C3-symmetric Ti(IV) triphenolate amino complexes as sulfoxidation catalysts with aqueous hydrogen peroxide

[reaction: see text] The Ti(IV) complex 2c bearing a C3-symmetric triphenolate amine ligand is an air and moisture tolerant complex that efficiently catalyzes sulfoxidation reactions at room temperature without previous activation (catalyst loading down to 0.01%, TONs up to 8000, TOFs up to 1700 h-1, quantitative yields). Reactions were performed with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant, which adds value to the methodology from the environmental viewpoint.     

Synthesis of ynones by palladium-catalyzed acylation of terminal alkynes with acid chlorides

Phosphane-free oxime-derived palladacycle 2 is an efficient precatalyst for the copper-free acylation of terminal alkynes with different carboxylic acid chlorides in toluene in the presence of 3 equiv of TEA as base, giving the corresponding ynones in good yields. The coupling reaction can normally be performed under air or under inert atmosphere when very low catalyst loadings (10(-3) mol % Pd) (turnover numbers (TONs) up to 23,000, turnover frequencies (TOFs) up to 958 h(-1)) or sensitive carboxylic acid chlorides are used. In addition, Pd(OAc)(2) has been shown as an efficient catalyst for the ligandless process, although usually working under higher loading conditions. This new protocol allows one to perform the synthesis of ynones at 110 degrees C, at room temperature, or under microwave irradiation conditions.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Chain‐Growth Polycondensation of AB‐type Monomers: High Catalyst Turnover and Polymerization Rates

Chain‐growth catalyst‐transfer polycondensations of AB‐type monomers is a new and rapidly developing tool for the preparation of well‐defined π‐conjugated (semiconducting) polymers for various optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report the Pd/PtBu₃‐catalyzed Negishi chain‐growth polycondensation of AB‐type monomers, which proceeds with unprecedented TONs of above 100 000 and TOFs of up to 280 s^?1. In contrast, related AA/BB‐type step‐growth polycondensation proceeds with two orders of magnitude lower TONs and TOFs. A similar trend was observed in Suzuki‐type polycondensation. The key impact of the intramolecular (vs. intermolecular) catalyst‐transfer process on both polymerization kinetics and catalyst lifetime has been revealed.     

Well-defined [Rh(NHC)(OH)] complexes enabling the conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones

The synthesis and catalytic activity of three well-defined monomeric rhodium(I) hydroxide complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are reported. [Rh(cod)(ICy)(OH)] promoted the 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic enones, with TONs and TOFs of 100,000 and 6,600 h(-1), respectively, at 0.001 mol% catalyst loadings. Mechanistic studies permitted the isolation of a phenylrhodium intermediate.     

Environmentally‐Safe Conditions for a Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct C3‐Arylation with High Turn Over Frequency of Imidazo[1,2‐b]pyridazines Using Aryl Bromides and Chlorides

Pd(OAc)₂ was found to catalyze very efficiently the direct arylation of imidazo[1,2‐b]pyridazine at C3‐position under a very low catalyst loading and phosphine‐free conditions. The reaction can be performed in very high TOFs and TONs employing as little as 0.1–0.05 mol % catalyst using a wide range of aryl bromides. In addition, some electron‐deficient aryl chlorides were also found to be suitable substrates. Moreover, 31 examples of the cross couplings were reported using green, safe, and renewable solvents, such as pentan‐1‐ol, diethylcarbonate or cyclopentyl methyl ether, without loss of efficiency.     

