Selective Alcohol Oxidation by a Copper TEMPO Catalyst: Mechanistic Insights by Simultaneously Coupled Operando EPR/UV‐Vis/ATR‐IR Spectroscopy

The first coupled operando EPR/UV‐Vis/ATR‐IR spectroscopy setup for mechanistic studies of gas‐liquid phase reactions is presented and exemplarily applied to the well‐known copper/TEMPO‐catalyzed (TEMPO=(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yl)oxyl) oxidation of benzyl alcohol. In contrast to previous proposals, no direct redox reaction between TEMPO and Cu^I/Cu^II has been detected. Instead, the role of TEMPO is postulated to be the stabilization of a (bpy)(NMI)Cu^II‐O₂^??‐TEMPO (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine, NMI=N‐methylimidazole) intermediate formed by electron transfer from Cu^I to molecular O₂.     

Electro‐Mechanochemical Atom Transfer Radical Cyclizations using Piezoelectric BaTiO3

The formation and regeneration of active Cu^I species is a fundamental mechanistic step in copper‐catalyzed atom transfer radical cyclizations (ATRC). Typically, the presence of the catalytically active Cu^I species in the reaction mixture is secured by using high Cu^I catalyst loadings or the addition of complementary reducing agents. In this study it is demonstrated how the piezoelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO₃) can be harnessed by mechanical ball milling to induce electrical polarization in the strained piezomaterial. This strategy enables the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy, leading to the reduction of a Cu^II precatalyst into the active Cu^I species in copper‐catalyzed mechanochemical solvent‐free ATRC reactions.     

The Development of Copper‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Coupling of H‐Tetrazoles with Boronic Acids and an Insight into the Reaction Mechanism

The development of a highly efficient and practical protocol for the direct C?N coupling of H‐tetrazole and boronic acid was presented. A careful and patient optimization of a variety of reaction parameters revealed that this conventionally challenge reaction could indeed proceed efficiently in a very simple system, that is, just by stirring the tetrazoles and boronic acids under oxygen in the presence of different Cu^I or Cu^II salts with only 5 mol % loading in DMSO at 100 °C. Most significantly, the reaction could proceed very smoothly in a regiospecific manner to afford the 2,5‐disubstituted tetrazoles in high to excellent yields. A mechanistic study revealed that both tetrazole and DMSO are crucial for the generation of catalytically active copper species in the reaction process in addition to their role as reactant and solvent, respectively. It is demonstrated that in the reaction cycle, the Cu^I catalyst could be oxidized to Cu^II by oxygen to form a [CuT₂D] complex (T=tetrazole anion; D=DMSO) through an oxidative copper amination reaction. The Cu^II complex thus formed was confirmed to be the real catalytically active copper species. Namely, the Cu^II complex disproportionates to aryl Cu^III and Cu^I in the presence of boronic acid. Facile elimination of the Cu^III species delivers the C?N‐coupled product. The results presented herein not only provide a reliable and efficient protocol for the synthesis of 2,5‐disubstituted tetrazoles, but most importantly, the mechanistic results would have broad implications for the de novo design and development of new methods for Cu‐catalyzed coupling reactions.     

Synthesis of Substituted 2‐Amino‐1,3‐oxazoles via Copper‐Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of Enamines and N,N‐Dialkyl Formamides

A facile synthesis of 2‐amino‐1,3‐oxazoles via Cu^I‐catalyzed oxidative cyclization of enamines and N ,N ‐dialkyl formamides has been developed. The reaction proceeds through an oxidative C−N bond formation, followed by an intramolecular C(sp²)−H bond functionalization/C−O cyclization in one pot. This protocol provides direct access to useful 2‐amino‐1,3‐oxazoles and features protecting‐group‐free nitrogen sources, readily available starting materials, a broad substrate scope and mild reaction conditions.     

