The Mechanism of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Organocatalysis through a Magnifying Glass

The term “N-Heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis” is often invoked in organic synthesis for reactions that are catalyzed by different azolium salts in the presence of bases. Although the mechanism of these reactions is considered today evident, a closer look into the details that have been collected throughout the last century reveals that there are many open questions and even contradictions in the field. Emerging new theoretical and experimental results offer solutions to these problems, because they show that through considering alternative reaction mechanisms a more consistent picture on the catalytic process can be obtained. These novel perspectives will be able to extend the scope of the reactions that we call today N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis.     

Ambident Reactivity of Imidazolium Cations as Evidence of the Dynamic Nature of N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Mediated Organocatalysis

This work reveals ambident nucleophilic reactivity of imidazolium cations towards carbonyl compounds at the C2 or C4 carbene centers depending on the steric properties of the substrates and reaction conditions. Such an adaptive behavior indicates the dynamic nature of organocatalysis proceeding via a covalent interaction of imidazolium carbenes with carbonyl substrates and can be explained by generation of the H-bonded ditopic carbanionic carbenes.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Radical Coupling of Aldehydes with Redox‐Active Esters

N‐Heterocyclic carbene catalyzed radical reactions are challenging and underdeveloped. In a recent study, Ohmiya, Nagao and co‐workers found that aldehyde carbonyl carbon centers can be coupled with alkyl radicals under NHC catalysis. An elegant aspect of this study is the use of a redox‐active carboxylic ester that behaves as an single‐electron oxidant to convert the Breslow intermediate into a radical adduct and concurrently release an alkyl radical intermediate as a reaction partner.     

Access to Enantioenriched Organosilanes from Enals and β‐Silyl Enones: Carbene Organocatalysis

Herein, an efficient route to enantioenriched organosilanes, containing two consecutive stereogenic centers, from enals and β‐silyl enones under carbene organocatalysis is described. Under mild reaction conditions, this transition‐metal‐free strategy exhibits a broad substrate scope, and excellent diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity.     

Gold(I) Complexes Stabilized by Nine- and Ten-Membered N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands

Nine- and ten-membered N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been developed and for the first time their gold(I) complexes were synthesized. The protonated NHC pro-ligands 2 a – h were prepared by the reaction of readily available N,N′-diarylformamidines with bis-electrophilic building blocks, followed by anion exchange. In situ deprotonation of the tetrafluoroborates 2 a – h with tBuOK in the presence of AuCl(SMe₂) provided fast access to NHC-gold(I) complexes 3 – 10 . These new NHC-gold(I) complexes show very good catalytic activity in a cycloisomerization reaction (0.1 mol % catalyst loading, up to 100 % conversion) and their solid-state structures reveal high steric hindrance around the metal atom (%V_bur up to 53.0) which is caused by their expanded-ring architecture.     

Radical Acylfluoroalkylation of Olefins through N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Organocatalysis

Fluorinated ketones are widely prevalent in numerous biologically interesting molecules, and the development of novel transformations to access these structures is an important task in organic synthesis. Herein, we report the multicomponent radical acylfluoroalkylation of a variety of olefins in the presence of various commercially available aromatic aldehydes and fluoroalkyl reagents through N‐heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis. With this protocol, over 120 examples of functionalized ketones with diverse fluorine substituents have been synthesized in up to 99 % yield with complete regioselectivity. The generality of this catalytic strategy was further highlighted by its successful application in the late‐stage functionalization of pharmaceutical skeletons. Excellent diastereoselectivity could be achieved in the reactions forging multiple stereocenters. In addition, preliminary results have been achieved on the catalytic asymmetric variant of the olefin difunctionalization process.     

