Nitrogen fixation under mild ambient conditions: part I--the initial dissociation/association step at molybdenum triamidoamine complexes

In several recent studies Schrock and collaborators demonstrated for the first time how molecular dinitrogen can be catalytically transformed under mild and ambient conditions to ammonia by a molybdenum triamidoamine complex. In this work, we investigate the geometrical and electronic structures involved in this process of dinitrogen activation with quantum chemical methods. Density functional theory (DFT) has been employed to calculate the coordination energies of ammonia and dinitrogen relevant for the dissociation/association step in which ammonia is substituted by dinitrogen. In the DFT calculations the triamidoamine chelate ligand has been modeled by a systematic hierarchy of increasingly complex substituents at the amide nitrogen atoms. The most complex ligand considered is an experimentally known ligand with an HMT = 3,5-(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)2C6H3 substituent. Several assumptions by Schrock and collaborators on key reaction steps are confirmed by our calculations. Additional information is provided on many species not yet observed experimentally. Particular attention is paid to the role of the charge of the complexes. The investigation demonstrates that dinitrogen coordination is enhanced for the negatively charged metal fragment, that is, coordination is more favorable for the anionic metal fragment than for the neutral species. Coordination of N2 is least favorable for the cationic metal fragment. Furthermore, ammonia abstraction from the cationic complex is energetically unfavorable, while NH3 abstraction is less difficult from the neutral and easily feasible from the anionic low-spin complex.     

Strain engineering the D-band center for Janus MoSSe edge: Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is one of the most important and challenging process in production of ammonia at ambient temperature. We have first performed density function theory to propose the edge of Janus MoSSe(EJM) monolayer as a potential catalyst for nitrogen reduction reaction. Our results show that the superficial D-band centers play an important role in nitrogen fixation. The strain effects greatly alter the D-band center, and further change the interaction between the adsorbates and the surface of catalysts.Our findings provide a new thought into designing transition-metal chalcogenide catalysts for nitrogen fixation.     

Indirect determination of cyanide ion and hydrogen cyanide by adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a mercury electrode

An indirect voltammetric method is described for determination of cyanide ions and hydrogen cyanide, using the effect of cyanide on cathodic adsorptive stripping peak height of Cu-adenine. The method is based on competitive Cu complex formation reaction between adenine at the electrode surface and CN⁻ ions in solution. Under the optimum experimental conditions (pH=6.42 Britton-Robinson buffer, 1×10⁻⁴ M copper and 8×10⁻⁷ M adenine), the linear decrease of the peak current of Cu-adenine was observed, when the cyanide concentration was increased from 5×10⁻⁸ to 8×10⁻⁷ M. The detection limit was obtained as 1×10⁻⁸ M for 60 s accumulation time. The relative standard deviations for six measurements were 4 and 2% for the cyanide concentrations of 5×10⁻⁸ and 2×10⁻⁷ M, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of cyanide in various industrial waste waters such as electroplating waste water and also for determination of hydrogen cyanide in air samples.     

Modeling of the molybdenum center in the nitrogenase FeMo-cofactor

The functional, structural and theoretical chemical approaches to specifically model the molybdenum center of the nitrogenase enzyme are reviewed. We show how dinitrogen can be reduced at monometallic centers and highlight attempts to develop a nitrogenase-relevant dinitrogen reduction chemistry at molybdenum–sulfur complexes and clusters. The theoretical work addressing the molybdenum issue is also reported together with models for nitrogenase function, some of them directly involving the molybdenum atom.     

Reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia at a well-protected reaction site in a molybdenum triamidoamine complex

We have synthesized a triamidoamine ligand ([(RNCH2CH2)3N]3-) in which R is 3,5-(2,4,6-i-Pr3C6H2)2C6H3 (HexaIsoPropylTerphenyl or HIPT). The reaction between MoCl4(THF)2 and H3[HIPTN3N] in THF followed by 3.1 equiv of LiN(SiMe3)2 led to formation of orange [HIPTN3N]MoCl. Reduction of [HIPTN3N]MoCl with magnesium in THF under dinitrogen led to formation of salts that contain the {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}- ion. The {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}- ion can be oxidized by zinc chloride to give [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) or protonated to give [HIPTN3N]Mo-N=N-H. Other relevant compounds that have been prepared include {[HIPTN3N]Mo-N=NH2}+, [HIPTN3N]MoN, {[HIPTN3N]Mo=NH}+, and {[HIPTN3N]Mo(NH3)}+. (The anion is usually {B(3,5-(CF3)2C6H3)4}- = {BAr'4}-.) Reduction of [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) with CoCp2 in the presence of {2,6-lutidinium}BAr'4 in benzene leads to formation of ammonia and {[HIPTN3N]Mo(NH3)}+. Preliminary X-ray studies suggest that the HIPT substituent creates a deep, three-fold symmetric cavity that protects a variety of dinitrogen reduction products against bimolecular decomposition reactions, while at the same time the metal is left relatively open toward reactions near the equatorial amido ligands.     

A study of fixation of molybdenum on the crystalline zirconia

A study of fixation of molybdenum on crystalline zirconia was carried out. Molybdenum ions was co-precipitated with zirconium hydroxide at pH-9 and a maximum of ≈39 wt% of molybdenum was found to be incorporated. The mixed material was calcined separately at 800 and 1000°C in a pelletized form and the leachabilities for molybdenum were determined by Soxhlet refluxing at 97°C for 7 days at regular interval, which were found to be negligibile, in the order of 10⁻³ g m⁻² d⁻¹. The analysis of the composite materials by X-ray powder diffraction patterns revealed that molybdenum was fixed in the crystalline lattice of baddeleyite type of mineral of zirconia forming new phases of monoclinic and hexagonal forms of Zr(MoO₄)₂ which co-existed with a small amount of MoO₃ besides baddeleyite.     

Electroreduction of molybdenum(VI) at a prehydrogenated platinum electrode

The use of hydrogenated platinum electrodes allows observation of the electroreduction of some oxygenated ions, which is otherwise masked by the reduction of the hydrogen ion. The present paper deals with the reduction of molybdenum(VI) at a prehydrogenated platinum electrode in acid solutions. The experimental conditions for the electrode hydrogenation process are the following: 90 min at a cathodic current density of about 7 A/cm(2) for microelectrodes with an area of 0.02-0.03 cm(2); about 120 min at a current density of 1.5-2 A/cm(2) for microelectrodes with an area of 0.25-0.35 cm(2). The reduction of molybdenum(VI) in 0.8-1.6M H(2)SO(4) occurs in two consecutive steps: the more cathodic wave [Mo(V) to Mo(III)] is for the most part masked by the reduction of the solvent; the less cathodic wave [Mo(VI) to Mo(V)] takes place at E(1 2 ) values of about +0.07 V, is well shaped, diffusion-controlled and usable for the determination of molybdenum down to 4 x 10(-5)M or 6 x 10(-5)M if a rotating disk electrode is used. Interferences from diverse ions have been studied. A generalization of the effect of electrode hydrogenation on the reduction of those oxygenated ions so far studied [i.e., vanadium(IV), uranium(VI) and molybdenum(VI)] is presented.     

An efficient catalytic asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes at room temperature

The BINOL-salen compound (S)-5c in combination with Ti(OⁱPr)₄ is found to catalyze the addition of TMSCN to aldehydes to form chiral cyanohydrins with very good enantioselectivity (75-85% ee). The reactions are carried out in one-pot at room temperature without the need to isolate the chiral Lewis acid catalyst.     

