Regulation of Catalytic Activity by Phosphine Ligand Design

Abstract

Starting with the catalytic complex [Rh(PPh₃)₃Cl], the influence of variation of phosphine ligand properties on the activity of rhodium phosphine complexes as catalysts for the hydrogenation of olefins was systematically studied. The following catalyst modifications were examined (a) varying the basicity of the triarylphosphine ligands, (b) replacing Cl^? by a non-coordinating anion (BF₄ ^?) to make the catalyst cationic, (c) substituting a chelating diphosphine for the monophosphine ligands to ensure cis-coordination, and (d) varying the chain length of the diphosphine ligand to vary the chelate ring size and flexibility. By systematic manipulation of these parameters, enhancements of catalytic activity by factors in excess of 10⁴ were achieved.     

Influence of the ligand structure on SLP-catalysed hydroformylation of propene

Hydroformylation of propene was studied at 90–120°C and 3–10 atm. The catalyst was hydrido-(carbonyl)tris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium [H(CO)Rh(PPh₃)₃] supported on silica, in an excess of a liquid phosphine (P) ligand as solvent. The following series of ligands (P) was synthesized and studied in this application: CH₃(CH₂)_nPPh₂ (n = 3, 7, 17), (c – C₆H₁₁)_xPPh_3?x (x = 0, 1, 2) and also unsaturated allyl- and poly(butadienyl)-diphenylphosphines. The activity and regioselectivity of the catalysts are discussed in terms of the mobility and coordination ability of the ligands used. With the same electron density of the phosphorus atom, the activity of the catalysts increases with the mobility of the ligands. On the other hand, given the same mobility of the ligand, a lower electron density on phosphorus results in increased catalytic activity.     

Synthesis of novel poly(ethylene glycol)‐containing imidazolium‐functionalized phosphine ligands and their application in the hydrosilylation of olefins

A series of polyethylene glycol‐containing imidazolium‐functionalized phosphine ligands (mPEG‐im‐PPh₂) were successfully synthesized and used in the rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation of olefins. The results indicate that the RhCl₃/mPEG‐im‐PPh₂ catalytic system exhibits both excellent activity and selectivity for the β‐adduct. In addition, the catalytic system may be recycled at least six times.     

Evaluation of ruthenium‐based catalytic systems for the controlled atom transfer radical polymerisation of vinyl monomers

Only [RuCl₂(p‐cymene)(PR₃)] complexes where the phosphine ligand, PR₃, is both strongly basic and bulky proved to be effective catalysts for the controlled atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate and styrene. The best phosphine ligands were typically P(i‐Pr)₃, P(cyclohexyl)₂Ph, P(cyclohexyl)₃, and P(cyclopentyl)₃. Less basic and/or bulky phosphines led to ineffective systems for ATRP. Tricyclohexylarsine gave rise to a highly efficient catalyst system. However, related complexes in which the phosphine ligand was replaced by tricyclohexylstibine, nitrogen (piperidine and 4‐cyanopyridine) and carbon ligands (alkyl isocyanides) proved to be inefficient. The observation of a direct relationship between the p‐cymene lability (measured by TGA) and catalyst activity suggests that p‐cymene release is a prerequisite for the polymerisation process.     

Rhodium/Phosphine catalysed selective hydroformylation of biorenewable olefins

This work reports rhodium catalyzed selective hydroformylation of natural olefins like eugenol, estragole, anethole, prenol and isoprenol using biphenyl based Buchwald phosphine ligands (S‐Phos ( L ₁ ), t‐Bu XPhos ( L ₂ ), Ru‐Phos ( L ₃ ), Johnphos ( L ₄ ) and DavePhos ( L ₅ ). Ru‐Phos ( L ₃ ) ligand exhibited high impact on the hydroformylation of eugenol providing high selectivity (90%) of linear aldehyde as major product. In addition, internal natural olefins like anethole and prenol provided moderate to high selectivity (65% and 85% respectively) of branched aldehydes as a major products. The various reaction parameters such as influence of ligands, P/Rh ratio, syngas pressure, temperature, time and solvents have been studied. A high activity and selectivity gained on the way to the linear aldehydes it may be due to the bulky, steric cyclohexyl and isopropoxy groups present in L ₃ phosphine ligand. Moreover, this catalytic system was smoothly converting natural olefins into corresponding linear and branched aldehydes with higher selectivity under the mild reaction conditions.     

