应条件;对于带有不同取代基(如腈基、甲氧基、醛基、酮基以及硝基)的氯代芳烃和溴代芳烃与苯硼酸的Suzuki-Miyaura反应,以较少的催化剂使用量(0.075 mol%Pd)就能获得较高的相应的联苯产物收率.此外,催化剂Pd@PAN-Ad-0.5在偶联反应中具有较高的反应活性的同时,还具有较好的回收使用能力(至少能够回收使用5次),循环使用4次以后还具有较高的催化活性.为了探索催化剂Pd@PAN-Ad-0.5在工业上的应用,由于4'-氯-2-硝基-1,1'-联苯是合成啶酰菌胺药物的重要中间体,因此我们使用催化剂Pd@PAN-Ad-0.5催化2-硝基氯苯与4-氯苯硼酸的偶联反应,目标产物4'-氯-2-硝基-1,1'-联苯的收率高达96%.我们相信这类催化剂应用于实验室或工业上合成联苯化学品具有较大的潜力.     

Highly selective glycine phase-transfer catalysis using fluoroanthracenylmethyl cinchonidine catalysts

Fluoroanthracenylmethyl cinchonidine phase-transfer catalysts have been produced and explored for asymmetric glycine alkylation. The fluoroanthracenylmethyl precursors were made from aryloxazolidinones and aldehydes using an efficient electrophilic substitution with phosphorous pentoxide. The cinchonidine catalysts promote highly selective glycine alkylation under mild conditions. The 1,8-difluoroanthracenyl-10-methyl catalyst 6 (10 mol %) in toluene/THF with 50% aqueous KOH (−20 °C) promoted benzylation of glycine 1 to give 2 in 86% yield, 98% ee. Other electrophiles also gave excellent selectivity and reactivity.     

Supported colloidal nanoparticles in heterogeneous gas phase catalysis: on the way to tailored catalysts

Using colloidally synthesized nanoparticles for the preparation of supported catalysts offers several advantages (e.g. precise control of particle size and morphology) when compared to traditional preparation techniques. Although such nanoparticles have already been very successfully used for catalytic applications in the liquid phase, applications in heterogeneous gas phase catalysis are still scarce. One aspect, usually considered as a problem, is organic stabilizers typically employed during the nanoparticle synthesis since they or their decomposition products are supposed to block catalytically active sites on the nanoparticle surface. Thus, in many studies so far, the removal of the organic ligands prior to use in gas phase catalysis has been proposed. In this perspective article, however, we will discuss a number of benefits such ligand shells may have for heterogeneous gas phase catalysis, including the protection against chemical modification, prevention of sintering and tuning of SMSI effects.     

Palladium(0) nanoparticles stabilized by phosphorus dendrimers containing coordinating 15-membered triolefinic macrocycles in periphery

A new family of phosphorus dendrimers containing on their surfaces 3, 6, 12, and 96 15-membered azamacrocycles has been synthesized. The coordinating ability of these macrocycles to palladium(0) atoms allowed the preparation of new dendrimers of several generations containing the corresponding metal complexes and several new nanoparticulated materials, where nanoparticles are stabilized mainly by the complexed dendrimers of the zero, first, and fourth generations. No reduction process of palladium(II) salts was needed to prepare nanoparticles of 2.5-7.9 nm diameter. All the new compounds and materials have been characterized by NMR, IR, elemental analysis and/or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) spectrometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and electron diffraction. Also UV-vis spectra were obtained. The Mizoroki-Heck reaction has been catalyzed in a homogeneous and heterogeneous manner by using four different materials; in all cases, the catalyst could be recovered and reused several times.     

Noncovalently functionalized dendrimers as recyclable catalysts

The efficient reversible functionalization of the periphery of urea adamantyl poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with catalytic sites using noncovalent interactions is described. Phosphine ligands equipped with urea acetic groups, a binding motive complementary to that of the dendrimer host, have been prepared and assembled to the dendrimer support. The resulting supramolecular complex has been used as a multidentate ligand system in the palladium-catalyzed allylic amination reaction in a batch process and in a continuous-flow membrane reactor. We found that the activity and selectivity of the dendrimeric complex is similar to that of the monomer complex, which indicates that the catalytic centers act as independent sites. The size of the supramolecular system is sufficiently large and the binding of the guests is strong enabling a good separation of the catalyst components from the reaction mixture using nanofiltration techniques.     