Fast Olefin Metathesis at Low Catalyst Loading

Reactions of the Grubbs 3rd generation complexes [RuCl₂(NHC)(Ind)(Py)] (N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenylimidazolin)‐2‐ylidene (SIMes), 1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenylimidazolin)‐2‐ylidene (SIPr), or 1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenylimidazol)‐2‐ylidene (IPr); Ind=3‐phenylindenylid‐1‐ene, Py=pyridine) with 2‐ethenyl‐N‐alkylaniline (alkyl=Me, Et) result in the formation of the new N‐Grubbs–Hoveyda‐type complexes 5 (NHC=SIMes, alkyl=Me), 6 (SIMes, Et), 7 (IPr, Me), 8 (SIPr, Me), and 9 (SIPr, Et) with N‐chelating benzylidene ligands in yields of 50–75 %. Compared to their respective, conventional, O‐Grubbs–Hoveyda complexes, the new complexes are characterized by fast catalyst activation, which translates into fast and efficient ring‐closing metathesis (RCM) reactivity. Catalyst loadings of 15–150 ppm (0.0015–0.015 mol %) are sufficient for the conversion of a wide range of diolefinic substrates into the respective RCM products after 15 min at 50 °C in toluene; compounds 8 and 9 are the most catalytically active complexes. The use of complex 8 in RCM reactions enables the formation of N‐protected 2,5‐dihydropyrroles with turnover numbers (TONs) of up to 58 000 and turnover frequencies (TOFs) of up to 232 000 h^?1; the use of the N‐protected 1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridines proceeds with TONs of up to 37 000 and TOFs of up to 147 000 h^?1; and the use of the N‐protected 2,3,6,7‐tetrahydroazepines proceeds with TONs of up to 19 000 and TOFs of up to 76 000 h^?1, with yields for these reactions ranging from 83–92 %.     

Tunable single-site ruthenium catalysts for efficient water oxidation

The catalytic water oxidation activity of mononuclear ruthenium complexes comprising a pyridine-functionalized abnormal triazolylidene ligand can be adjusted by modification of the triazolylidene substituents, which is readily achieved through click-type cycloaddition chemistry, affording some of the most active ruthenium catalysts known thus far for water oxidation (TONs > 400, TOFs close to 7000 h(-1)).     

Surface-inspired molecular vanadium oxide catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols: evidence for metal cooperation and peroxide intermediates

On the basis that thiacalix[4]arene (H(4)T4A) complex (PPh(4) )(2) [H(2)T4A(VO(2))](2) (Ia) was found to be an adequate functional model for surface species occurring on vanadium oxide based catalysts and itself catalyses the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alcohols, an analogue containing 2,2'-thiobis(2,4-di-tert-butylphenolate), (S)L(2-), as ligand, namely, (PPh(4))(2)[(S)LVO(2)](2) (II) was investigated in the same context. Despite the apparent similarity of Ia and II, studies on II revealed several novel insights, which are also valuable in connection with surfaces of vanadia catalysts: 1) For Ia and II similar turnover numbers (TONs) were found for the ODH of activated alcohols, which indicates that the additional OH units inherent to Ia do not contribute particularly to the activity of this complex, for instance, through prebinding of the alcohol. 2) On dissolution II enters into an equilibrium with a monomeric form, which is the predominant species in solution; nevertheless, ODH proceeds exclusively at the dimeric form, and this stresses the need for cooperation of two vanadium centres. 3) By omitting O(2) from the system during the oxidation of 9-fluorenol, the reduced form of the catalyst could be isolated and fully characterised (including single-crystal X-ray analysis). The corresponding intermediate had been elusive in case of thiacalixarene system Ia. 4) Reoxidation was found to proceed via a peroxide intermediate that also oxidises one alcohol equivalent. As the peroxide can also perform mono- and dioxygenation of the thioether group in II, after a number of turnovers the active catalyst contains a sulfone group. The reduced form of this ultimate catalyst was also isolated and structurally characterised. Possible implications of 1)-4) for the function of heterogeneous vanadia catalysts are discussed.     

A new air and moisture stable robust bio‐polymer based palladium catalyst for highly efficient synthesis of biaryl compounds

The designs of robust natural polymer based catalysts are important for catalytic systems in the view of industrial purposes and green chemistry. In this study, a new air and moisture stable robust starch‐based Pd(II) catalyst was designed and characterized with different analytical techniques. Catalytic behavior of the prepared robust palladium(II) catalyst was investigated in the Suzuki coupling reactions of aryl iodides, aryl bromides and aryl chlorides with phenyl boronic acid under microwave irradiation using very short reaction time. Sustainability and reusability of the catalyst was also explored under benign conditions. As a result of the catalytic tests, the green catalyst gave excellent biphenyl yields, TONs and TOFs with very low catalyst loading. More importantly, the robust catalyst has showed that it can be reused several times without important loses from its activity in the coupling reactions. The study showed that the robust starch‐based Pd(II) catalyst had more advantages than other catalysts reported in the literature due to its economic, sustainable, thermal durable, environmentally friendly and practice properties.     