Insights into the N‐Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Cyclization of Aldimines: General Mechanism and Role of Catalyst

One of the most challenging questions in the Lewis base organocatalyst field is how to predict the most electrophilic carbon for the complexation of N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and reactant. This study provides a valuable case for this issue. Multiple mechanisms (A, B, C, D, and E) for the intramolecular cyclization of aldimine catalyzed by NHC were investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). The computed results reveal that the NHC energetically prefers attacking the iminyl carbon (AIC mode, which is associated with mechanisms A and C) rather than attacking the olefin carbon (AOC mode, which is associated with mechanisms B and D) or attacking the carbonyl carbon (ACC mode, which is associated with mechanism E) of aldimine. The calculated results based on the different reaction models indicate that mechanism A (AIC mode), which is associated with the formation of the aza‐Breslow intermediate, is the most favorable pathway. For mechanism A, there are five steps: (1) nucleophilic addition of NHC to the iminyl carbon of aldimine; (2) [1,2]‐proton transfer to form an aza‐Breslow intermediate; (3) intramolecular cyclization; (4) the other [1,2]‐proton transfer; and (5) regeneration of NHC. The analyses of reactivity indexes have been applied to explain the chemoselectivity, and the general principles regarding the possible mechanisms would be useful for the rational design of NHC‐catalyzed chemoselective reactions.     

氮杂环卡宾的合成及在氢转移反应中的应用

利用氯甲基吡啶与咪唑反应制备了一系列含吡啶取代咪唑L1～L5,考察了所得咪唑衍生物与钌化合物在碱性条件下原位形成的氮杂卡宾钌络合物对苯胺与醇氢转移反应的催化活性.研究了碱的种类、钌前体、温度等对反应的影响,结果表明RuCl3 H2O/1-(2-吡啶甲基)-3-甲基碘化咪唑(L3)/KOH催化体系在185℃时对苯胺与乙二醇反应的催化活性较高,选择性生成N-羟乙基苯胺,TON(单位活性转化的底物分数)可达2130.此外,还考察了RuCl3 H2O/L3/KOH催化体系对苯胺与丁醇、环己醇、异丙醇、苯甲醇反应的催化性能.在催化剂作用下,醇与苯胺可形成亚胺及仲胺,伯醇可以自氢转移反应形成酯,反应产物的结构及选择性取决于醇的结构及反应条件.     

过渡金属N-杂环卡宾配合物合成

由于N-杂环卡宾配体（NHCs）的独特性能,N-杂环卡宾过渡金属配合物在均相催化等方面取得了重要应用,但是其合成方法却发展缓慢。本文综述了N-杂环卡宾过渡金属配合物合成方法的最新研究进展,介绍了富电子烯烃裂解反应、游离NHC直接配位反应、配体底物的脱质子原位反应、卡宾加合物热解反应、金属交换转移反应和C2-X（X为甲基、卤原子或氢原子）键氧化加成反应等合成N-杂环卡宾过渡金属配合物的主要方法,此外本课题组还首次发现了金属粉末法,该法可用于规模化合成铁、钴、镍、铜等第一过渡系金属NHC配合物。     

N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-Stabilized Ru0 Nanoparticles: In Situ Generation of an Efficient Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyst

Tethered and untethered ruthenium half-sandwich complexes were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. X-ray crystallographic analysis of three untethered and two tethered Ru N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes were also carried out. These RuNHC complexes catalyze transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in 2-propanol under reflux, optimally in the presence of (25 mol %) KOH. Under these conditions, the formation of 2–3 nm-sized Ru⁰ nanoparticles was detected by TEM measurements. A solid-state NMR investigation of the nanoparticles suggested that the NHC ligands were bound to the surface of the Ru nanoparticles (NPs). This base-promoted route to NHC-stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles directly from arene-tethered ruthenium–NHC complexes and from untethered ruthenium–NHC complexes is more convenient than previously known routes to NHC-stabilized Ru nanocatalysts. Similar catalytically active RuNPs were also generated from the reaction of a mixture of [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ and the NHC precursor with KOH in isopropanol under reflux. The transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by these NHC-stabilized RuNPs possess a high turnover number. The catalytic efficiency was significantly reduced if nanoparticles were exposed to air or allowed to aggregate and precipitate by cooling the reaction mixtures during the reaction.     