Hydrosilylation reactions catalyzed by rhodium complexes with phosphine ligands functionalized with imidazolium salts

Hydrosilylation reactions of styrene with triethoxysilane catalyzed by rhodium complexes with phosphine ligands functionalized with imidazolium salts are reported. In comparison with Wilkinson’s catalyst, Rh(PPh₃)₃Cl, all of the present rhodium complexes with phosphines functionalized with imidazolium salts exhibit higher catalytic activity and selectivity.     

Polymerization of p‐diethynylbenzene and its derivatives with nickelocene acetylide catalysts containing different phosphine and alkynyl ligands

We developed a new series of single‐component air‐ and moisture‐stable catalysts for alkyne polymerization based on nickelocene complexes containing phosphine and alkynyl ligands. Chlorine, phosphine and alkynyl ligands exhibited great influence on the catalytic activity of the nickelocene complexes. Highly soluble polymers with fairly high molecular weight (M_w 23 400) were obtained in high yields (85%) in the homogeneous polymerization of p‐diethynylbenzene initiated with five nickelocene acetylides (π‐C₅H₅)LNi(C≡CR) (L = PPh₃, PBu₃; R = p‐C₆H₄C≡CH, C₆H₅, H) under mild conditions.     

A capable cobalt nano‐catalyst for the N‐formylation of various amines and its biological activity studies

The Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ MNPs) were modified with 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐diol and the relevant Co complex (Fe₃O₄@Phendiol@Co) synthesized as a nano‐magnetic heterogeneous catalyst to be used for the N ‐formylation of various amines at room temperature under solvent‐free conditions. Also, in order to find the better concept of the catalyst role, the N ‐formylation reaction was carried out by the use of ultrasound irradiation in the absence of the Co nano‐catalyst and the results were compared. The catalyst characterized by different methods such as the elemental analysis (CHN), ICP, FT‐IR, XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, TG‐DTA, VSM and XPS. In addition, the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities of the Fe₃O₄@Phendiol@Co nano‐catalyst and its Phendiol ligand were in vitro screened by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and disc diffusion methods. Results showed that they possess strong antioxidant activity (IC₅₀; 0.182 ± 0.006 mg/ml) and good antibacterial potential in comparison to standards.     

Design and Synthesis of Isocyanide Ligands for Catalysis: Application to Rh‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones

New isocyanide ligands with meta‐terphenyl backbones were synthesized. 2,6‐Bis[3,5‐bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]‐4‐methylphenyl isocyanide exhibited the highest rate acceleration in rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation among other isocyanide and phosphine ligands tested in this study. ¹H NMR spectroscopic studies on the coordination behavior of the new ligands to [Rh(cod)₂]BF₄ indicated that 2,6‐bis[3,5‐bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]‐4‐methylphenyl isocyanide exclusively forms the biscoordinated rhodium–isocyanide complex, whereas less sterically demanding isocyanide ligands predominantly form tetracoordinated rhodium–isocyanide complexes. FTIR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic studies on the hydrosilylation reaction mixture with the rhodium–isocyanide catalyst showed that the major catalytic species responsible for the hydrosilylation activity is the Rh complex coordinated with the isocyanide ligand. DFT calculations of model compounds revealed the higher affinity of isocyanides for rhodium relative to phosphines. The combined effect of high ligand affinity for the rhodium atom and the bulkiness of the ligand, which facilitates the formation of a catalytically active, monoisocyanide–rhodium species, is proposed to account for the catalytic efficiency of the rhodium–bulky isocyanide system in hydrosilylation.     

