Simplifying and expanding the scope of boron imidazolate framework (BIF) synthesis using mechanochemistry

Mechanochemistry enables rapid access to boron imidazolate frameworks (BIFs), including ultralight materials based on Li and Cu(i) nodes, as well as new, previously unexplored systems based on Ag(i) nodes. Compared to solution methods, mechanochemistry is faster, provides materials with improved porosity, and replaces harsh reactants (e.g. n-butylithium) with simpler and safer oxides, carbonates or hydroxides. Periodic density-functional theory (DFT) calculations on polymorphic pairs of BIFs based on Li⁺, Cu⁺ and Ag⁺ nodes reveals that heavy-atom nodes increase the stability of the open SOD-framework relative to the non-porous dia-polymorph.

Mechanochemistry enables rapid access to boron imidazolate frameworks (BIFs), including ultralight materials based on Li and Cu(i) nodes, as well as new, previously unexplored systems based on Ag(i) nodes.

Mechanochemistry^1–7 has emerged as a versatile methodology for the synthesis and discovery of advanced materials, including nanoparticle systems^8–10 and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs),^11–15 giving rise to materials that are challenging to obtain using conventional solution-based techniques.^16–18 Mechanochemical techniques such as ball milling, twin screw extrusion¹⁹ and acoustic mixing^20,21 have simplified and advanced the synthesis of a wide range of MOFs, permitting the use of simple starting materials such as metal oxides, hydroxides or carbonates,^22,23 at room temperature and without bulk solvents, yielding products of comparable stability and, after activation, higher surface areas than solution-generated counterparts.^24–29 The efficiency of mechanochemistry in MOF synthesis was recently highlighted by accessing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs)^30,31 that were theoretically predicted, but not accessible under conventional solution-based conditions.¹⁷The advantages of mechanochemistry in MOF chemistry led us to address the possibility of synthesizing boron imidazolate frameworks (BIFs),^32–34 an intriguing but poorly developed class of microporous materials analogous to ZIFs, comprising equimolar combinations of tetrahedrally coordinated boron(iii) and monovalent Li⁺ or Cu⁺ cations as nodes (Fig. 1A–C). Although BIFs offer an attractive opportunity to access microporous MOFs with lower molecular weights, particularly in the case of “ultralight” systems based on Li⁺ and B(iii) centers, this family of materials has remained largely unexplored – potentially due to the need for harsh synthetic conditions, including the use of n-butyllithium in a solvothermal environment.^32–34Open in a separate windowFig. 1Structures of previously reported BIFs with: (A) zni-, (B) dia-, or (C) SOD-topology (M = Li, Cu); (D) tetrakis(imidazolyl)boric acids used herein for mechanochemical BIF synthesis; and (E) schematic representation of the herein developed mechanosynthesis of dia- and SOD BIF polymorphs based on Li, Cu or Ag metal nodes.We now show how switching to the mechanochemical environment enables lithium- and copper(i)-based BIFs to be prepared rapidly (i.e., within 60–90 minutes), without elevated temperatures or bulk solvents, and from readily accessible solid reactants, such as hydroxides and oxides (Fig. 1D and E). While the mechanochemically-prepared BIFs exhibit significantly higher surface areas than the solvothermally-prepared counterparts, mechanochemistry allows for expanding this class of materials towards previously not reported Ag⁺ nodes. The introduction of BIFs isostructural with those based on Li⁺ or Cu⁺ but comprising of Ag⁺ ions, enables a periodic density-functional theory (DFT) evaluation of their stability. This reveals that switching to heavier elements as tetrahedral nodes improves the stability of sodalite topology (SOD) open BIFs with