Metal‐Free I2‐Catalyzed Highly Selective Dehydrogenative Coupling of Alcohols and Cyclohexenones

The I₂ catalyzed highly selective oxidative condensation of cyclohexenones and alcohols for the synthesis of aryl alkyl ethers has been described. DMSO is employed as the mild terminal oxidant. This novel methodology offers a metal‐free reaction condition, operational simplicity and broad substrate scope to afford valuable products from inexpensive reagents. Various meta‐substituted aromatic ethers which are hardly synthesized from the reported methods requiring meta‐substituted phenols, are efficiently prepared by the present protocol.     

Ligand‐Assisted Co‐Assembly Approach toward Mesoporous Hybrid Catalysts of Transition‐Metal Oxides and Noble Metals: Photochemical Water Splitting

A bottom‐up synthetic approach was developed for the preparation of mesoporous transition‐metal‐oxide/noble‐metal hybrid catalysts through ligand‐assisted co‐assembly of amphiphilic block‐copolymer micelles and polymer‐tethered noble‐metal nanoparticles (NPs). The synthetic approach offers a general and straightforward method to precisely tune the sizes and loadings of noble‐metal NPs in metal oxides. This system thus provides a solid platform to clearly understand the role of noble‐metal NPs in photochemical water splitting. The presence of trace amounts of metal NPs (≈0.1 wt %) can enhance the photocatalytic activity for water splitting up to a factor of four. The findings can conceivably be applied to other semiconductors/noble‐metal catalysts, which may stand out as a new methodology to build highly efficient solar energy conversion systems.     

Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Alcohols by Enantioselective Silylation Enabled by Two Orthogonal Transition‐Metal Catalysts

A nonenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of acyclic and cyclic benzylic alcohols is reported. The approach merges rapid transition‐metal‐catalyzed alcohol racemization and enantioselective Cu‐H‐catalyzed dehydrogenative Si‐O coupling of alcohols and hydrosilanes. The catalytic processes are orthogonal, and the racemization catalyst does not promote any background reactions such as the racemization of the silyl ether and its unselective formation. Often‐used ruthenium half‐sandwich complexes are not suitable but a bifunctional ruthenium pincer complex perfectly fulfills this purpose. By this, enantioselective silylation of racemic alcohol mixtures is achieved in high yields and with good levels of enantioselection.     

Mixed‐Ligand Catalysts: A Powerful Tool in Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions

Transition‐metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions have fundamentally revolutionized organic synthesis, empowering the otherwise difficult to achieve products with rapid and convenient accesses alongside excellent yields. Within these reactions, ligands often play a critical role in specifically and effectively advocating the corresponding catalysis. Consequently, a myriad of ligands have been created and applied to make a fine tuning of electronic and steric effect of catalysts, remarkably promoting catalytic efficiency and applicability. The “mixed‐ligand” concept has recently emerged; by combining and capitalizing on the superiority of each individual ligand already available, an expedient way can be achieved to reach a larger extent of catalytic diversity and efficacy. Given the availability of a wealth of ligands, it is reasonable to have great expectations for the original application of mixed‐ligand catalytic systems and their important value in organic synthesis.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Synthesis of 1,3‐Butadiene‐Containing π‐Conjugated Polymers

This work describes the synthesis of π‐conjugated polymers possessing arylene and 1,3‐butadiene alternating units in the main chain by the reaction of α,β‐unsaturated ester/nitrile containing γ‐H with aromatic/heteroaromatic aldehyde compound. By using 4‐(4‐formylphenyl)‐2‐butylene acid ethyl ester as a model monomer, the different polymerization conditions, including catalyst, catalyst amount, and solvent, are optimized. The polymerization of 4‐(4‐formylphenyl)‐2‐butylene acid ethyl ester is carried out by refluxing in ethanol for 72 h with 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU) as a catalyst to give a 1,3‐butadiene‐containing π‐conjugated polymer, poly(phenylene‐1,3‐butadiene), in 84.3% yield with and / (PDI) estimated as 6172 and 1.65, respectively. Based on this new methodology, a series of π‐conjugated polymers containing 1,3‐butadiene units with different substituents are obtained in high yields. A possible mechanism is proposed for the polymerization through a six‐membered ring transition state and then a 1,5‐H shift intermediate.

     

Imidazolin‐2‐ylidenaminophosphines as Highly Electron‐Rich Ligands for Transition‐Metal Catalysts

A variety of chemical transformations benefit from the use of strong electron‐donating ancillary ligands, such as alkylphosphines or N‐heterocyclic carbenes when electron‐rich metal centers are required. Herein, we describe a facile and highly modular access to monodentate and bidentate imidazolin‐2‐ylidenamino‐substituted phosphines. Evaluation of the phosphine’s electronic properties substantiate that the formal replacement of alkyl or aryl groups by imidazolin‐2‐ylidenamino groups dramatically enhance their donor ability beyond that of alkylphosphines and even N‐heterocyclic carbenes. The new phosphines have been coordinated onto palladium(II) centers, and the beneficial effect of the novel substitution patterns has been explored by using the corresponding complexes in the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction of non‐activated aryl chloride substrates.     

