σ‐Alkylpalladium Intermediates in Intramolecular Heck Reactions:Isolation and Catalytic Activity

The isolation of σ‐alkylpalladium Heck intermediates, possible when β‐hydride elimination is inhibited, is a rather rare event. Performing intramolecular Heck reactions on N‐allyl‐2‐halobenzylamines in the presence of [Pd(PPh₃)₄], we isolated and characterized a series of stable bridged palladacycles containing an iodine or bromine atom on the palladium atom. Indolyl substrates were also tested for isolation of the corresponding complexes. X‐ray crystallographic analysis of one of the indolyl derivatives revealed the presence of a five‐membered palladacycle with the metal center bearing a PPh₃ ligand and an iodine atom in a cis position with respect to the nitrogen atom. The stability of the σ‐alkylpalladium complexes is probably a consequence of the strong constraint resulting from the bridged junction that hampers the cisoid conformation essential for β‐hydride elimination. Subsequently, the thus obtained bridged five‐membered palladacycles were proven to be effective precatalysts in Heck reactions as well as in cross‐coupling processes such as Suzuki and Stille reactions.     

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.     

Structure and Isotope Effects of the β‐H Agostic (α‐Diimine)Nickel Cation as a Polymerization Intermediate

Single‐crystal X‐ray characterization of cationic (α‐diimine)Ni‐ethyl and isopropyl β‐agostic complexes, which are key intermediates in olefin polymerization and oligomerization, are presented. The sharp Ni‐C_α‐C_β angles (75.0(3)° and 74.57(18)°) and short C_α−C_β distances (1.468(7) and 1.487(5) Å) provide unambiguous evidence for a β‐agostic interaction. An inverse equilibrium isotope effect (EIE) for ligand coordination upon cleavage of the agostic bond highlights the weaker bond strength of Ni−H relative to the C−H bond. An Eyring plot for β‐hydride elimination–olefin rotation–reinsertion is constructed from variable‐temperature NMR spectra with ¹³C‐labeled agostic complexes. The enthalpy of activation (ΔH ^≠) for β‐H elimination is 13.2 kcal mol⁻¹. These results offer important mechanistic insight into two critical steps in polymerization: ligand association upon cleavage of the β‐agostic bonds and chain‐migration via β‐H elimination.     

Are β‐H‐Eliminations or Alkene Insertions Feasible Elementary Steps in Catalytic Cycles Involving Gold(I) Alkyl Species or Gold(I) Hydrides?

The β‐H‐elimination in the (IPr)AuEt complex and its microscopic reverse, the insertion of ethene into (IPr)AuH, were investigated in a combined experimental and computational study. Our DFT‐D3 calculations predict free‐energy barriers of 49.7 and 36.4 kcal mol^?1 for the elimination and insertion process, respectively, which permit an estimation of the rate constants for these reactions according to classical transition‐state theory. The elimination/insertion pathway is found to involve a high‐energy ethene hydride species and is not significantly affected by continuum solvent effects. The high barriers found in the theoretical study were then confirmed experimentally by measuring decomposition temperatures for several different (IPr)Au^I‐alkyl complexes which, with a slow decomposition at 180 °C, are significantly higher than those of other transition‐metal alkyl complexes. In addition, at the same temperature, the decomposition of (IPr)AuPh and (IPr)AuMe, both of which cannot undergo β‐H‐elimination, indicates that the pathway for the observed decomposition at 180 °C is not a β‐H‐elimination. According to the calculations, the latter should not occur at temperatures below 200 °C. The microscopic reverse of the β‐H‐elimination, the insertion of ethene into the (IPr)AuH could neither be observed at pressures up to 8 bar at RT nor at 1 bar at 80 °C. The same is true for the strain‐activated norbornene.     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed sp2‐C−H Activation: Intermolecular Heterocyclization with Allenes at Room Temperature