respect to close-packed diamondoid (dia) topology polymorphs.As a first attempt at mechanochemically synthesis of BIFs, we targeted the synthesis of previously reported zni-topology LiB(Im)₄ and CuB(Im)₄ frameworks (Li-BIF-1 and Cu-BIF-1, respectively, Fig. 1A) using a salt exchange reaction between LiCl or CuCl with commercially available sodium tetrakis(imidazolyl)borate (Na[B(Im)₄]) (Fig. 2A). Milling of LiCl and Na[B(Im)₄] in a 1 : 1 stoichiometric ratio for up to 60 minutes led to the appearance of Bragg reflections consistent with the target Li-BIF-1 (CSD MOXJEP) and the anticipated NaCl byproduct. The reaction was, however, incomplete, as seen by X-ray reflections of Na[B(Im)₄] starting material. In order to improve reactant conversion, we explored liquid-assisted grinding (LAG), i.e. milling in the presence of a small amount of a liquid phase (measured by the liquid-to-solid ratio η³⁵ in the range of ca. 0–2 μL mg⁻¹). Using LAG conditions with acetonitrile (MeCN, 120 μL, η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹) led to the complete disappearance of reactant X-ray reflections, concomitant with the formation of Li-BIF-1 alongside NaCl within 60 minutes.Open in a separate windowFig. 2(A) Reaction scheme for the mechanochemical synthesis of Li-BIF-1 by a salt metathesis strategy. Selected PXRD patterns for: (B) Na[B(Im)₄] (C) LiCl, (D) simulated Li-BIF-1 (CSD MOXJPEP) and (E) synthesized BIF-1-Li by LAG for 60 minutes with MeCN (η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹), (F) CuCl, (G) simulated Cu-BIF-1 (CSD MOXJIT), and (H) synthesized BIF-1-Cu by LAG for 60 minutes with MeOH (η = 0.50 μL mg⁻¹). Asterisks denote NaCl, a byproduct of the metathesis reaction. (Fig. 2B–E, also see ESI^†). The copper-based zni-CuB(Im)₄ (Cu-BIF-1) was readily obtained from CuCl within 60 minutes using similar LAG conditions. We also explored LAG with methanol (MeOH), revealing that the exchange reaction to form NaCl took place with both LiCl and CuCl starting materials. With LiCl, however, the PXRD pattern of the product could not be matched to known phases involving Li⁺ and B(Im)₄⁻ (see ESI^†). With CuCl as a reactant, LAG with MeOH (η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹) cleanly produced Cu-BIF-1 alongside NaCl (see ESI^†).Next, we explored an alternative synthesis approach, analogous to that previously used to form ZIFs and other MOFs: an acid–base reaction between a metal oxide or hydroxide and the acid form of the linker: tetrakis(imidazolato)boric acid, HB(Im)₄ (Fig. 3A).^36–40 Neat milling LiOH with one equivalent of HB(Im)₄ in a stainless steel milling assembly led to the partial formation of Li-BIF-1, as evidenced by PXRD analysis (see ESI^†). Complete conversion of reactants into Li-BIF-1 was achieved in 60 minutes by LAG with MeCN (η = 0.25 μL mg⁻¹), as indicated by PXRD analysis (Fig. 3B–E), Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in air, and analysis of metal content by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (see ESI^†).Open in a separate windowFig. 3(A) Reaction scheme for the mechanochemical synthesis of Li-BIF-1 using the acid–base strategy. Selected PXRD patterns for: (B) H[B(Im)₄] (C) LiOH, (D) simulated Li-BIF-1 (CSD MOXJPEP), (E) synthesized BIF-1-Li by LAG for 60 minutes with MeCN (η = 0.25 μL mg⁻¹), (F) Cu₂O, (G) simulated Cu-BIF-1 (CSD MOXJIT), and (H) synthesized Cu-BIF-1 by ILAG for 60 minutes with MeOH (η = 0.50 μL mg⁻¹) and NH₄NO₃ additive (5% by weight).Neat milling of HB(Im)₄ with Cu₂O under similar conditions gave a largely non-crystalline material, as evidenced by PXRD (see ESI^†). Switching to the ion- and liquid-assisted grinding (ILAG) methodology, in which the reactivity of a metal oxide is enhanced by a small amount of a weakly acidic ammonium salt, and which was introduced to prepare zinc and cadmium ZIFs from respective oxides,^37–40 enabled the synthesis of Cu-BIF-1 from Cu₂O. Specifically, PXRD analysis revealed complete disappearance of the oxide in samples obtained by ILAG with either MeOH or MeCN (η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹) in the presence of NH₄NO₃ additive (5% by weight, see ESI^†). Notably, achieving complete disappearance of Cu₂O reactant signals also required switching from stainless steel to a zirconia-based milling assembly, presumably due to more efficient energy delivery.