Fine-tuning of copper(I)-dioxygen reactivity by 2-(2-pyridyl)ethylamine bidentate ligands

Copper(I)-dioxygen reactivity has been examined using a series of 2-(2-pyridyl)ethylamine bidentate ligands (R1)Py1(R2,R3). The bidentate ligand with the methyl substituent on the pyridine nucleus (Me)Py1(Et,Bz) (N-benzyl-N-ethyl-2-(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)ethylamine) predominantly provided a (mu-eta(2):eta(2)-peroxo)dicopper(II) complex, while the bidentate ligand without the 6-methyl group (H)Py1(Et,Bz) (N-benzyl-N-ethyl-2-(2-pyridyl)ethylamine) afforded a bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex under the same experimental conditions. Both Cu(2)O(2) complexes gradually decompose, leading to oxidative N-dealkylation reaction of the benzyl group. Detailed kinetic analysis has revealed that the bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex is the common reactive intermediate in both cases and that O[bond]O bond homolysis of the peroxo complex is the rate-determining step in the former case with (Me)Py1(Et,Bz). On the other hand, the copper(I) complex supported by the bidentate ligand with the smallest N-alkyl group ((H)Py1(Me,Me), N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-pyridyl)ethylamine) reacts with molecular oxygen in a 3:1 ratio in acetone at a low temperature to give a mixed-valence trinuclear copper(II, II, III) complex with two mu(3)-oxo bridges, the UV-vis spectrum of which is very close to that of an active oxygen intermediate of lacase. Detailed spectroscopic analysis on the oxygenation reaction at different concentrations has indicated that a bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex is the precursor for the formation of trinuclear copper complex. In the reaction with 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (DBP), the trinuclear copper(II, II, III) complex acts as a two-electron oxidant to produce an equimolar amount of the C[bond]C coupling dimer of DBP (3,5,3',5'-tetra-tert-butyl-biphenyl-2,2'-diol) and a bis(mu-hydroxo)dicopper(II) complex. Kinetic analysis has shown that the reaction consists of two distinct steps, where the first step involves a binding of DBP to the trinuclear complex to give a certain intermediate that further reacts with the second molecule of DBP to give another intermediate, from which the final products are released. Steric and/or electronic effects of the 6-methyl group and the N-alkyl substituents of the bidentate ligands on the copper(I)-dioxygen reactivity have been discussed.     

Formation, characterization, and reactivity of bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes supported by a series of bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amine ligands.

Bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes supported by a series of bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amine ligands have been successfully generated by treating the corresponding bis(mu-hydroxo)dinickel(II) complexes or bis(mu-methoxo)dinickel(II) complex with an equimolar amount of H(2)O(2) in acetone at low temperature. The bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes exhibit a characteristic UV-vis absorption band at approximately 410 nm and a resonance Raman band at 600-610 cm(-1) that shifted to 570-580 cm(-1) upon (18)O-substitution. Kinetic studies and isotope labeling experiments using (18)O(2) imply the existence of intermediate(s) such as peroxo dinickel(II) in the course of formation of the bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complex. The bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes supported by the mononucleating ligands (L1(X) = para-substituted N,N-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]-2-phenylethylamine; X = OMe, Me, H, Cl) gradually decompose, leading to benzylic hydroxylation of the ligand side arm (phenethyl group). The kinetics of the ligand hydroxylation process including kinetic deuterium isotope effects (KIE), p-substituent effects (Hammett plot), and activation parameters (Delta H(H)(*) and Delta S(H)(*)) indicate that the bis(muxo)dinickel(III) complex exhibits an ability of hydrogen atom abstraction from the substrate moiety as in the case of the bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) complex. Such a reactivity of bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complexes has also been suggested by the observed reactivity toward external substrates such as phenol derivatives and 1,4-cyclohexadiene. The thermal stability of the bis(mu-oxo)dinickel(III) complex is significantly enhanced when the dinucleating ligand with a longer alkyl strap is adopted instead of the mononucleating ligand. In the m-xylyl ligand system, no aromatic ligand hydroxylation occurred, showing a sharp contrast with the reactivity of the (mu-eta(2):eta(2)-peroxo)dicopper(II) complex with the same ligand which induces aromatic ligand hydroxylation via an electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism. Differences in the structure and reactivity of the active oxygen complexes between the nickel and the copper systems are discussed on the basis of the detailed comparison of these two systems with the same ligand.     

Reductive DNA cleavage induced by UVA photoirradiation of NADH without oxygen

UVA irradiation of dihydronicotinamide coenzyme (NADH), which plays a key role in a number of biological redox processes, results in effective DNA cleavage without oxygen via photoionization of NADH and the subsequent reaction of hydrated electron with DNA as well as photoinduced electron transfer from NADH to DNA.     

Mechanisms of electron-transfer oxidation of NADH analogues and chemiluminescence. Detection of the keto and enol radical cations

The radical cation of an NADH analogue (BNAH: 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide) has been successfully detected as the transient absorption and ESR spectra in the thermal electron transfer from BNAH to Fe(bpy)(3)(3+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) and Ru(bpy)(3)(3+). The ESR spectra of the radical cations of BNAH and the dideuterated compound (BNAH-4,4'-d(2)) indicate that the observed radical cation is the keto form rather than the enol form in the tautomerization. The deprotonation rate and the kinetic isotope effects of the keto form of BNAH(*)(+) were determined from the kinetic analysis of the electron-transfer reactions. In the case of electron transfer from BNAH to Ru(bpy)(3)(3+), the chemiluminescence due to Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) was observed in the second electron-transfer step from BNA(*), produced by the deprotonation of the keto form of BNAH(*)(+), to Ru(bpy)(3)(3+). The observation of chemiluminescence due to Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) provides compelling evidence that the Marcus inverted region is observed even for such an intermolecular electron-transfer reaction. When BNAH is replaced by 4-tert-butylated BNAH (4-t-BuBNAH), no chemiluminescence due to Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) has been observed in the electron transfer from 4-t-BuBNAH to Ru(bpy)(3)(3+). This is ascribed to the facile C-C bond cleavage in 4-t-BuBNAH(*)(+). In the laser flash photolysis of a deaerated MeCN solution of BNAH and CHBr(3), the transient absorption spectrum of the enol form of BNAH(*)(+) was detected instead of the keto form of BNAH(*)(+), and the enol form was tautomerized to the keto form. The rate of intramolecular proton transfer in the enol form to produce the keto form of BNAH(*)(+) was determined from the decay of the absorption band due to the enol form and the rise in the absorption band due to the keto form. The kinetic isotope effects were observed for the intramolecular proton-transfer process in the keto form to produce the enol form.     

Kinetics of electrophilic brominations. Mechanistic significance of the third-order term

The rates of electrophilic bromination of various donors follow complex kinetics which include both first-order and second-order dependences on bromine, especially in the less polar solvents. The second-order rate constant k_s and the third-order rate constant k_t are evaluated for alkene bromination in carbon tetrachloride, and they are compared to those already listed for the electrophilic brominations of substituted styrenes, arenes, and metal carbonyls in the extant literature. Despite the varying magnitudes of the second– and third-order rate constants for these diverse donors (and in different solvents), the ratio log(k_s/k_t) is remarkably invariant. The mechanistic implication of this unique observation is discussed in the context of charge transfer interactions which are common to the activated complexes in the electrophilic brominations of various donors.