Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes containing N-aryl picolinamide ancillary ligands

The reaction of the cyclometalated chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer, [(ppy)₂ Ir(μ-Cl)]₂ (ppy - 2-phenyl pyridine) with N-aryl picolinamides (LH, LH-NO₂, LH-CH₃, LH-l, LH-F) resulted in the formation of neutral heteroleptic complexes [Ir(ppy)₂L] (1), [Ir(ppy)₂L-NO₂](2), [Ir(ppy)₂L-CH₃](3), [Ir(ppy)₂L-Cl](4) and [Ir(ppy)₂L-F] (5). These complexes contain a six-coordinate iridium with a 2C, 4N coordination environment. The N-aryl picolinamide ligands are deprotonated during complexation and the resulting amidates bind to iridium in a chelating manner (N, N). Optical spectroscopic studies revealed that the complexes 1-5 exhibited intense π→π^∗ absorptions in the ultraviolet region. In addition low energy transitions due to ¹MLCT, ¹LLCT and ³MLCT are also seen. The emission spectra of 1-5, upon excitation at 450 nm, show a single emission with a λ_max around 513 nm. The lifetimes of this emission are in between 7.4 and 9.6 μs while the quantum yields are quite high and range from 0.2 to 0.5. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations on 1 and 3, the three highest occupied orbitals are composed of ligand π orbitals mixed with Ir-d orbitals while the three lowest unoccupied orbitals are mostly π orbitals of the ligands. From the time dependent DFT calculations it is revealed that the lowest energy electronic singlet and triplet excitations are a mixture of MLCT and LLCT.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of alpha-hydroxy ketones catalyzed by MsDPEN-Cp*Ir(III) complex

Asymmetric hydrogenation of a series of alpha-hydroxy aromatic ketones in methanol catalyzed by Cp*Ir(OTf)(MsDPEN) (MsDPEN = N-(methanesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine) affords the 1-aryl-1,2-ethanediols in up to 99% ee. The reaction can be conducted with a substrate-to-catalyst molar ratio as high as 6000 under 10 atm of H2. 1-hydroxy-2-propanone is also hydrogenated with high enantioselectivity.     

Ir(III) complexes of diamine ligands for asymmetric ketone hydrogenation

The use of a combination of IrCl₃ with a series of ligands derived from the C2-symmetric diamine diphenylethanediamine (DPEN) forms a catalyst capable of the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones in up to 85% ee.     

Ruthenium(III) complexes of amine-bis(phenolate) ligands as catalysts for transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Twelve ruthenium(III) complexes bearing amine-bis(phenolate) tripodal ligands of general formula [Ru(L¹–L³)(X)(EPh₃)₂] (where L¹–L³ are dianionic tridentate chelator) have been synthesized by the reaction of ruthenium(III) precursors [RuX₃(EPh₃)₃] (where E = P, X = Cl; E = As, X = Cl or Br) and [RuBr₃(PPh₃)₂(CH₃OH)] with the tripodal tridentate ligands H₂L¹, H₂L² and H₂L³ in benzene in 1:1 molar ratio. The newly synthesized complexes have been characterized by analytical (elemental and magnetic susceptibility) and spectral methods. The complexes are one electron paramagnetic (low-spin, d⁵) in nature. The EPR spectra of the powdered samples at RT and the liquid samples at LNT shows the presence of three different ‘g’ values (g_x ≠ g_y ≠ g_z) indicate a rhombic distortion around the ruthenium ion. The redox potentials indicate that all the complexes undergo one electron transfer process. The catalytic activity of one of the complexes [Ru(pcr-chx)Br(AsPh₃)₂] was examined in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones and was found to be efficient with conversion up to 99% in the presence of isopropanol/KOH.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones using a ruthenium(II) catalyst containing BINOL-derived monodonor phosphorus-donor ligands

[structure: see text] A series of ruthenium(II) complexes containing BINOL-based monodonor phosphorus ligands have been prepared and applied to the asymmetric catalysis of the hydrogenation of aryl/alkyl ketones. The best ligands for this application are those which contain an aromatic groups with either a methoxide or bromide on the ortho position. Using these ligands, alcohols with ee's of up to 99% are formed.     

Transfer hydrogenation of activated ketones using novel chiral Ru(II)-N-arenesulfonyl-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine complexes

A series of α-keto esters and α,α,α-trifluoromethyl ketones were reduced in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities under Ru-catalysed transfer hydrogenation using novel chiral N-arenesulfonyl-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine ligands.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones with polymer-supported chiral 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine

[reaction: see text] A poly(ethylene glycol)-supported chiral diamine (PEG-2), in which the polymer is attached to the phenyl rings, has been synthesized and shown to be highly effective in asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized aromatic ketones with the possibility of reuse. PEG-2 can also serve as a chiral scaffold on which various immobilized chiral catalysts could be easily built.     