CuO nanoparticles with PAMAM dendrimers

An easy pathway to synthesize a variety of cupric oxide (CuO) nanoshapes by a one-step wet chemical method is reported. CuO nanoparticles and nanorods were obtained from CuCl₂ in a mixture of water and DMSO in the absence of a base at room temperature. 1-D CuO nanostructures resembling wires inside tubes, or nanopea pods, were shaped when polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers of generation 2 (16-NH₂ end groups) or 2.5 (32-COO^? end groups) were added to the CuO colloids. The evolution in time of the different nanostructures was followed by UV–visible spectroscopy. The XRD patterns, Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy show clear evidence that all nanoshapes obtained in this work are composed by CuO. This method is a simple, versatile, and economical alternative for the fabrication of CuO nanostructures and might provide a practical reference for the controlled synthesis of other nanoarchitectures.     

SCS-pincer palladium-catalyzed auto-tandem catalysis using dendritic catalysts in semi-permeable compartments

Novel monometallic and dendritic SCS-pincer palladium complexes 2, 3 and 4 have been synthesized in good yields (60-89%) and high purity (palladium loading >97%). These complexes were successfully used as catalysts in the stannylation of cinnamyl chloride with hexamethylditin and in the catalytic auto-tandem reaction consisting of this stannylation followed by an electrophilic addition with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, showing similar reaction rates and selectivities for all complexes. Dendritic complex 4 has furthermore been used in the compartmentalized catalysis of single and auto-tandem reactions, allowing catalyst reuse for four consecutive runs.     

Palladium nanostructures and nanoparticles from molecular precursors on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite

Nanostructures and nanoparticles of palladium assembled on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by the adsorption of palladium molecular precursors (MPs), in dichloromethane solutions, have been prepared. Self-assemblies of palladium nanostructures on HOPG were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. In this work, palladium rings had a wide variety of sizes in the nanometer range, and the ring/tube structures were preserved after a reductive process in which palladium metallic nanoparticles were formed. Noncircular structures were observed at HOPG defects and atomic step sites, as well. It is proposed that the observed ring formation of the palladium molecular precursors on HOPG substrates is related to the functional groups in the MPs, van der Waals interactions between particles and between particle-substrate, as well as the wetting properties of the solvent. In the present work, we illustrate several examples of the formation and characterization of palladium complex tubes and the resulting palladium rings, via the reduction process.     

Gold nanoparticles stabilized by thioether dendrimers

Ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are promising materials for nanotechnology with applications in electronics, catalysis, and sensors. These applications depend on the ability to synthesize stable and monodisperse NPs. Herein, the design and synthesis of two series of dendritic thioether ligands and their ability to stabilize Au NPs is presented. The dendrimers have 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzene branching units bridged by either meta-xylene or ethylene moieties. A comparison between the two ligands shows how both size control and the stability of the NPs are influenced by the nature of the ligand-NP wrapping interaction. The meta-xylene-bridged ligands provided NPs with a narrow size distribution centered around a diameter of 1.2 nm, whereas the NPs formed with ethylene-bridged dendrimers lack long-term stability with NP aggregation detected by UV/Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The bulkier tert-butyl-functionalized meta-xylene bridges form larger ligand shells that inhibit further growth of the NPs and thus provide a simple route to stable and monodisperse Au NPs that may find use as functional components in nanoelectronic devices.     

Palladium nanoparticles supported onto ionic carbon nanotubes as robust recyclable catalysts in an ionic liquid

Palladium nanoparticles have been deposited onto imidazolium bromide-functionalized ionic MWCNTs through hydrogen reduction of Na2PdCl4 in water without aid of surfactants under extremely mild conditions, and combined with an ionic liquid to create a new recyclable ionic liquid-based catalytic system allowing up to 50 times recycling.     

Dispersing palladium nanoparticles using a water-in-oil microemulsion--homogenization of heterogeneous catalysis

Palladium nanoparticles dispersed by a water-in-oil microemulsion are very effective catalysts for hydrogenation of olefins in an organic solvent.