Radical-Type Reactivity and Catalysis by Single-Electron Transfer to or from Redox-Active Ligands

Controlled ligand-based redox-activity and chemical non-innocence are rapidly gaining importance for selective (catalytic) processes. This Concept aims to provide an overview of the progress regarding ligand-to-substrate single-electron transfer as a relatively new mode of operation to exploit ligand-centered reactivity and catalysis based thereon.     

Functionalised N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands in Bimetallic Architectures

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have become immensely successful ligands in coordination chemistry and homogeneous catalysis due to their strong terminal σ-donor properties. However, by targeting NHC ligands with additional functionalisation, a new area of NHC coordination chemistry has developed that has enabled NHCs to be used to build up bimetallic and multimetallic architectures. This minireview covers the development of functionalised NHC ligands that incorporate additional donor sites in order to coordinate two or more metal atoms. This can be through the N-atom of the NHC ring, through a donor group attached to the N-atom or the carbon backbone, coordination of the π-bond or an annulated π-donor on the backbone, or through direct metalation of the backbone.     

Tunable Light-Emission Properties of Solution-Processable N-Heterocyclic Carbene Cyclometalated Gold(III) Complexes for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) cyclometalated gold(III) complexes remain very scarce and therefore their photophysical properties remain currently underexplored. Moreover, gold(III) complexes emitting in the blue region of the electromagnetic spectrum are rare. In this work, a series of four phosphorescent gold(III) complexes was investigated bearing four different NHC monocyclometalated (C^C*)-type ligands and a dianionic (N^N)-type ancillary ligand ((N^N)=5,5’-(propane-2,2-diyl)bis(3-(trifluoromethyl)-1 H-pyrazole) (mepzH₂)). The complexes exhibit strong phosphorescence when doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at room temperature, which were systematically tuned from sky-blue [λ_PL=456 nm, CIE coordinates: (0.20, 034)] to green [λ_PL=516 nm, CIE coordinates: (0.31, 0.54)] by varying the monocyclometalated (C^C*) ligand framework. The complexes revealed high quantum efficiencies (ϕ_PL) of up to 43 % and excited-state lifetimes (τ₀) between 15–266 μs. The radiative rate constant values found for these complexes (k_r=10³–10⁴ s⁻¹) are the highest found in comparison to previously known best-performing monocyclometalated gold(III) complexes. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations of these complexes further lend support to the excited-state nature of these complexes. The calculations showed a significant contribution of the gold(III) metal center in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of up to 18 %, which was found to be unique for this class of cyclometalated gold(III) complexes. Additionally, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated by using a solution process to provide the first insight into the electroluminescent (EL) properties of this new class of gold(III) complexes.     

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Analogues of Nucleophilic Phosphinidene Transition Metal Complexes

Chloride abstraction from the complexes [(η⁶-p-cymene){(IDipp)P}MCl] ( 2 a , M=Ru; 2 b , M=Os) and [(η⁵-C₅Me₅){(IDipp)P}IrCl] ( 3 b , IDipp=1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) with sodium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (NaBAr^F) in the presence of trimethylphosphine (PMe₃), 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazolin-2-ylidene (^MeIMe) or carbon monoxide (CO) afforded the complexes [(η⁶-p-cymene){(IDipp)P}M(PMe₃)]BAr^F] ( 4 a , M=Ru; 4 b , M=Os), [(η⁶-p-cymene){(IDipp)P}Os(^MeIMe)]BAr^F] ( 5 ) and [(η⁵-C₅Me₅){(IDipp)P}IrL][BAr^F] ( 6 , L=PMe₃; 7 , L=^MeIMe; 8 , L=CO). These cationic N-heterocyclic carbene-phosphinidene complexes feature very similar structural and spectroscopic properties as prototypic nucleophilic arylphosphinidene complexes such as low-field ³¹P NMR resonances and short metal-phosphorus double bonds. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the metal-phosphorus bond can be described in terms of an interaction between a triplet [(IDipp)P]⁺ cation and a triplet metal complex fragment ligand with highly covalent σ- and π-contributions. Crystals of the C−H activated complex 9 were isolated from solutions containing the PMe₃ complex, and its formation can be rationalized by PMe₃ dissociation and formation of a putative 16-electron intermediate [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ir{P(IDipp)}I][BAr^F], which undergoes C−H activation at one of the Dipp isopropyl groups and addition along the iridium-phosphorus bond to afford an unusual η³-benzyl coordination mode.     