Amorphizing of Ag Nanoparticles under Bioinspired One‐step Assembly of Fe3O4‐Ag/rGO Hybrids via Self‐redox Process with Enhanced Activity

Efficient and reusable nanocatalysts fabricated via a facile assembly are highly desirable for the cost‐effective hydrogenation reduction. Inspired by a fishing process with a fishnet, multifunctional nanostructured catalysts are rationally designed to combine interesting features via the self‐redox assembly of Fe₃O₄‐Ag composites on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (Fe₃O₄‐Ag/rGO). In detail, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) endow the ternary hybrids with superparamagnetism (21.42 emu g^?1), facilitating catalysts to be separated from the reaction system. rGO could provide electron transfer pathways, enhancing catalytic activity. More interestingly, GO and Ag⁺ could behave as oxidants to oxidize Fe²⁺ for the in situ assembly of Fe₃O₄‐Ag/rGO without any addition of reductant/oxidant or organic solvents, and AgNPs endow the ternary hybrids with excellent catalytic behaviour. Meaningfully, the bioinspired process enables the ternary hybrids to possess more abundant micro?/nanopores, larger surface area, and more amorphization. They exhibit exceptional catalytic performance, and could be recycled with excellent activity by means of convenient magnetic separation (at least 7 times). Moreover, the ternary hybrids could degrade methylene blue under UV light due to different valence states of Fe in Fe₃O₄. Therefore, the proposed bioinspired assembly and structure design for hierarchical catalysts would pave a promising way to assemble other catalysts.     

Catalyst‐ and Solvent‐Dependent Stereodivergence in the Intramolecular Et2Zn/Pd0‐Promoted Carbonyl Propargylation: Mechanistic Implications

Carbonyl‐tethered propargylic benzoates undergo intramolecular carbonylpropargylation upon treatment with Et₂Zn in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd⁰ with the formation of 2‐alkynylcyclopentanol products. A ligand/solvent effect on the cis/trans selectivity (referring to the relative positions of alkynyl and OH groups) of ring‐closure has been found. In a non‐coordinating solvent (benzene), increasing the electron‐donating ability of the phosphine ligand (while decreasing its dissociation ability) leads to an increased tendency towards the trans product. On the other hand, the combination of a coordinating solvent (THF) and PPh₃, an easily dissociated phosphine, results in the exclusive formation of cis products. Experimental and computational results are compatible with a divergent behavior of an allenylethylpalladium intermediate that partitions between competitive carbonyl‐addition and transmetalation pathways, each leading to a different diastereoisomer. These results also suggest that the dissociating ability of the phosphine regulates that behavior.     

Rhodium Complexes Containing O‐Bonded NHxMe2−xCHO (x=0, 1, 2): X‐Ray Structure of [Rh(PPh3)3(OCHNHMe)]ClO4

Displacement of norbornadiene (nbd; bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta‐2,5‐diene) from [Rh(PPh₃)₂(nbd)]ClO₄ by hydrogenation in the presence of PPh₃ and formamide or Me‐substituted derivatives, results in the formation of O‐bonded formamide complexes [Rh(PPh₃)₃(OCHNH_xMe_2−x)]ClO₄ (x=0, 1, 2) rather than N‐bonded derivatives. These have been characterised by spectroscopic measurements and, in the case of [Rh(PPh₃)₃(OCHNHMe)]ClO₄, by X‐ray crystallography. All undergo oxidative addition with H₂, and the rates of ligand exchange in the Rh^I and Rh^III complexes have been determined by magnetisation‐transfer measurements.     

Catalytic Hydrogenation of Acetic Acid to Acetaldehyde: Synergistic Effect of Bifunctional Co/Ce‐Fe Oxide Solid Solution Catalysts