Catalysis by Ir(III), Rh(III) and Pd(II) metal ions in the oxidation of organic compounds with H2O2

Catalytic activities of three transition metals, as iridium (III) chloride, rhodium (III) chloride and palladium (II) chloride, were compared in the oxidation of six aromatic aldehydes (benzaldehyde, p‐chloro benzaldehyde, p‐nitro benzaldehyde, m‐nitro benzaldehyde, p‐methoxy benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde), two hydrocarbons (viz. (anthracene and phenanthrene)) and one aromatic and one cyclic alcohol (cyclohexanol and benzyl alcohol) by 50% H₂O₂. The presence of traces (substrate: catalyst ratio equal to 1:62500 to 1:1961) of the chlorides of iridium(III), rhodium(III) and palladium(II) catalyze these oxidations, resulting in good to excellent yields. It was observed that in most of the cases palladium(II) chloride is the most efficient catalyst. Conditions for the highest and most economical yields were obtained. Deviation from the optimum conditions decreases the yields. Oxidation in aromatic aldehydes is selective at the aldehydeic group only and other groups remain unaffected. This new, simple and economical method, which is environmentally safe, also requires less time. Reactive species of catalysts, existing in the reaction mixture are also discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed CS Bond Coupling Reaction

Sulfur‐containing molecules such as thioethers are commonly found in chemical biology, organic synthesis, and materials chemistry. While many reliable methods have been developed for preparing these compounds, harsh reaction conditions are usually required in the traditional methods. The transition metals have been applied in this field, and the palladium‐catalyzed coupling of thiols with aryl halides and pseudo halides is one of the most important methods in the synthesis of thioethers. Other metals have also been used for the same purpose. Here, we summarize recent efforts in metal‐catalyzed C? S bond cross‐coupling reactions, focusing especially on the coupling of thiols with aryl‐ and vinyl halides based on different metals.     

Transition‐metal‐catalyzed reactions of 5‐methylene‐2‐oxazolidinone and 5‐methylene‐1,3‐thiazolidine‐2‐thione with isocyanates

5‐Methylene‐2‐oxazolidinone (1) and 5‐methylene‐1,3‐thiazolidine‐2‐thione (4) react with various isocyanates to give the corresponding urethanes 3 and 5 in high yields in the presence of palladium(0) or palladium(II) catalyst under mild reaction conditions. A mechanism is proposed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co@Co3O4 Encapsulated in Carbon Nanotube‐Grafted Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Polyhedra as an Advanced Bifunctional Oxygen Electrode

Efficient reversible oxygen electrodes for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are vitally important for various energy conversion devices, such as regenerative fuel cells and metal–air batteries. However, realization of such electrodes is impeded by insufficient activity and instability of electrocatalysts for both water splitting and oxygen reduction. We report highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen electrodes comprising core–shell Co@Co₃O₄ nanoparticles embedded in CNT‐grafted N‐doped carbon‐polyhedra obtained by the pyrolysis of cobalt metal–organic framework (ZIF‐67) in a reductive H₂ atmosphere and subsequent controlled oxidative calcination. The catalysts afford 0.85 V reversible overvoltage in 0.1 m KOH, surpassing Pt/C, IrO₂, and RuO₂ and thus ranking them among one of the best non‐precious‐metal electrocatalysts for reversible oxygen electrodes.     

Synthesis of Indazoles and Azaindazoles by Intramolecular Aerobic Oxidative CN Coupling under Transition‐Metal‐Free Conditions

A transition‐metal‐free oxidative C?N coupling method has been developed for the synthesis of 1H‐azaindazoles and 1H‐indazoles from easily accessible hydrazones. The procedure uses TEMPO, a basic additive, and dioxygen gas as the terminal oxidant. This reaction demonstrates better reactivity, functional group tolerance, and broader scope than comparable metal catalyzed reactions.     

Applications of Transition‐Metal Catalysts to Textile and Wood‐Pulp Bleaching

From an economic perspective, textile and paper bleaching are amongst the most important oxidation processes. The removal of unwanted chromophores, be it stains on cloths or residual lignin in wood pulp, consumes more than 60 % of the world production of hydrogen peroxide. However, existing technologies have their limitations. At ambient temperature, hydrogen peroxide gives little stain bleaching and is used inefficiently. Hence the high product dosages and washing temperatures required limit its application to predominantly European markets, to the exclusion of the majority of the world's population. In paper manufacture, the use of chlorine‐based oxidants results in the formation of chlorinated waste products, which show poor biodegradability. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide requires higher temperatures, longer reaction times and is more expensive. Transition‐metal catalysts offer an alternative. This review discusses the main classes of known bleach catalysts and their possible modes of action.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of cis‐β‐Methyl‐ and Phenyl‐Substituted Alkenylboronates by Platinum‐Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Borylation

Changing places : Intramolecular B(pin)/H exchange took place in the presence of a platinum–phosphane catalyst, giving synthetically useful cis‐β‐methyl‐substituted alkenylboronates stereoselectively (see scheme; B(pin)=4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl).