Harnessing the Dual Properties of Thiol‐Grafted Cellulose Paper for Click Reactions: A Powerful Reducing Agent and Adsorbent for Cu

A new approach exploiting the dual properties of thiol‐grafted cellulose paper for promoting copper‐catalyzed [3+2]‐cycloadditions of organic azides with alkynes and adsorbing residual copper species in solution was developed. The thiol‐grafted cellulose paper, used as a paper strip, effects the reduction of Cu^II to catalytically active Cu^I and acts as a powerful adsorbent for copper, thereby facilitating the work‐up process and leaving the crude mixture almost free of copper residues after a single filtration.     

A Photoreducible Copper(II)‐Tren Complex of Practical Value: Generation of a Highly Reactive Click Catalyst

A detailed study on the photoreduction of the copper(II) precatalyst 1 to generate a highly reactive cuprous species for the copper(I)‐catalyzed alkyne‐azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction is presented. For the photoactive catalyst described herein, the activation is driven by a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process harnessing a benzophenone‐like ketoprofenate chromophore as a photosensitizer, which is equally the counterion. The solvent is shown to play a major role in the Cu^II to Cu^I reduction process as the final electron source, and the influence of the solvent nature on the photoreduction efficiency has been studied. Particular attention was paid to the use of water as a potential solvent, aqueous media being particularly appealing for CuAAC processes. The ability to solubilize the copper‐tren complexes in water through the formation of inclusion complexes with β‐CDs is demonstrated. Data is also provided on the fate of the copper(I)‐tren catalytic species when reacting with O₂, O₂ being used to switch off the catalysis. These data show that partial oxidation of the secondary benzylamine groups of the ligand to benzylimines occurs. Preliminary results show that when prolonged irradiation times are employed a Cu^I to Cu⁰ over‐reduction process takes place, leading to the formation of copper nanoparticles (NPs). Finally, the main objective of this work being the development of photoactivable catalysts of practical value for the CuAAC, the catalytic, photolatent, and recycling properties of 1 in water and organic solvents are reported.     

A mixed‐valence chair‐like tetranuclear copper(I,II) cluster with three linking modes of the 3,5‐bis(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazole ligand

In the tetranuclear copper complex tetrakis[μ‐3,5‐bis(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazolido]bis[3,5‐bis(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazolido]dicopper(I)dicopper(II) dihydrate, [Cu^I₂Cu^II₂(C₁₂H₈N₅)₆]·2H₂O, the asymmetric unit is composed of one Cu^I center, one Cu^II center, three anionic 3,5‐bis(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazole (2‐BPT) ligands and one solvent water molecule. The Cu^I and Cu^II centers exhibit [Cu^IN₄] tetrahedral and [Cu^IIN₆] octahedral coordination environments, respectively. The three independent 2‐BPT ligands adopt different chelating modes, which link the copper centers to generate a chair‐like tetranuclear metallomacrocycle with metal–metal distances of about 4.4 × 6.2 Å disposed about a crystallographic inversion center. Furthermore, strong π–π stacking interactions and O—H...N hydrogen‐bonding systems link the tetracopper clusters into a two‐dimensional supramolecular network.     

Isolation of the Copper Redox Steps in the Standard Selective Catalytic Reduction on Cu‐SSZ‐13

Operando X‐ray absorption experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are reported that elucidate the role of copper redox chemistry in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO over Cu‐exchanged SSZ‐13. Catalysts prepared to contain only isolated, exchanged Cu^II ions evidence both Cu^II and Cu^I ions under standard SCR conditions at 473 K. Reactant cutoff experiments show that NO and NH₃ together are necessary for Cu^II reduction to Cu^I. DFT calculations show that NO‐assisted NH₃ dissociation is both energetically favorable and accounts for the observed Cu^II reduction. The calculations predict in situ generation of Brønsted sites proximal to Cu^I upon reduction, which we quantify in separate titration experiments. Both NO and O₂ are necessary for oxidation of Cu^I to Cu^II, which DFT suggests to occur by a NO₂ intermediate. Reaction of Cu‐bound NO₂ with proximal NH₄⁺ completes the catalytic cycle. N₂ is produced in both reduction and oxidation half‐cycles.     