The large‐scale industrial production of acetic acid (HAc) from carbonylation of methanol has enabled intense research interest from direct hydrogenation of HAc to acetaldehyde (AA). Herein, a series of cerium‐iron oxide solid solution supported metallic cobalt catalysts were prepared by modified sol‐gel method and were applied in gas‐phase hydrogenation of HAc to AA. A synergistic effect between the hydrogenation metal cobalt and Ce‐Fe oxide solid solution is revealed. Specifically, oxygen vacancies provide the active sites for adsorption of HAc, while highly uniformly dispersed metallic Co adsorbs H₂ and activates the reduction of HAc into AA. Moreover, the metallic Co can also assist the cyclical conversion between Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ and Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ on the surface of Ce_1‐xFe_xO_2‐δ supports. The unique effect substantially enhances the ability of the support material to rapidly capture oxygen atoms from HAc. It is found that the catalyst of 5% Co/Ce_0.8Fe_0.2O_2‐δ with the highest concentration of oxygen vacancy presents the best catalytic performance (i.e. acetaldehyde yield reaches 49.9%) under the optimal reaction conditions (i.e. 623 K and H₂ flow rate = 10 mL/min). This work indicates that the Co/Ce‐Fe oxide solid solution catalyst can be potentially used for the selective hydrogenation from HAc to AA. The synergy between the metallic Co and Ce_1‐xFe_xO_2‐δ revealed can be extended to the design of other composite catalysts.     

Ethylene Oligomerization Catalyzed by MCl2(PPh3)2 Complex‐es/Ethylaluminoxane

The catalytic properties of MCl₂ (PPh₃)₂ (M = Fe, A; Co, B; Ni, C) in combination with ethylaluminoxane (EAO) as cocatalyst for ethylene oligomerization have been investigated. Treatment of the MCl₂ (PPh₃)₂ complexes with EAO in toluene generated active catalysts in situ that are capable of oligomerizating ethylene to low‐carbon olefins. The catalytic activity and product distribution were affected by reaction condition, such as reaction temperature, the ratios of Al/M and the reaction time. The activity of 1.70 × 10⁵ g oligomers/ (mol Co. h) for the catalytic system of CoCl₂(PPh₃)₂ with EAO at 200°C was observed, with the selectivity of 91.1% to C_4–10 olefins and 70.7% to C_4–10 linear α‐olefins.     

trans‐(4‐Amino‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl­piperidine‐N4)bis(pentane‐2,4‐dion­ato‐O,O′)(triphenylphosphine‐P)cobalt(III) hexafluorophosphate dichloromethane solvate

The complex cation in the title compound, [Co(C₅H₇O₂)₂(C₉H₂₀N₂)(C₁₈H₁₅P)]PF₆·CH₂Cl₂, is the first example of a Co^III complex in which a trans configuration for the coordinated monodentate phosphine and amine ligands has been confirmed by X‐ray analysis. Owing to the large steric bulkiness of the axial PPh₃ ligands influencing the interaction with the equatorial acetyl­acetonate ligands, the acetyl­acetonate planes bend away considerably from the PPh₃ ligands.     

A Magnetically Separable Catalyst for Synthesis of 1‐Phenoxy‐2‐propanol Via Atom‐economic Reaction

A magnetically separable catalyst Al₂O₃‐MgO/Fe₃O₄ was prepared by Al₂O₃‐MgO supported on magnetic oxide Fe₃O₄ and charactered by FT‐IR, XRD and SEM. The mixed oxides afforded high catalytic activity and selectivity for synthesis of 1‐phenoxy‐2‐propanol from phenol and propylene oxide with 80.3% conversion and 88.1% selectivity to 1‐phenoxy‐2‐propanol. Especially, facile separation of the catalyst by a magnet was obtained and the catalytic performance of the recovered catalyst was unaffected even at the forth run.     

Unexpected oxidation of a diphos­phine by bis­(1,3‐diphenylpropane‐1,3‐dionato)­cobalt(II), [Co(dbm)2]

The reaction of bis­(1,3‐diphenylpropane‐1,3‐dionato)cobalt(II), [Co(dbm)₂], with bis­(diphenyl­phosphino)ethane (dppe) affords the coordination polymer catena‐poly[[bis­(1,3‐diphenyl­propane‐1,3‐dionato‐κ²O,O′)cobalt(II)]‐μ‐ethyl­enebis(diphenyl­phosphine oxide)‐κ²O:O′], trans‐[Co(C₁₅H₁₁O₂)₂(C₂₆H₂₄O₂P₂)]_n, as a result of oxidation of the diphos­phine. The Co atom is octa­hedral, with a CoO₆ coordination sphere, and the chelating dbm ligands adopt a trans configuration. The Co atom also lies on a centre of inversion, with a further symmetry centre bis­ecting the bridging ethyl­enebis(diphenyl­phosphine oxide) ligand.     