     

Preparation and catalysis of chloromethylated polystyrene‐supported macrocyclic Schiff base metal complexes for the oxidation of cumene

Chloromethylated polystyrene‐supported macrocyclic Schiff base metal complexes (PS‐L‐M, M = Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Mn²⁺) were synthesized and characterized by the methods of IR, ICP, and small area X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The oxidation of cumene by molecular oxygen in the absence of solvent with the synthesized complexes employed as catalyst was carried out. In comparison with their catalytic activities, PS‐L‐Cu is a more effective catalyst for the oxidation of cumene. The main products are 2‐phenyl‐2‐propanol (PP) and cumene hydroperoxide, which were measured by GC/MS. The influences of reaction temperature, the amount of catalyst, as well as the reaction time on the oxidation of cumene were investigated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free One‐Pot Synthesis of Biaryls from Grignard Reagents and Substituted Cyclohexanones

A new strategy for the construction of biaryls by a transition‐metal‐free process is presented. A sequence of a Grignard reaction, dehydration, and oxidative aromatization affords the desired products in a one‐pot fashion.     

Synthesis of Two‐Dimensional Transition‐Metal Phosphates with Highly Ordered Mesoporous Structures for Lithium‐Ion Battery Applications

Materials with ordered mesoporous structures have shown great potential in a wide range of applications. In particular, the combination of mesoporosity, low dimensionality, and well‐defined morphology in nanostructures may exhibit even more attractive features. However, the synthesis of such structures is still challenging in polar solvents. Herein, we report the preparation of ultrathin two‐dimensional (2D) nanoflakes of transition‐metal phosphates, including FePO₄, Mn₃(PO₄)₂, and Co₃(PO₄)₂, with highly ordered mesoporous structures in a nonpolar solvent. The as‐obtained nanoflakes with thicknesses of about 3.7 nm are constructed from a single layer of parallel‐packed pore channels. These uniquely ordered mesoporous 2D nanostructures may originate from the 2D assembly of cylindrical micelles formed by the amphiphilic precursors in the nonpolar solvent. The 2D mesoporous FePO₄ nanoflakes were used as the cathode for a lithium‐ion battery, which exhibits excellent stability and high rate capabilities.     

Copolymerization of norbornene and 5‐norbornene‐2‐yl acetate using novel bis(β‐ketonaphthylamino)Ni(II)/B(C6F5)3/AlEt3 catalytic system

Vinyl‐type copolymerization of norbornene (NBE) and 5‐NBE‐2‐yl‐acetate (NBE‐OCOMe) in toluene were investigated using a novel homogeneous catalyst system based on bis(β‐ketonaphthylamino)Ni(II)/B(C₆F₅)₃/AlEt₃. The copolymerization behavior as well as the copolymerization conditions, such as the levels of B(C₆F₅)₃ and AlEt₃, temperature, and monomer feed ratios, which influence on the copolymerization were examined. Without combination of AlEt₃, the catalytic bis(β‐ketonaphthylamino)Ni(II)/B(C₆F₅)₃ exhibited very high catalyst activity for polymerization of NBE. Combination of AlEt₃ in catalyst system resulted in low conversion for polymerization of NBE. For copolymerization of NBE and NBE‐OCOMe, involvement of AlEt₃ in catalyst is necessary. Slight addition of NBE‐OCOMe in copolymerization of NBE and NBE‐OCOMe gives rise to significant increase of catalyst activity for catalytic system bis(β‐ketonaphthylamino)Ni(II)/B(C₆F₅)₃/AlEt₃. Nevertheless, excess increase of the NBE‐OCOMe content in the comonomer feed ratios results in decrease of conversion as well as activity of catalyst. The achieved copolymers were confirmed to be vinyl‐addition copolymers through the analysis of FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectra. ¹³C NMR studies further revealed the composition of the copolymer and the incorporation rate was 7.6–54.1 mol % ester units at a content of 30–90 mol % of the NBE‐OCOMe in the monomer feeds ratios. TGA analysis results showed that the copolymer exhibited good thermal stability (T_d > 410 °C) and failed to observe the glass transitions temperature over 300 °C. The copolymers are confirmed to be noncrystalline by WAXD analysis results and show good solubility in common organic solvents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3990–4000, 2009     

Palladium Aryl Sulfonate Phosphine Catalysts for the Copolymerization of Acrylates with Ethene

The reaction of 2‐[bis(2‐methoxy‐phenyl)phosphanyl]‐4‐methyl‐benzenesulfonic acid (a) and 2‐[bis(2′,6′‐dimethoxybiphenyl‐2‐yl)phosphanyl]benzenesulfonic acid (b) with dimethyl(N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine)‐palladium(II) (PdMe₂(TMEDA)) leads to the formation of TMEDA bridged palladium based polymerization catalysts ( 1a and 1b ). Upon reaction with pyridine, two mononuclear catalysts are formed ( 2a and 2b ). These catalysts are able to homopolymerize ethylene and also copolymerize ethylene with acrylates or with norbornenes. With ligand b , high molecular weight polymers are formed in high yields, but higher comonomer incorporations are obtained with ligand a .