Environmentally friendly chemoselective oxidation of primary aliphatic amines by using a biomimetic electrocatalytic system

Environmentally friendly oxidation of primary aliphatic amines to imines has been successfully achieved, under metal-free conditions, by the use of diverse electrogenerated o-azaquinone mediators. High catalytic performance, together with high chemoselectivity, were observed with electron-poor o-azaquinone catalysts generated from 2-aminoresorcinol derivatives. Similar to copper amine oxidase enzymes, these mediators exhibited lower reactivity toward alpha-branched primary amines and no reactivity toward secondary amines. In the case of 3,4-aminophenol derivatives lacking a 2-hydroxy group, the generated o-azaquinone species failed to catalyze the oxidation of the amine to the corresponding imine. Further mechanistic considerations allowed a rationalization of the crucial role of the 2-hydroxy group in converting a catalytically inert species into a highly effective biomimetic catalyst.     

Ligand versus metal protonation of an iron hydrogenase active site mimic

The protonation behavior of the iron hydrogenase active-site mimic [Fe2(mu-adt)(CO)4(PMe3)2] (1; adt=N-benzyl-azadithiolate) has been investigated by spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational methods. The combination of an adt bridge and electron-donating phosphine ligands allows protonation of either the adt nitrogen to give [Fe2(mu-Hadt)(CO)4(PMe3)2]+ ([1 H]+), the Fe-Fe bond to give [Fe2(mu-adt)(mu-H)(CO)4(PMe3)2]+ ([1 Hy]+), or both sites simultaneously to give [Fe2(mu-Hadt)(mu-H)(CO)4(PMe3)2]2+ ([1 HHy]2 +). Complex 1 and its protonation products have been characterized in acetonitrile solution by IR, (1)H, and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. The solution structures of all protonation states feature a basal/basal orientation of the phosphine ligands, which contrasts with the basal/apical structure of 1 in the solid state. Density functional calculations have been performed on all protonation states and a comparison between calculated and experimental spectra confirms the structural assignments. The ligand protonated complex [1 H]+ (pKa=12) is the initial, metastable protonation product while the hydride [1 Hy]+ (pKa=15) is the thermodynamically stable singly protonated form. Tautomerization of cation [1 H]+ to [1 Hy]+ does not occur spontaneously. However, it can be catalyzed by HCl (k=2.2 m(-1) s(-1)), which results in the selective formation of cation [1 Hy]+. The protonations of the two basic sites have strong mutual effects on their basicities such that the hydride (pK(a)=8) and the ammonium proton (pK(a)=5) of the doubly protonated cationic complex [1 HHy]2+ are considerably more acidic than in the singly protonated analogues. The formation of dication [1 HHy]2+ from cation [1 H]+ is exceptionally slow with perchloric or trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (k=0.15 m(-1) s(-1)), while the dication is formed substantially faster (k>10(2) m(-1) s(-1)) with hydrobromic acid. Electrochemically, 1 undergoes irreversible reduction at -2.2 V versus ferrocene, and this potential shifts to -1.6, -1.1, and -1.0 V for the cationic complexes [1 H]+, [1 Hy]+, and [1 HHy]2+, respectively, upon protonation. The doubly protonated form [1 HHy]2+ is reduced at less negative potential than all previously reported hydrogenase models, although catalytic proton reduction at this potential is characterized by slow turnover.     

Silicon–Heteroaromatic [FeFe] Hydrogenase Model Complexes: Insight into Protonation,Electrochemical Properties,and Molecular Structures

To learn from Nature how to create an efficient hydrogen‐producing catalyst, much attention has been paid to the investigation of structural and functional biomimics of the active site of [FeFe]‐hydrogenase. To understand their catalytic activities, the μ‐S atoms of the dithiolate bridge have been considered as possible basic sites during the catalytic processes. For this reason, a series of [FeFe]‐H₂ase mimics have been synthesized and characterized. Different [FeFe]‐hydrogenase model complexes containing bulky Si–heteroaromatic systems or fluorene directly attached to the dithiolate moiety as well as their mono‐PPh₃‐substituted derivatives have been prepared and investigated in detail by spectroscopic, electrochemical, X‐ray diffraction, and computational methods. The assembly of the herein reported series of complexes shows that the μ‐S atoms can be a favored basic site in the catalytic process. Small changes in the (hetero)‐aromatic system of the dithiolate moiety are responsible for large differences in their structures. This was elucidated in detail by DFT calculations, which were consistent with the experimental results.     