Magnetism of metal cyanide networks assembled at interfaces

Studies of metal cyanide thin films prepared directly at interfaces are reviewed. The systems range from monolayers, single-layer analogs of Prussian blue-like networks, to bulk powders prepared as thin films. Monolayer networks are prepared at the air/water interface and transferred to solid supports using Langmuir-Blodgett film methods. Films of bulk materials are prepared directly on solid surfaces using a templated sequential deposition procedure. The magnetic properties of the films have been explored, and in some cases, these monolayers and surface films give rise to new behavior that is only possible because of the fabrication method or thin film architecture. The methods of synthesis can generate oriented samples, even when the materials are poorly crystalline. Furthermore, the interface-assembled networks are inherently anisotropic, leading to phenomena not present in the solid-state analogs, such as anisotropic photomagnetism in a thin film of Rb_jCo_k[Fe(CN)₆]_l·nH₂O.     

Imidazole to NHC rearrangements at molybdenum centers: an experimental and theoretical study

Both manganese and rhenium complexes of the type [M(bipy)(CO)(3)(N-RIm)](+) (bipy=2,2'-bipyridine) undergo deprotonation of the central CH group of the N-alkylimidazole (N-RIm) ligand when treated with a strong base. However, the outcome of the reaction is very different for either metal. For Mn, the addition of the equimolar amount of an acid to the product of the deprotonation affords an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex, whereas for Re, once the deprotonation of the central imidazole CH group has occurred, the bipy ligand undergoes a nucleophilic attack on an ortho carbon, affording the C-C coupling product. The extension of these studies to pseudo-octahedral [Mo(η(3)-allyl)(bipy)(CO)(2)(N-RIm)](+) complexes has allowed us to isolate cationic NHC complexes (Mn(I)-type behavior), as well as their neutral imidazol-2-yl precursors. Theoretical studies of the reaction mechanisms using DFT computations were carried out on the deprotonation of [Mn(bipy)(CO)(3)(N-PhIm)](+), [Re(bipy)(CO)(3) (N-MesIm)](+), and [Mo(η(3)-C(4)H(7))(bipy)(CO)(2) (N-MesIm)](+) complexes (Mes=mesityl) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) (LANL2DZ for Mn, Re, and Mo) level of theory. Our results explain why different products have been found experimentally for Mn, Mo, and Re complexes. For Re, the process leading to a C-C coupling product is clearly more favored than those forming an imidazol-2-yl product. In contrast, for Mn and Mo complexes, the lower stabilizing interaction between the central imidazole and ortho bipy C atoms, along with the higher lability of the ligands, make the formation of an NHC-type product kinetically more accessible, in good agreement with experimental findings.     

Decomposition of alkyl-substituted urea molecules at a hydroxide-bridged dinickel center

The interactions between N-methylurea, N,N'-dimethylurea, N,N-dimethylurea, tetramethylurea, and thiourea and the hydroxide-bridged dinickel complex [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(H2O2](OTs)(3) were investigated. Structural characterization of [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(Me-urea)(CH3CN)](ClO4)(3) (1) and [Ni(2)(mu-OH)(mu-H2O)(bdptz)(thiourea)(CH3CN)](ClO4)(3) (2) provided insight into the interactions of the substrates with the dinickel center. In 1, the methylurea molecule coordinates to the dinickel complex through its carbonyl oxygen atom. Complex 2 has a similar geometry, with the thiourea molecule bound to a nickel ion through its sulfur atom. When the urea substrates are heated in the presence of the hydroxide-bridged dinickel complex, N-methylurea and N,N-dimethylurea react to form methylammonium cyanate and dimethylammonium cyanate, respectively. After long reaction times, thiourea reacts similarly, producing ammonium thiocyanate. The other substrates are unreactive. These results indicate that the dinickel complex promotes the elimination of alkylamines from urea substrates to form cyanate but cannot effect the direct hydrolysis of such substrates.     

Nitrogen fixation by transition metal compounds: Results and prospects

The reaction of H₂PtCl_σ with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, anisole and chlorobenzene affords the new anionic σ-aryl complexes of Pt^IV. In the cases of monosubstituted benzenes mixtures of meta- and para-platinated isomers were prepared. No examples of the ortho-isomer were found. These complexes are intermediates in the chlorination and dimerization of aromatic compounds by H₂PtCl_σ.     