Synthese,Struktur und EPR‐Untersuchungen von binuklearen Bis(N,N,N‴,N‴‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thioureato))‐Komplexen des CuII,NiII, ZnII,CdII und PdII

Synthesis, Structure and EPR Investigations of binuclear Bis(N,N,N?,N?‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thioureato)) Complexes of Cu^II, Ni^II, Zn^II, Cd^II and Pd^II The synthesis of binuclear Cu^II‐, Ni^II‐, Zn^II‐, Cd^II‐ and Pd^II‐complexes of the quadridentate ligand N,N,N?,N?‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thiourea) and the crystal structures of the Cu^II‐ and Ni^II‐complexes are reported. The Cu^II‐complex crystallizes in two polymorphic modifications: triclinic, (Z = 1) and monoclinic, P2₁/c (Z = 2). The Ni^II‐complex was found to be isostructural with the triclinic modification of the copper complex. The also prepared Pd^II‐, Zn^II‐ and Cd^II‐complexes could not be characterized by X‐ray analysis. However, EPR studies of diamagnetically diluted Cu^II/Pd^II‐ and Cu^II/Zn^II‐powders show axially‐symmetric g and A ^Cu tensors suggesting a nearly planar co‐ordination within the binuclear host complexes. Diamagnetically diluted Cu^II/Cd^II powder samples could not be prepared. In the EPR spectra of the pure binuclear Cu^II‐complex exchange‐coupled Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs were observed. According to the large Cu^II‐Cu^II distance of about 7,50Å a small fine structure parameter D = 26·10^?4 cm^?1 is observed; T‐dependent EPR measurements down to 5 K reveal small antiferromagnetic interactions for the Cu^II‐Cu^II dimer. Besides of the dimer in the EPR spectra the signals of a mononuclear Cu^II species are observed whose concentration is T‐dependent. This observation can be explained assuming an equilibrium between the binuclear Cu^II‐complex (Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs) and oligomeric complexes with “isolated” Cu^II ions.     

Adapting the Glaser Reaction for Bioconjugation: Robust Access to Structurally Simple,Rigid Linkers

Copper‐mediated coupling between alkynes to generate a structurally rigid, linear 1,3‐diyne linkage has been known for over a century. However, the mechanistic requirement to simultaneously maintain Cu^I and an oxidant has limited its practical utility, especially for complex functional molecules in aqueous solution. We find that addition of a specific bpy‐diol ligand protects unprotected peptides from Cu^II‐mediated oxidative damage through the formation of an insoluble Cu^II gel which solves the critical challenge of applying Glaser coupling to substrates that are degraded by Cu^II. The generality of this method is illustrated through the conjugation of a series of polar and nonpolar labels onto a fully unprotected GLP‐1R agonist through a linear 7 Å diynyl linker.     

Adapting the Glaser Reaction for Bioconjugation: Robust Access to Structurally Simple,Rigid Linkers

Copper‐mediated coupling between alkynes to generate a structurally rigid, linear 1,3‐diyne linkage has been known for over a century. However, the mechanistic requirement to simultaneously maintain Cu^I and an oxidant has limited its practical utility, especially for complex functional molecules in aqueous solution. We find that addition of a specific bpy‐diol ligand protects unprotected peptides from Cu^II‐mediated oxidative damage through the formation of an insoluble Cu^II gel which solves the critical challenge of applying Glaser coupling to substrates that are degraded by Cu^II. The generality of this method is illustrated through the conjugation of a series of polar and nonpolar labels onto a fully unprotected GLP‐1R agonist through a linear 7 Å diynyl linker.     