Phosphorus Ligands with a Large Cavity: Synthesis of Triethynylphosphines with Bulky End Caps and Application to the Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones

Trialkynylphosphines substituted with bulky triarylsilyl groups at the alkyne termini were synthesized. The new phosphines P(C?CSiAr₃)₃ (Ar=3,5‐tBu₂‐4‐MeOC₆H₂, 3,5‐(Me₃Si)₂C₆H₃) are uncrowded near the phosphorus atom but bulky in the distal region. As a result, they contain a large cavity, at the bottom of which the phosphine lone‐pair electrons are located. The compounds are stable to oxidation by air and hydrolysis. DFT calculations suggested that the triethynylphosphines are good π‐acceptor ligands, comparable with P(OAr)₃. The trialkynylphosphines reacted with [{RhCl(cod)}₂] (P/Rh=1.1:1) to give selectively the monophosphine–rhodium complex [RhCl(cod)P(C?CSiAr₃)₃]. X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis revealed that the {RhCl(cod)} fragment is fully accommodated by the cavity of the phosphine ligand. Compared to the effect of analogues with smaller end caps and PPh₃, the trialkynylphosphines accelerated markedly the rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation of ketones with a triorganosilane. It is proposed that the higher catalytic activity observed with the holey phosphines is a result of the preferential formation of a monophosphine–rhodium species.     

Redox and Anion Exchange Chemistry of a Stibine–Nickel Complex: Writing the L,X, Z Ligand Alphabet with a Single Element

According to the covalent bond classification (CBC) method, two‐electron donors are defined as L‐type ligands, one‐electron donors as X‐type ligands, and two‐electron acceptors as Z‐type ligands. These three ligand functions are usually associated to the nature of the ligating atom, with phosphine, alkyl, and borane groups being prototypical examples of L‐, X‐ and Z‐ligands, respectively. A new SbNi platform is reported in which the ligating Sb atom can assume all three CBC ligand functions. Using both experimental and computational data, it is shown that PhICl₂ oxidation of (o‐(Ph₂P)C₆H₄)₃SbNi(PPh₃) ( 1 ) into [(o‐(Ph₂P)C₆H₄)₃ClSb]NiCl ( 2 ) is accompanied by a conversion of the stibine L‐type ligand of 1 into a stiboranyl X‐type ligand in 2 . Furthermore, the reaction of 2 with the catecholate dianion in the presence of cyclohexyl isocyanide results in the formation of [(o‐(Ph₂P)C₆H₄)₃(o‐O₂C₆H₄Sb)]Ni(CNCy) ( 4 ), a complex featuring a nickel atom coordinated by a Lewis acidic, Z‐type, stiborane ligand.     

Experimental and Computational Studies on Cobalt(I)-Catalyzed Regioselective Allylic Alkylation Reactions

Here, we report the development of cobalt(I)-catalyzed regioselective allylic alkylation reactions of tertiary allyl carbonates with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. A family of well-defined tetrahedral cobalt(I) complexes bearing commercially available bidentate bis(phosphine) ligands [(P,P)Co(PPh₃)Cl] are synthesized and explored as catalysts in allylic alkylation reactions. The catalyst [(dppp)Co(PPh₃)Cl] (dppp=1,3-Bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) enables the alkylation of a large variety of tertiary allyl carbonates with high yields and excellent regioselectivity for the branched product. Remarkably, this methodology is selective for the activation of tertiary allyl carbonates even in the presence of secondary allyl carbonates. This contrasts with the selectivity observed in cobalt-catalyzed allylic alkylations enabled by visible light photocatalysis. Mechanistic insights by means of experimental and computational investigations support a Co(I)/Co(III) catalytic cycle.