The reactivity of allenes in transition‐metal‐catalyzed C?H activation chemistry is governed by the formation of either alkenyl–metal (M–alkenyl) or metal–π‐allyl intermediates. Although either protonation or a β‐hydride elimination is feasible with a M–alkenyl intermediate, cyclization has remained unexplored to date. Furthermore, due to the increased steric hindrance, the regioselectivity for the intramolecular cyclization of the metal–π‐allyl intermediate was hampered towards the more substituted side. To address these issues, a unified approach to synthesize a diverse array of biologically and pharmaceutically relevant heterocyclic moieties by cobalt‐catalyzed directed C?H functionalization was envisioned. Upon successful implementation, the present strategy led to the regioselective formation of dihydroisoquinolin‐1(2H)‐ones, isoquinolin‐1(2H)‐ones, dihydropyridones, and pyridones.     

Cooperative Bond Activation and Catalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide at a Group 13 Metal Center

A single‐component ambiphilic system capable of the cooperative activation of protic, hydridic and apolar H? X bonds across a Group 13 metal/activated β‐diketiminato (Nacnac) ligand framework is reported. The hydride complex derived from the activation of H₂ is shown to be a competent catalyst for the highly selective reduction of CO₂ to a methanol derivative. To our knowledge, this process represents the first example of a reduction process of this type catalyzed by a molecular gallium complex.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed [3+3] Annulation between Diarylamines and α,β‐Unsaturated Acids through CH Activation: Direct Access to 4‐Substituted 2‐Quinolinones

A C?H activation strategy has been successfully employed for the high‐yielding synthesis of a diverse array of 4‐substituted 2‐quinolinone species by a palladium‐catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling involving diarylamines. This intermolecular annulation approach incorporates readily available α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids as the coupling partner by suppressing the facile decarboxylation. Based on preliminary mechanistic studies, a reaction sequence is proposed, involving ortho palladation, π‐coordination, β‐migratory insertion, and β‐hydride elimination.     

Selective Reduction of CO2 to a Formate Equivalent with Heterobimetallic Gold‐ ‐ ‐Copper Hydride Complexes

A series of heterobimetallic complexes containing three‐center, two‐electron Au−H−Cu bonds have been prepared from addition of a parent gold hydride to a bent d¹⁰ copper(I) fragment. These highly unusual heterobimetallic complexes represent a missing link in the widely investigated series of neutral and cationic coinage metal hydride complexes containing Cu−H−Cu and M−H−M⁺ moieties (M=Cu, Ag). The well‐defined heterobimetallic hydride complexes act as precatalysts for the conversion of CO₂ into HCO₂Bpin with HBpin as the reductant. The selectivity of the heterobimetallic complexes for the catalytic production of a formate equivalent surpasses that of the parent monomeric Group 11 complexes.     

Backbiting and β‐scission reactions in free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate

Multiple mechanisms of backbiting and β‐scission reactions in free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate are modeled using different levels of theory, and the rigid‐rotor harmonic‐oscillator (RRHO) and hindered‐rotor (HR) approximations. We identify the most cost‐effective computational method(s) for studying the reactions and assess the effects of different factors (e.g., functional type and chain length) on thermodynamic quantities, and then identify the most likely mechanisms with first‐principles thermodynamic calculations and simulations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. To this end, the composite method G4(MP2)‐6X is used to calculate the energy barrier of a representative backbiting reaction. This calculated barrier is then compared with values obtained using density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP, M06‐2X, and PBE0) and a wavefunction‐based quantum chemistry method (MP2) to establish the benchmark method. Our study reveals that the barriers predicted using B3LYP, M06‐2X, and G4(MP2)‐6X are comparable. The entropies calculated using the RRHO and HR approximations are also comparable. DFT calculations indicate that the 1:5 backbiting mechanism with a six‐membered ring transition state and 1:7 backbiting with an eight‐membered ring transition state are energetically more favored than 1:3 backbiting and 1:9 backbiting mechanisms. The thermodynamic favorability of 1:5 versus 1:7 backbiting depends on the live polymer chain length. The activation energies and rate constants of the left and right β‐scission reactions are nearly equal. The calculated and experimental ¹³C and ¹H NMR chemical shifts of polymer chains affected by backbiting and β‐scission reactions agree with each other, which provides further evidence in favor of the proposed mechanisms. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Kinetics of Hydride Abstractions from 2‐Arylbenzimidazolines