Rhenium in homogeneous catalysis: [ReBrH(NO)(labile ligand)(large-bite-angle diphosphine)] complexes as highly active catalysts in olefin hydrogenations

The reaction of [ReBr(2)(MeCN)(NO)(P∩P)] (P∩P = 1,1'-bisdiphenylphosphinoferrocene (dppfc) (1a), 1,1'-bisdiisopropylphosphinopherrocene (diprpfc) (1b), 2,2'-bis(diphenylphosphino)diphenyl ether (dpephos) (1c), 10,11-dihydro-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)dibenzo[b,f]oxepine (homoxantphos) (1d) and 4,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)-10,10-dimethylphenoxasilin (Sixantphos) (1e)) led in the presence of HSiEt(3) and ethylene to formation of the ethylene hydride complexes [ReBrH(η(2)-C(2)H(4))(NO)(P∩P)] (3a,b,d), the MeCN ethyl complex [ReBr(Et)(MeCN)(NO)(dpephos)] (5c) and two ortho-metalated stereoisomers of [ReBr(η(2)-C(2)H(4))(NO)(η(3)-o-C(6)H(4)-Sixantphos)] 8e(up) and 8e(down). The complexes 3a,b,d, and 5c and the isomers of 8e showed high catalytic activity (TOFs ranging from 22 to 4870 h(-1), TONs up to 24000) in the hydrogenation of monosubstituted olefins. For 8e(down) and 8e(up) a remarkable functional group tolerance and catalyst stability were noticed. Kinetic experiments revealed k(obs) to be first order in c(cat) and c(H(2)) and zeroth order in c(olefin). Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations suggest the catalysis to proceed along an Osborn-type catalytic cycle with olefin before H(2) addition. The unsaturated key intermediates [ReBrH(NO)(P∩P)] (2a-e) could be intercepted with MeCN as [ReBrH(MeCN)(NO)(P∩P)] (10a-d) complexes or isolated as dimeric μ(2)-(H)(2) complexes [{ReBr(μ(2)-H)(NO)(P∩P)}(2)] (9b and 9e). Variation of the bidentate ligand demonstrated a crucial influence of the (large)-bite-angle on the catalytic performance and reactivity of 3a,b,d, 5c, and 8e.     

A Ruthenium‐Based Biomimetic Hydrogen Cluster for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid

A ruthenium‐based biomimetic hydrogen cluster, [Ru₂(CO)₆(μ‐SCH₂CH₂CH₂S)] ( 1 ), has been synthesized and, in the presence of the P ligand tri(o‐tolyl)phosphine, demonstrated efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation from formic acid decomposition. Turnover frequencies (TOFs) of 5500 h^?1 and turnover numbers (TONs) over 24 700 were obtained with less than 50 ppm of the catalyst, thus representing the highest TOFs for ruthenium complexes as well as the best efficiency for photocatalytic hydrogen production from formic acid. Moreover, 1 showed high stability with no significant degradation of the photocatalyst observed after prolonged photoirradiation at 90 °C.     

Room-temperature Ru(II)-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of ketones and aldehydes in air

Transfer hydrogenation (TH) of ketones and aldehydes was efficiently carried out in 2-propanol at room temperature by means of a ruthenium(II) complex catalyst bearing a 2-(benzoimidazol-2-yl)-6-(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine ligand. TH of the ketone substrates proceeded in air, reaching final TOFs of up to 59,400 h⁻¹, and the reduction of aldehydes proceeded under a nitrogen atmosphere to achieve final TOFs of up to 5940 h⁻¹.     

Effect of vanadium over NiMo/sepiolite hydrotreating catalyst

Summary Hydrotreating (HDT) and hydrodesulfuration (HDS) using an FCC feed were carried out at 673-748 K and 50 MPa total pressure. The effect of vanadium impregnated on a NiMo catalyst supported on sepiolite for HDT and HDS reactions was studied. A commercial NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst was used as reference. The hydrotreating conversions (wt.% HDT) is defined here as the net hydrotreating conversion into products boiling below 653 K. The results were compared with an accelerated ageing test using the catalysts on a FCC feed, with vanadium in the form of naphthenate (2000 ppm of V) added to rapidly deactivate catalysts via metal deposition. The results indicate that vanadium affects more the catalyst supported on sepiolite that the commercial catalyst. Also, at our reaction conditions, the effect of vanadium on sepiolite catalyst is similar, to those used with vanadium impregnated on the catalyst or on the catalyst where the vanadium in naphthenate form was added to FCC feed.     