Visible‐Light‐Accelerated Copper(II)‐Catalyzed Regio‐ and Chemoselective Oxo‐Azidation of Vinyl Arenes

The visible‐light‐accelerated oxo‐azidation of vinyl arenes with trimethylsilylazide and molecular oxygen as stoichiometric oxidant was achieved. In contrast to photocatalysts based on iridium, ruthenium, or organic dyes, [Cu(dap)₂]Cl or [Cu(dap)Cl₂] were found to be unique for this transformation, which is attributed to their ability to interact with the substrates through ligand exchange and rebound mechanisms. Cu^II is proposed as the catalytically active species, which upon coordinating azide will undergo light‐accelerated homolysis to form Cu^I and azide radicals. This activation principle (Cu^II‐X→Cu^I+X^.) opens up new avenues for copper‐based photocatalysis.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Oxidative Reaction of β‐Keto Sulfones with Alcohols via C−S Bond Cleavage: Reaction Development and Mechanism Study

A Cu‐catalyzed cascade oxidative radical process of β‐keto sulfones with alcohols has been achieved by using oxygen as an oxidant. In this reaction, β‐keto sulfones were converted into sulfinate esters under the oxidative conditions via cleavage of C?S bond. Experimental and computational studies demonstrate that a new pathway is involved in this reaction, which proceeds through the formation of the key four‐coordinated Cu^II intermediate, O?O bond homolysis induced C?S bond cleavage and Cu‐catalyzed esterification to form the final products. This reaction provides a new strategy to sulfonate esters and enriches the research content of C?S bond cleavage and transformations.     

Transfer of Copper from an Amyloid to a Natural Copper‐Carrier Peptide with a Specific Mediating Ligand

The oxidative stress that arises from the catalytic reduction of dioxygen by Cu^II/I‐loaded amyloids is the major pathway for neuron death that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. In this work, we show that bis‐8(aminoquinoline) ligands, copper(II) specific chelators, are able to catalytically extract Cu^II from Cu–Aβ_1–16 and then completely release Cu^I in the presence of glutathione to provide a Cu^I–glutathione complex, a biological intermediate that is able to deliver copper to apo forms of copper–protein complexes. These data demonstrate that bis‐8(aminoquinolines) can perform the transfer of copper ions from the pathological Cu–amyloid complexes to regular copper–protein complexes. These copper‐specific ligands assist GSH to recycle Cu^I in an AD brain and consequently slow down oxidative damage that is due to copper dysregulation in Alzheimer’s disease. Under the same conditions, we have shown that the copper complex of PBT2, a mono(8‐hydroxyquinoline) previously used as a drug candidate, does not efficiently release copper in the presence of GSH. In addition, we report that GSH itself was unable to fully abstract copper ions from Cu–β‐amyloid complexes.     

Photoswitchable Sol–Gel Transitions and Catalysis Mediated by Polymer Networks with Coumarin‐Decorated Cu24L24 Metal–Organic Cages as Junctions

Photoresponsive materials that change in response to light have been studied for a range of applications. These materials are often metastable during irradiation, returning to their pre‐irradiated state after removal of the light source. Herein, we report a polymer gel comprising poly(ethylene glycol) star polymers linked by Cu₂₄L₂₄ metal–organic cages/polyhedra (MOCs) with coumarin ligands. In the presence of UV light, a photosensitizer, and a hydrogen donor, this “polyMOC” material can be reversibly switched between Cu^II, Cu^I, and Cu⁰. The instability of the MOC junctions in the Cu^I and Cu⁰ states leads to network disassembly, forming Cu^I/Cu⁰ solutions, respectively, that are stable until re‐oxidation to Cu^II and supramolecular gelation. This reversible disassembly of the polyMOC network can occur in the presence of a fixed covalent second network generated in situ by copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), providing interpenetrating supramolecular and covalent networks.     