Towards Norcorrin: Hydrogenation Chemistry and the Heterodimerization of Nickel(II) Norcorrole

5,14‐Dimesitylnorcorrolatonickel(II) was hydrogenated under mild conditions (room temperature, 1 atm H₂, THF solution, 5 min.) in the presence of Raney nickel to yield nonaromatic derivatives that were isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, HRMS, cyclic voltammetry, and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The major hydrogenation product, 1,2,3,7,8,9‐hexahydronorcorrolatonickel(II), underwent dimerization in the presence of p‐chloranil to give a nonsymmetrically linked 2,3′‐bis(norcorrole) system that can adopt eight different oxidation states over a redox potential window of 3 V and has a HOMO–LUMO gap of 0.92 V.     

Nickel-based ethylene oligomerization catalysts supported by PNSiP ligands

A series of nickel (II) complexes bearing silicon bridged diphosphines ligands (PNSiP) have been synthesized and characterized. All nickel precatalysts, activated with ethylaluminum dichloride (EtAlCl₂), exhibited moderate to high activities for ethylene dimerization to butylene. The in situ nickel precatalysts formed by mixing N-cyclopentyl-N-((diphenylphosphanyl)dimethylsilyl)-1,1-diphenylphosphanamine (L2) with NiBr₂(DME) showed high catalytic activity (2.40 × 10⁸ g/(mol_Ni·h)) and high product selectivity (88.6%) towards butene using methylcyclohexane as solvent at 1.0 MPa ethylene pressure and 45°C temperature, no polyethylene(PE) was observed. Ligand backbone tuning of PNSiP-based catalytic systems help in precise understanding of steric bulk variation effects on catalytic performance.     

Chemically and Electrochemically Triggered Assembly of Viologen Radicals: Towards Multiaddressable Molecular Switches

We have established that bipyridinium radicals can be reversibly π‐dimerized under the combined effects of chemical (proton transfer) and electrochemical (electron transfer) stimuli. Our investigations also led to the discovery that a bis‐pyridinyl appended calixarene intermediate is involved in a fully reversible redox‐triggered σ‐dimerization process. The structure of the most stable intramolecular σ‐dimer was provided by computational chemistry and its complete conversion into a noncovalent π‐dimer could be triggered chemically by addition of protons, leading to the formation of protonated cation radicals. Theoretical data collected with the N‐methylated and N‐protonated π‐dimers also support the existence of multivariant orientations in π‐bonded dimers of viologen cation‐radicals.     

Pairing of α-Fused BODIPY: Towards Panchromatic n-Type Semiconducting Materials

A chemical strategy to efficiently perform the dimerization of α-fused boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) is reported. The straightforward synthesis of one of these dimers is described and its properties have been investigated through UV/Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and charge-carrier mobility measurements by using organic field-effect transistors and space–charge-limited current diodes. The results allow a chemical strategy to decrease the tendency of α-fused BODIPY to crystallize, to increase its light-harvesting properties, and to promote isotropic charge carriers transport. Moreover, the disclosed approach is also a way to maintain the deep LUMO level of α-fused BODIPY; thus making this class of materials highly desirable for optoelectronic applications.     

Zethrene and Dibenzozethrene: Masked Biradical Molecules?

The syntheses, structures, and physical properties of dibenzozethrenes were explored. The results thus obtained were compared with those for zethrenes. Dibenzozethrenes were synthesized by the nickel‐catalyzed cyclodimerization of 9‐ethynyl‐1‐iodoanthracenes. The substituents in zethrene and dibenzozethrene twisted their backbones, and remarkably influenced their properties. Unlike closed‐shell disubstituted derivatives, the parent zethrene and dibenzozethrene are singlet open‐shell biradicals, which were studied by variable‐temperature ¹H NMR, ESR, SQUID and computational methods. Since substituents were observed to affect significantly the biradical properties, the relevant mechanisms were analyzed. The nonlinear optical performance of each of these compounds depends on its π‐conjugation and biradical properties. Dibenzozethrenes have larger two‐photon absorption cross‐sections than zethrenes, as most strongly evidenced by the parent dibenzothrene [σ_max=4323 GM at 530 nm].