Direct and remarkably efficient conversion of methane into acetic acid catalyzed by amavadine and related vanadium complexes. A synthetic and a theoretical DFT mechanistic study

Vanadium(IV or V) complexes with N,O- or O,O-ligands, i.e., [VO{N(CH2CH2O)3}], Ca[V(HIDPA)2] (synthetic amavadine), Ca[V(HIDA)2], or [Bu4N]2[V(HIDA)2] [HIDPA, HIDA = basic form of 2,2'-(hydroxyimino)dipropionic or -diacetic acid, respectively], [VO(CF3SO3)2], Ba[VO(nta)(H2O)]2 (nta = nitrilotriacetate), [VO(ada)(H2O)] (ada = N-2-acetamidoiminodiacetate), [VO(Hheida)(H2O)] (Hheida = 2-hydroxyethyliminodiacetate), [VO(bicine)] [bicine = basic form of N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine], and [VO(dipic)(OCH2CH3)] (dipic = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate), are catalyst precursors for the efficient single-pot conversion of methane into acetic acid, in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) under moderate conditions, using peroxodisulfate as oxidant. Effects on the yields and TONs of various factors are reported. TFA acts as a carbonylating agent and CO is an inhibitor for some systems, although for others there is an optimum CO pressure. The most effective catalysts (as amavadine) bear triethanolaminate or (hydroxyimino)dicarboxylates and lead, in a single batch, to CH3COOH yields > 50% (based on CH4) or remarkably high TONs up to 5.6 x 103. The catalyst can remain active upon multiple recycling of its solution. Carboxylation proceeds via free radical mechanisms (CH3* can be trapped by CBrCl3), and theoretical calculations disclose a particularly favorable process involving the sequential formation of CH3*, CH3CO*, and CH3COO* which, upon H-abstraction (from TFA or CH4), yields acetic acid. The CH3COO* radical is formed by oxygenation of CH3CO* by a peroxo-V complex via a V{eta1-OOC(O)CH3} intermediate. Less favorable processes involve the oxidation of CH3CO* by the protonated (hydroperoxo) form of that peroxo-V complex or by peroxodisulfate. The calculations also indicate that (i) peroxodisulfate behaves as a source of sulfate radicals which are methane H-abstractors, as a peroxidative and oxidizing agent for vanadium, and as an oxidizing and coupling agent for CH3CO* and that (ii) TFA is involved in the formation of CH3COOH (by carbonylating CH3*, acting as an H-source to CH3COO*, and enhancing on protonation the oxidizing power of a peroxo-VV complex) and of CF3COOCH3 (minor product in the absence of CO).     

A catalytic and mechanistic investigation of a PCP pincer palladium complex in the Stille reaction

In an improved procedure, the complex {2,6-bis[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]benzene}chloropalladium(II) (1) was synthesised as its THF adduct and the structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. The catalytic properties of the derivative {2,6-bis[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]benzene}(trifluoroacetato)palladium(II) (2) was investigated in the Stille reaction. Complex 2 proves to be an excellent catalyst for the C-C cross-coupling between trimethyl phenyl stannane and aryl bromides using a very low catalyst loading (0.1-0.0001%), giving high turnover numbers (TONs) up to 6.9 x 10(5). A kinetic investigation of the catalytic reaction suggests a heterogeneous colloidal palladium catalyst formed from the PCP Pd(II) pre-catalyst.     

Speciation and preconcentration of vanadium(V) and vanadium(IV) in water samples by flow injection-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and ultrasonic nebulization

An on-line separation, preconcentration and determination system for vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) comprising inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) coupled to a flow injection (FI) method with an ultrasonic nebulization (USN) system was studied. The vanadium species were retained on an Amberlite XAD-7 resin as a vanadium-2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (V-5-Br-PADAP) complex at pH 3.7. Enhanced selectivity was obtained with the combined use of the formation on-line of the complexes and 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA) as masking agent. The vanadium complexes were removed from the microcolumn with 25% v/v nitric acid. A sensitivity enhancement factor of 225 was obtained with respect to ICP-OES using pneumatic nebulization (15-fold for USN and 15-fold for the microcolumn). The detection limit for the preconcentration of 10 mL of aqueous solution was 19 ng L-1. The precision for 10 replicate determinations at the 5 micrograms L-1 V level was 2.3% relative standard deviation (RSD), calculated from the peak heights obtained. The calibration graph using the separation and preconcentration system for vanadium species was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992 at levels from near the detection limits up to at least 100 micrograms L-1. The method was successfully applied to the speciation of vanadium in river water samples.     