The rates of the hydride abstractions from the 2‐aryl‐1,3‐dimethyl‐benzimidazolines 1a – f by the benzhydrylium tetrafluoroborates 3a – e were determined photometrically by the stopped‐flow method in acetonitrile at 20 °C. The reactions follow second‐order kinetics, and the corresponding rate constants k₂ obey the linear free energy relationship log k₂(20 °C)= s(N+E), from which the nucleophile‐specific parameters N and s of the 2‐arylbenzimidazolines 1a – c have been derived. With nucleophilicity parameters N around 10, they are among the most reactive neutral C? H hydride donors which have so far been parameterized. The poor correlation between the rates of the hydride transfer reactions and the corresponding hydricities (ΔH⁰) indicates variable intrinsic barriers.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Aerobic Intermolecular Cyclization of Acrylic Acid with 1‐Octene to Afford α‐Methylene‐γ‐butyrolactones: The Remarkable Effect of Continuous Water Removal from the Reaction Mixture and Analysis of the Reaction by Kinetic,ESI‐MS,and XAFS Measurements

Further study of our aerobic intermolecular cyclization of acrylic acid with 1‐octene to afford α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactones, catalyzed by the Pd(OCOCF₃)₂/Cu(OAc)₂ ? H₂O system, has clarified that the accumulation of water generated from oxygen during the reaction causes deactivation of the Cu cocatalyst. This prevents regeneration of the active Pd catalyst and, thus, has a harmful influence on the progress of the cyclization. As a result, both the substrate conversion and product yield are efficiently improved by continuous removal of water from the reaction mixture. Detailed analysis of the kinetic and spectroscopic measurements performed under the condition of continuous water removal demonstrates that the cyclization proceeds in four steps: 1) equilibrium coordination of 1‐octene to the Pd acrylate species, 2) Markovnikov‐type acryloxy palladation of 1‐octene (1,2‐addition), 3) intramolecular carbopalladation, and 4) β‐hydride elimination. Byproduct 2‐acryloxy‐1‐octene is formed by β‐hydride elimination after step 2). These cyclization steps fit the Michaelis–Menten equation well and β‐hydride elimination is considered to be a rate‐limiting step in the formation of the products. Spectroscopic data agree sufficiently with the existence of the intermediates bearing acrylate (Pd? O bond), η³‐C₈H₁₅ (Pd? C bond), or C₁₁H₁₉O₂ (Pd? C bond) moieties on the Pd center as the resting‐state compounds. Furthermore, not only Cu^II, but also Cu^I, species are observed during the reaction time of 2–8 h when the reaction proceeds efficiently. This result suggests that the Cu^II species is partially reduced to the Cu^I species when the active Pd catalytic species are regenerated.     

Metal—-Metal “Communication” of Rh or Pd with Nd in Novel Heterobinuclear Complexes

The reaction of a neodymium “ate” complex and an electron-rich transition metal chloride by salt elimination is an efficient method for synthesizing heterobinuclear compounds which contain a lanthanide and a Group 9 or 10 metal [Eq. (1), H₂Ap=2-amino-4-methylpyridine]. The use of bisaminopyridinato ligands allows extremely short distances between Rh or Pd and Nd.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Carboxylation of Benzylic C−N Bonds with CO2

A user‐friendly Ni‐catalyzed reductive carboxylation of benzylic C?N bonds with CO₂ is described. This procedure outperforms state‐of‐the‐art techniques for the carboxylation of benzyl electrophiles by avoiding commonly observed parasitic pathways, such as homodimerization or β‐hydride elimination, thus leading to new knowledge in cross‐electrophile reactions.     

Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Radical Alkenylation of α‐Carbonyl Alkyl Bromides and Benzyl Bromides

Through the use of [Ru(bpy)₃Cl₂] (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) and [Ir(ppy)₃] (ppy=phenylpyridine) as photocatalysts, we have achieved the first example of visible‐light photocatalytic radical alkenylation of various α‐carbonyl alkyl bromides and benzyl bromides to furnish α‐vinyl carbonyls and allylbenzene derivatives, prominent structural elements of many bioactive molecules. Specifically, this transformation is regiospecific and can tolerate primary, secondary, and even tertiary alkyl halides that bear β‐hydrides, which can be challenging with traditional palladium‐catalyzed approaches. The key initiation step of this transformation is visible‐light‐induced single‐electron reduction of C? Br bonds to generate alkyl radical species promoted by photocatalysts. The following carbon? carbon bond‐forming step involves a radical addition step rather than a metal‐mediated process, thereby avoiding the undesired β‐hydride elimination side reaction. Moreover, we propose that the Ru and Ir photocatalysts play a dual role in the catalytic system: they absorb energy from the visible light to facilitate the reaction process and act as a medium of electron transfer to activate the alkyl halides more effectively. Overall, this photoredox catalysis method opens new synthetic opportunities for the efficient alkenylation of alkyl halides that contain β‐hydrides under mild conditions.     

Thermodynamic Phase Transition Through Crystal‐to‐Crystal Process of Photochromic 1,2‐Bis(5‐phenyl‐2‐propyl‐3‐thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene

A photochromic diarylethene, 1,2‐bis(5‐phenyl‐2‐propyl‐3‐thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene ( 1a ), was found to have two polymorphic crystal forms, α‐ and β‐crystals. From X‐ray crystallographic analysis, the space groups of α‐ and β‐crystals were determined to be P2₁/c and C2/c, respectively. The difference between two crystal forms is ascribed to the orientation of two of four molecules in the unit cell. The thermodynamic phase transition from α‐ to β‐forms occurred via a crystal‐to‐crystal process, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry measurements, optical microscopic observations in the reflection mode and under crossed Nicols, and powder X‐ray diffraction measurements. The movement of the molecules in the crystal was evaluated by analyzing the change of face indices before and after the phase transition.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Formal Sonogashira Coupling and α‐Carbonyl Arylation Reactions

Transition‐metal‐free formal Sonogashira coupling and α‐carbonyl arylation reactions have been developed. These transformations are based on the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) of β‐carbonyl sulfones to electron‐deficient aryl fluorides, producing a key intermediate that, depending on the reaction conditions, gives the aromatic alkynes or α‐aryl carbonyl compounds. The development of these reactions is presented and, based on investigations under basic and acidic conditions, mechanisms have been proposed. To develop the formal Sonogashira coupling further, a milder, two‐step protocol is also disclosed that expands the reaction concept. The scope of these reactions is demonstrated for the synthesis of Sonogashira and α‐carbonyl arylated products from a range of electron‐deficient aryl fluorides with a variety of functional groups and aryl‐, heteroaryl‐, alkyl‐, and alkoxy‐substituted sulfone nucleophiles. These transition‐metal‐free reactions complement the metal‐catalyzed versions in terms of substitution patterns, simplicity, and reaction conditions.     

Generalized Nonaqueous Sol–Gel Synthesis of Different Transition‐Metal Niobate Nanocrystals and Analysis of the Growth Mechanism

A general nonaqueous route for the synthesis of phase‐pure transition‐metal niobate (InNbO₄, MnNb₂O₆, and YNbO₄) nanocrystals was developed based on the one‐pot solvothermal reaction of niobium chloride and the corresponding transition‐metal acetylacetonates in benzyl alcohol at 200 °C. All samples were carefully characterized by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis. The crystallization mechanism of these niobate nanocrystals points to a two‐step pathway. First, metal hydroxide crystals and amorphous niobium oxide are formed. Second, metal niobate nanocrystals are generated from the intermediates by a dissolution–recrystallization mechanism. The reaction mechanisms, that is, the processes responsible for the oxygen supply for oxide formation, were found to be rather complex and involve niobium‐mediated ether elimination as the main pathway, accompanied by solvolysis of the acetylacetonate ligands and benzylation reactions.     