Synthetic control of excited-state properties in cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes using ancillary ligands

The synthesis and photophysical characterization of a series of (N,C(2')-(2-para-tolylpyridyl))2 Ir(LL') [(tpy)2 Ir(LL')] (LL' = 2,4-pentanedionato (acac), bis(pyrazolyl)borate ligands and their analogues, diphosphine chelates and tert-butylisocyanide (CN-t-Bu)) are reported. A smaller series of [(dfppy)2 Ir(LL')] (dfppy = N,C(2')-2-(4',6'-difluorophenyl)pyridyl) complexes were also examined along with two previously reported compounds, (ppy)2 Ir(CN)2- and (ppy)2 Ir(NCS)2- (ppy = N,C(2')-2-phenylpyridyl). The (tpy)2 Ir(PPh2CH2)2 BPh2 and [(tpy)2 Ir(CN-t-Bu)2](CF3SO3) complexes have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The Ir-C(aryl) bond lengths in (tpy)2 Ir(CN-t-Bu)2+ (2.047(5) and 2.072(5) A) and (tpy)2 Ir(PPh2CH2)2 BPh2 (2.047(9) and 2.057(9) A) are longer than their counterparts in (tpy)2 Ir(acac) (1.982(6) and 1.985(7) A). Density functional theory calculations carried out on (ppy)2 Ir(CN-Me)2+ show that the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) consists of a mixture of phenyl-pi and Ir-d orbitals, while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is localized primarily on the pyridyl-pi orbitals. Electrochemical analysis of the (tpy)2 Ir(LL') complexes shows that the reduction potentials are largely unaffected by variation in the ancillary ligand, whereas the oxidation potentials vary over a much wider range (as much as 400 mV between two different LL' ligands). Spectroscopic analysis of the cyclometalated Ir complexes reveals that the lowest energy excited state (T1) is a triplet ligand-centered state (3LC) on the cyclometalating ligand admixed with 1MLCT (MLCT = metal-to-ligand charge-transfer) character. The different ancillary ligands alter the 1MLCT state energy mainly by changing the HOMO energy. Destabilization of the 1MLCT state results in less 1MLCT character mixed into the T1 state, which in turn leads to an increase in the emission energy. The increase in emission energy leads to a linear decrease in ln(k(nr)) (k(nr) = nonradiative decay rate). Decreased 1MLCT character in the T1 state also increases the Huang-Rhys factors in the emission spectra, decreases the extinction coefficient of the T1 transition, and consequently decreases the radiative decay rates (k(r)). Overall, the luminescence quantum yields decline with increasing emission energies. A linear dependence of the radiative decay rate (k(r)) or extinction coefficient (epsilon) on (1/deltaE)2 has been demonstrated, where deltaE is the energy difference between the 1MLCT and 3LC transitions. A value of 200 cm(-1) for the spin-orbital coupling matrix element 3LC absolute value(H(SO)) 1MLCT of the (tpy)2 Ir(LL') complexes can be deduced from this linear relationship. The (fppy)2 Ir(LL') complexes with corresponding ancillary ligands display similar trends in excited-state properties.     

Asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones catalyzed by novel chiral N,N′-dioxide titanium complexes

A novel C₂-symmetric chiral N,N′-dioxide titanium complex was described, which could efficiently catalyze the asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones in high yields with up to 92% ee under mild conditions. In addition, the catalyst system was simple and the ligands could be easily prepared from commercially available chiral amino acid.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones using polymeric catalyst prepared from polymer-supported 1,2-diamine

tert-Butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) protected chiral 1,2-diamine monomers 3 were copolymerized with achiral vinyl monomers such as styrene, methacrylates, acrylates, methacrylamide, and acrylamide to give crosslinked polymers P2 containing chiral 1,2-diamine moieties. Deprotection of the Boc groups in the polymer afforded the crosslinked chiral 1,2-diamine polymer P3. The diamine polymer was allowed to react with RuCl₂/BINAP in DMF to form polymeric complex. Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones smoothly proceeded using the polymeric complex to give the corresponding secondary alcohol in quantitative yield with high level of enantioselectivity up to 98% ee in a mixed solvent of DMF and 2-propanol. The polymeric catalyst can be recycled several times without loss of the activity.     