Metal-free tandem Friedel-Crafts/lactonization reaction to benzofuranones bearing a quaternary center at C3 position

A metal-free tandem Friedel-Crafts/lactonization reaction to 3,3-diaryl or 3-alkyl-3-aryl benzofuranones catalyzed by HClO(4) was reported. A variety of tertiary α-hydroxy acid esters could readily react with substituted phenols to afford the desired products in rich diversity. The synthetic utility of the products was demonstrated by the synthesis of polycyclic compounds. (1)H NMR studies supported that this tandem reaction proceeded via tandem Friedel-Crafts/lactonization sequence.     

Synthesis of new copper cyanide complexes via the transformation of organonitrile to inorganic cyanide

Hydrothermal reaction of diaminomaleonitrile and copper salts under different conditions resulted in copper cyanide coordination polymers {[Cu(H 2O)(NH 3) 4][Cu 3(CN) 5].H 2O} n ( 1), {(CH 3) 4N[Cu(H 2O)(NH 3) 4][Cu 4(CN) 7]} n ( 2), and {(CH 3OH 2) 2[Cu 2(CN) 3]} n ( 3). 1 and 2 are new mixed-valence Cu(I,II), two 3D organic-inorganic molecular framework complexes that exhibit ionic inclusion. 3 is an open copper cyanide framework hosting a guest molecule. Cyanides in 1, 2, and 3 are produced by in situ C-C bond cleavage of diaminomaleonitrile, and then the remaining product is oxidized to form an oxalate group. The potential porosity of the hydrated coordination polymer 3 was estimated using a computational method based on Connolly's algorithm.     

Continuous monitoring for cyanide in waste water with a galvanic hydrogen cyanide sensor using a purge system

A continuous monitoring system for cyanide with a galvanic hydrogen cyanide sensor and an aeration pump for purging was developed. Hydrogen cyanide evolved from cyanide solution using a purging pump was measured with the hydrogen cyanide sensor. The system showed good performance in terms of stability and selectivity. A linear calibration curve was obtained in the concentrating range from 0 to 15 mg dm³ of cyanide ion with a slope of −0.24 μA mg⁻¹ dm⁻³. The lower detection limit was 0.1 mg dm⁻³. The 90% response time of the sensor system was within 3.5 min for a 0.5 mg dm⁻³ cyanide solution, when the flow rate of the purging air was 1 dm³ min⁻¹. The system maintained the initial performance for 6 months in the field test. The developed galvanic sensor system was not subject to interference from sulfide and residual chlorine, compared with a potentiometric sensor system developed previously. The analytical results obtained by the present system were in good agreement with those obtained by the pyridine pyrazolone method. The correlation factor and regression line between both methods were 0.979 and Y=2.30×10⁻⁴+1.12X, respectively. This system was successfully applied for a continuous monitoring of cyanide ion in waste water.     

Water addition to a two-electron mixed-valence bimetallic center

Water adds to the two-electron mixed-valence Ir(0,II)(2) core of Ir(2)(tfepma)(3)Cl(2)(tfepma = MeN[P(OCH(2)CF(3))(2)](2)) to cleanly generate an Ir(I,III)(2) hydride. Dehydrohalogenation across the Ir-Ir bond returns the complex to an Ir(0,II)(2) species.     

Double indication in catalytic—kinetic analysis; Determination of iron(III), cyanide and molybdenum(VI)

The reactions in catalytic—kinetic methods are followed simultaneously with two independent indication systems. The information delivered by the two indication methods can be used alone or in combination for the determination of the catalyst or the inhibitor. The following examples illustrate the method: the determination of iron(III) by its catalytic action on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (thermometric and biamperometric indication)in the range 10–100 ng Fe/6 ml; the determination of cyanide which inhibits the catalytic activity of copper on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide thermometric and biamperometric indication) in the range 2–60 μg CN^-/7 ml; and the determination of molybdenum based on the Landolt-type system iodide—bromate— ascorbic acid (thermometric and photometric indication) in the range 0.8–40 μg Mo/8 ml.