Divergent Synthesis of CF3‐Substituted Allenyl Nitriles by Ligand‐Controlled Radical 1,2‐ and 1,4‐Addition to 1,3‐Enynes

A ligand‐controlled system that enables regioselective trifluoromethylcyanation of 1,3‐enynes has been identified, which provides access to a variety of CF₃‐containing tri‐ and tetrasubstituted allenyl nitriles. We disclose that the involved propargylic radicals can be selectively trapped by (Box)Cu^II cyanide, while the tautomerized allenyl radicals are trapped by (phen)Cu^II cyanide (Box= bisoxazoline, phen=phenanthroline). In addition, the reaction features broad substrate scope and excellent functional group compatibility. Moreover, this protocol represents a novel regioselectivity‐tunable functionalization of 1,3‐enynes via radicals, which we believe will have great implications for the development of catalytic systems for selectivity control in radical and organometallic chemistry.     

The Glutathione/Metallothionein System Challenges the Design of Efficient O2‐Activating Copper Complexes

Copper complexes are of medicinal and biological interest, including as anticancer drugs designed to cleave intracellular biomolecules by O₂ activation. To exhibit such activity, the copper complex must be redox active and resistant to dissociation. Metallothioneins (MTs) and glutathione (GSH) are abundant in the cytosol and nucleus. Because they are thiol‐rich reducing molecules with high Cu^I affinity, they are potential competitors for a copper ion bound in a copper drug. Herein, we report the investigation of a panel of Cu^I/Cu^II complexes often used as drugs, with diverse coordination chemistries and redox potentials. We evaluated their catalytic activity in ascorbate oxidation based on redox cycling between Cu^I and Cu^II, as well as their resistance to dissociation or inactivation under cytosolically relevant concentrations of GSH and MT. O₂‐activating Cu^I/Cu^II complexes for cytosolic/nuclear targets are generally not stable against the GSH/MT system, which creates a challenge for their future design.     

Copper‐Mediated Controlled/“Living” Radical Polymerization in Polar Solvents: Insights into Some Relevant Mechanistic Aspects

The field of transition‐metal‐mediated controlled/“living” radical polymerization (CLRP) has become the subject of intense discussion regarding the mechanism of this widely‐used and versatile process. Most mechanistic analyses (atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) vs. single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP)) have been based on model experiments, which cannot correctly mimic the true reaction conditions. We present, for the first time, a determination of the [Cu^IBr]/[L] (L=nitrogen‐based chelating ligand) ratio and the extent of Cu^IBr/L disproportionation during CLRP of methyl acrylate (MA) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) with Cu⁰ wire as a transition‐metal catalyst source. The results suggest that Cu⁰ acts as a supplemental activator and reducing agent of Cu^IIBr₂/L to Cu^IBr/L. More importantly, the Cu^IBr/L species seem to be responsible for the activation of SET‐LRP.     

Synthese,Strukturen und X‐/Q‐Band‐EPR‐Untersuchungen von N,N‐Diethyl‐N′‐3,5‐di(trifluormethyl)benzoylthioureato‐Komplexen des CuII,NiII und PdII sowie EPR‐spektroskopische Charakterisierung eines CuII‐CuII‐Dimers

The synthesis and the structures of (i) the ligand N,N‐Diethyl‐N′‐3,5‐di(trifluoromethyl)benzoylthiourea HEt₂dtfmbtu and (ii) the Ni^II and Pd^II complexes of HEt₂dtfmbtu are reported. The ligand coordinates bidendate forming bis chelates. The Ni^II and the Pd^II complexes are isostructural. The also prepared Cu^II complex could not be characterized by X‐ray analysis. However, the preparation of diamagnetically diluted powders Cu/Ni(Et₂dtfmbtu)₂ and Cu/Pd(Et₂dtfmbtu)₂ suitable for EPR studies was successful. The EPR spectra of the Cu/Ni and Cu/Pd systems show noticeable differences for the symmetry of the CuS₂O₂ unit in both complexes: the Cu/Pd system is characterized by axially‐symmetric g< and A ^cu tensors; for the Cu/Ni system g and A ^Cu have rhombic symmetry. EPR studies on frozen solutions of the Cu^II complex show the presence of a Cu^II‐Cu^II dimer which is the first observed for Cu^II acylthioureato complexes up to now. The parameters of the fine structure tensor were used for the estimation of the Cu^II‐Cu^II distance.