Helical Chiral N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands in Enantioselective Gold Catalysis

The first chiral helicene-NHC gold(I) complexes efficient in enantioselective catalysis were prepared. The L-shaped chiral ligand is composed of an imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-ylidene (IPy) scaffold laterally substituted by a configurationally stable [5]-helicenoid unit. The chiral information was introduced in a key post-functionalization step of a NHC-gold(I) complex bearing a symmetrical anionic fluoreno[5]helicene substituent, leading to a racemic mixture of complexes featuring three correlated elements of chirality, namely central, axial and helical chirality. After HPLC enantiomeric resolution, X-ray crystallography and theoretical calculations enabled structural and stereochemical characterization of these configurationally stable NHC-gold(I) complexes. The high potential in asymmetric catalysis is demonstrated in the benchmark cycloisomerization of N-tethered 1,6-enynes with up to 95 : 5 er.     

Exploring Molecular Complexity by N-Heterocyclic Carbene Organocatalysis: New Activation and Reaction Diversity

The development of catalytic synthetic approaches towards molecular complexity from simple materials continues to be an ultimate goal in synthetic chemistry. Over the past decades, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) organocatalysis has been extensively investigated to provide opportunities for a vast number of novel chemical transformations. Various activation modes and reactive intermediates enabled by NHC small-molecule catalysts, such as Breslow intermediates, (homo)enolates, acyl azoliums and their derived unsaturated azoliums exhibit great potential in the construction of complicated skeletons. This personal account will summarize our group's recent work in the exploration of new activation modes of NHC catalysis towards molecular complexity with a focus on the development and applications of NHC to achieve diversity and enantioselectivity in the preparation of functional molecules.     

Indol-2-ylidene (IdY): Ambiphilic N-Heterocyclic Carbene Derived from Indole**

The synthesis of ambiphilic N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, indol-2-ylidene (IdY, A ), is described. A series of indolenium precursors ( 2 a – f ) were prepared on a gram scale in good yields. Trapping experiments with elemental selenium, [RhCl(cod)]₂ and CuCl provided the expected carbene adducts. Further computational and spectroscopic studies supported the ambiphilicity of IdY, which lies between cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAAC-5) and cyclic (amino)(aryl)carbene (CAArC). The copper complexes ( 6 ) show high percent buried volume (% V_bur = 58.1) and allow for carboboration of terminal alkynes within 30 minutes in a demonstration of synthetic utility with good yields and high regioselectivity.     

N-杂环卡宾催化选择性有机反应的新进展

近年来,有关N-杂环卡宾(NHC)的合成、催化性能及其应用得到了快速发展,特别是在催化选择性有机反应领域,NHC类催化剂显示出催化效率高、选择性好及性能优异等特点,而引起人们极大的关注。 本文从区域选择性、顺反异构选择性及手性选择性等方面综述了NHC催化选择性有机反应的最新进展,并予以了展望。     

Lewis酸对氮杂环卡宾协同催化体系中反应途径的调控

该研究基于氮杂环卡宾（N-heterocyclic carbene,NHC）新颖的协同催化策略,通过Lewis酸共催化剂调控反应具体途径.从α,β-不饱和醛类化合物出发,立足于多反应位点的高烯醇中间体,与氯化镁协作实现高对映选择性的质子转移历程,构建β-手性酯类产物;在相似的反应体系中与氯化钌协作实现高效的空气氧化,构建α,β-不饱和酯类化合物.这两个迥异的反应途径对底物均有较好的官能团容忍性,以高转化率得到目标产物.