Transition‐metal compatibilization of poly(4‐bromostyrene) and polybutadiene via palladium(0) catalyzed reactions

Immiscible blends of 1,2‐polybutadiene and poly(4‐bromostyrene) can be compatibilized by rather low concentrations of Pd⁽⁰⁾[P(C₆H₅)₃]₄ at ambient temperature and 60 °C under argon. Two distinct glass‐transition temperatures merge into a single glass‐transition temperature at high enough concentrations of Pd⁽⁰⁾ (i.e., 2 or 3 mol %). Compatibilization does not occur if Pd⁽⁰⁾ is absent, triphenylphosphine is added without Pd⁽⁰⁾, or polystyrene is not functionalized. The methodology described herein is also useful for inducing melting‐point depression of 2,7‐dibromofluorene in ternary complexes with 1,2‐polybutadiene and Pd⁽⁰⁾. A 72/28 complex of poly(4‐bromostyrene) and 1,2‐polybutadiene with 5.5 mol % Pd⁽⁰⁾ exhibits a reinforced rubbery response with a modulus of 1.2 × 10⁷ N/m², a fracture strain of 235%, and a single glass‐transition temperature. Mechanical properties of these compatibilized ternary systems compare well with those of styrene–butadiene block copolymers, particularly above 100% strain. A five‐step mechanism that includes oxidative addition, olefin coordination, migratory insertion, β‐hydride elimination, and reductive elimination in the coordination sphere of the transition metal is proposed to illustrate how either poly(4‐bromostyrene) or 2,7‐dibromofluorene is linked covalently to alkene side groups in the diene polymer via the Heck reaction. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 677–688, 2001     

Thermal Ammonia Activation by Cationic Transition‐Metal Hydrides of the First Row – Small but Mighty

The thermal reactions of cationic 3d transition‐metal hydrides MH⁺ (M=Sc–Zn, except V and Cu) with ammonia have been studied by gas‐phase experiments and computational methods. There are three primary reaction channels: 1) H₂ elimination by N? H bond activation, 2) ligand exchange under the formation of M(NH₃)⁺, and 3) proton transfer to yield NH₄⁺. Computational studies of these three reaction channels have been performed for the couples MH⁺/NH₃ (M=Sc–Zn) to elucidate mechanistic aspects and characteristic reaction patterns of the first row. For N? H activation, σ‐bond metathesis was found to be operative.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of β‐Ketoiminate‐Stabilized Gallium Hydrides for Chemical Vapor Deposition Applications

Bis‐β‐ketoimine ligands of the form [(CH₂)_n{N(H)C(Me)?CHC(Me)?O}₂] (LⁿH₂, n=2, 3 and 4) were employed in the formation of a range of gallium complexes [Ga(Lⁿ)X] (X=Cl, Me, H), which were characterised by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The β‐ketoimine ligands have also been used for the stabilisation of rare gallium hydride species [Ga(Lⁿ)H] (n=2 ( 7 ); n=3 ( 8 )), which have been structurally characterised for the first time, confirming the formation of five‐coordinate, monomeric species. The stability of these hydrides has been probed through thermal analysis, revealing stability at temperatures in excess of 200 °C. The efficacy of all the gallium β‐ketoiminate complexes as molecular precursors for the deposition of gallium oxide thin films by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) has been investigated through thermogravimetric analysis and deposition studies, with the best results being found for a bimetallic gallium methyl complex [L³{GaMe₂}₂] ( 5 ) and the hydride [Ga(L³)H] ( 8 ). The resulting films ( F5 and F8 , respectively) were amorphous as‐deposited and thus were characterised primarily by XPS, EDXA and SEM techniques, which showed the formation of stoichiometric ( F5 ) and oxygen‐deficient ( F8 ) Ga₂O₃ thin films.