Rhodium(III) NCN pincer complexes catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Air-stable monomeric rhodium(III) NCN pincer complexes were synthesized via direct C-H bond activation of 1,3-bis(2-pyridyloxy)benzene, 3,5-bis(2-pyridyloxy)toluene and 3,5-bis(2-pyridyloxy)anisole with RhCl₃·3H₂O in ethanol under reflux. The synthesized complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and ¹H NMR. One of the complexes was structurally characterized by X-ray analysis. An investigation into the catalytic activity of the complex 1a as catalyst for transfer hydrogenation of ketones to alcohols at 82 °C in the presence of iPrOH/KOH was undertaken with the conversions up to 99%.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones with new P-chirogenic monophosphine ligands

Novel P-chirogenic anisylphenyl-HMOP derivatives have been synthesised from (R)-2,2′-bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)1,1′-binaphthyl. Preliminary results concerning the asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)acetophenone with Ru(II)-HMOP complexes in combination with various diamines was also tackled.     

Spectroscopic and structural characterization of cationic N-(2-aminoethyl)aziridine-N,N′ chelate complexes of the d-metals Rh(III) and Ir(III)

The syntheses of the compounds [M(Cp^∗)(aeaz)(az)](OTf)₂ (4, 5) (M = Rh(III), Ir(III); aeaz = C₂H₄NC₂H₄NH₂, az = C₂H₄NH (3)) containing cationic N-(2-aminoethyl)aziridine-N,N′ chelate complexes are described. The bis-aziridine complexes [MCl(Cp^∗)(az)₂]Cl (M = Rh (1), M = Ir (2)) react with an excess of the aziridine (az) in the presence of AgO₃SCF₃ (=AgOTf) via AgCl precipitation and az addition followed by a metal-mediated coupling reaction, to give the compounds [M(Cp^∗)(aeaz)(az)](OTf)₂ (4, 5). The new aeaz ligand is formally the dimerisation product of az. Using the same reaction conditions with the analogous, but weaker Lewis acidic ruthenium(II) complex [RuCl(C₆Me₆)(az)₂]Cl (6) an anion exchange reaction yielding [RuCl(C₆Me₆)(az)₂]OTf (8) is observed. After purification, all compounds are fully characterized using IR, FAB-MS, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The single crystal X-ray structure analysis reveals a distorted octahedral geometry for all complexes.     

Two pseudo-N3 ligands and the catalytic activity of their ruthenium(II) complexes in transfer hydrogenation and hydrogenation of ketones

Complex RuCl₂(PPh₃)(iBu-BTP) (5) was synthesized by the reaction of 2,6-bis(5,6-bis(iso-butyl)-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)pyridine (iBu-BTP) and RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ in refluxing toluene, and its molecular structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic determination. Complex 5 was applied as a catalyst for transfer hydrogenation of ketones and exhibited catalytic activity comparable to RuCl₂(PPh₃)(Me₄BPPy) (1) (Me₄BPPy = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)pyridine) in some cases. The difference between the catalytic activity of 5 and 1 is attributed to the significantly different arrangement and positions of the PPh₃ and chlorides and also to the different electron density on the N-heterocycles. Complex 1 exhibited good to excellent catalytic activity in hydrogenation of ketones under mild conditions. These results have suggested new applications of iBu-BTP and Me₄BPPy as promising planar tridentate pseudo-N₃ ligands to construct highly active transition-metal catalysts.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of alpha-chloro aromatic ketones catalyzed by eta6-arene/TsDPEN-ruthenium(II) complexes

Asymmetric hydrogenation of various alpha-chloro aromatic ketones with Ru(OTf)(TsDPEN)(eta6-arene) (TsDPEN = N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine) produces the chiral chlorohydrins in up to 98% ee. This reaction can be conducted even on a 206-g scale. The hydrogenation of an alpha-chloro ketone with a phenol moiety has been utilized for the synthesis of (R)-norphenylephrine without protection-deprotection operations. [reaction: see text].     

Asymmetric hydrogenation using ferrocenylphosphine rhodium(I) cationic complexes

High optical yields are obtained in the hydrogenation of α-acetamidocinnamic acid using [(COD)Rh((+)PPFA)]ClO₄ and related complexes as catalysts. (+)PPFA is (S)-α-[(R)-2-diphenylphosphinoferrocenyl] ethyldimethylamine.     

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones catalyzed by phosphine-rhodium(I) and -iridium(I) complexes

The asymmetric hydrogen transfer from propan-2-ol to prochiral ketones is effectively catalyzed by diphosphine complexes of iridium and rhodium. The influence of the reaction conditions on the activity and selectivity of the catalysts has been investigated.     

Chelating bis-carbene rhodium(III) complexes in transfer hydrogenation of ketones and imines

Chelating rhodium(III) carbene complexes are accessible via a simple synthesis and are catalytically active for hydrogen transfer from alcohols to ketones and imines.