Efficient subnanometric gold-catalyzed hydrogen generation via formic acid decomposition under ambient conditions

Formic acid (FA) has tremendous potential as a safe and convenient source of hydrogen for sustainable chemical synthesis and renewable energy storage, but controlled and efficient dehydrogenation of FA by a robust solid catalyst under ambient conditions constitutes a major challenge. Here, we report that a previously unappreciated combination of subnanometric gold and an acid-tolerant oxide support facilitates the liberation of CO-free H(2) from FA. Applying an ultradispersed gold catalyst comprising TEM-invisible gold subnanoclusters deposited on zirconia to a FA-amine mixture affords turnover frequencies (TOFs) up to 1590 per hour and a turnover number of more than 118,400 at 50 °C. The reaction was accelerated at higher temperatures, but even at room temperature, a significant H(2) evolution (TOFs up to 252 h(-1) after 20 min) can still be obtained. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction is unimolecular in nature and proceeds via a unique amine-assisted formate decomposition mechanism on Au-ZrO(2) interface.     

Recent advances in vanadium catalyzed oxygen transfer reactions

Vanadium complexes have proven to be effective catalysts for the activation of peroxides and the selective oxidation of substrates like bromides, sulfides and alkenes. Besides their capability to form metalloperoxo species, which effectively transfer oxygen atoms to the substrate, these systems are synthetically useful for obtaining valuable oxidized molecules on a preparative scale, with a high degree of selectivity and TONs. Furthermore, the use of environmentally friendly oxidants like hydrogen and alkyl hydroperoxides increases significantly their potential application at an industrial level.Here we report a critical survey on the most effective homogeneous vanadium catalysts reported in the last decade concerning their synthetic application in oxygen transfer reactions (sulfoxidation, epoxidation, haloperoxidation) using hydrogen peroxide or alkyl hydroperoxides, demonstrating the different classes of ligands and complexes, their catalytic performances, their reactivity, chemo, stereo and substrate selectivity. Some examples of the use of non conventional reaction media or techniques and catalyst recycling studies will be also discussed.     

Kinetic-spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of vanadium

A simple and sensitive kinetic-spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of vanadium and the possible mechanism of catalytic reaction is proposed. The method is based on the vanadium(V)-catalyzed oxidation of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (DNA) by potassium bromate (Tiron as activator) at pH 3.8 and 40 degrees C. The reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the increase in absorbance of oxidation products at 505 nm after a fixed time (6 min). The proposed method allowed the determination of vanadium in the range 0.025-15 ng ml(-1) with good precision and accuracy and the detection limit was down to 0.01 ng ml(-1). The method was found to be relatively selective and was applied successfully to the determination of vanadium in food and hair samples without previous separations. Recovery experiments have also been performed; excellent results were obtained.     

Quantitative LIBS analysis of vanadium in samples of hexagonal mesoporous silica catalysts

The method for the analysis of vanadium in hexagonal mesoporous silica (V-HMS) catalysts using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometry (LIBS) was suggested. Commercially available LIBS spectrometer was calibrated with the aid of authentic V-HMS samples previously analyzed by ICP OES after microwave digestion. Deposition of the sample on the surface of adhesive tape was adopted as a sample preparation method. Strong matrix effect connected with the catalyst preparation technique (1st vanadium added in the process of HMS synthesis, 2nd already synthesised silica matrix was impregnated by vanadium) was observed. The concentration range of V in the set of nine calibration standards was 1.3-4.5% (w/w). Limit of detection was 0.13% (w/w) and it was calculated as a triple standard deviation from five replicated determinations of vanadium in the real sample with a very low vanadium concentration. Comparable results of LIBS and ED XRF were obtained if the same set of standards was used for calibration of both methods and vanadium was measured in the same type of real samples. LIBS calibration constructed using V-HMS-impregnated samples failed for measuring of V-HMS-synthesized samples. LIBS measurements seem to be strongly influenced with different chemical forms of vanadium in impregnated and synthesised samples. The combination of LIBS and ED XRF is able to provide new information about measured samples (in our case for example about procedure of catalyst preparation).