⁴¹ After washing with MeOH, the material was characterized by FTIR-ATR, TGA in air, and analysis of metal content by ICP-MS (see ESI^†).Whereas both the metathesis and acid–base approaches can be used to mechanochemically generate Li- and Cu-BIF-1, the latter approach has a clear advantage of circumventing the formation of the NaCl byproduct. Consequently, in order to further the development of mechanochemical routes to other BIFs, we focused on the acid–base strategy. As next targets, we turned to MOFs based on tetrakis(2-methylimidazole)boric acid H[B(Meim)₄],³⁶ previously reported³² to adopt either a non-porous diamondoid (dia) topology (BIF-2) or a microporous sodalite (SOD) topology (BIF-3) with either Li⁺ or Cu⁺ as nodes (Fig. 4). Attempts to selectively synthesize either Li-BIF-2 or Li-BIF-3 by neat milling or LAG (using MeOH or MeCN as liquid additives) with LiOH and a stoichiometric amount of HB(Meim)₄ were not successful. Exploration of different milling times and η-values produced only mixtures of residual reactants with Li-BIF-2, Li-BIF-3, and/or not yet identified phases (see ESI^†). Consequently, we explored milling in the presence of 2-aminobutanol (amb), which is a ubiquitous component of solvent systems used in the solvothermal syntheses of BIFs.^32,33 Gratifyingly, using a mixture of amb and MeCN in a 1 : 3 ratio by volume as the milling liquid led to an effective strategy for the selective synthesis of both the dia-topology Li-BIF-2 (CSD code MOXKUG), and the SOD-topology Li-BIF-3 (CSD code MUCLOM).^‡ The selective formation of phase-pure samples of Li-BIF-2 and Li-BIF-3 was confirmed by PXRD analysis, which revealed an excellent match to diffractograms simulated based on the previously reported structures (Fig. 4B–G). Systematic exploration of reaction conditions, including time (between 15 and 60 minutes) and η value (between 0.25 and 1 μL mg⁻¹) revealed that the open framework Li-BIF-3 is readily obtained at η either 0.75 or 1 μL mg⁻¹ after milling for 45 minutes or longer (Fig. 4B–G, also see ESI^†).^§ Lower η-values of 0.25 and 0.5 μL mg⁻¹ preferred the formation of the dia-topology Li-BIF-2, which was obtained as a phase-pure material upon 60 minutes milling at η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹, following the initial appearance of a yet unidentified intermediate. The preferred formation of Li-BIF-2 at lower η-values is consistent with our previous observations that lower amounts of liquid promote mechanochemical formation of denser MOF polymorphs.³⁷Open in a separate windowFig. 4(A) Reaction scheme for the mechanochemical synthesis of Li-BIF-3. Comparison of selected PXRD patterns for the synthesis of Li-BIF-2 and Li-BIF-3: (B) H[B(Meim)₄] reactant; (C) LiOH reactant; (D) simulated for Li-BIF-3 (CSD MUCLOM); (E) simulated for Li-BIF-2 (CSD MOXKUG); (F) Li-BIF-3 mechanochemically synthesized by LAG for 60 minutes with a 1 : 3 by volume mixture of amb and MeCN (η = 1 μL mg⁻¹); and (G) Li-BIF-2 mechanochemically synthesized by LAG for 60 minutes with a 1 : 3 by volume mixture of amb and MeCN (η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹). Comparison of selected PXRD patterns for the synthesis of Cu-BIF-2 and Li-BIF-3: (H) Cu₂O; (I) Cu-BIF-3 (CSD MOXJOZ); (J) Cu-BIF-2 (CSD MUCLIG); (K) Cu-BIF-3 mechanochemically synthesised by ILAG for 60 minutes using NH₄NO₃ ionic additive (5% by weight) and MeOH (η = 1 μL mg⁻¹); and (L) mechanochemically synthesised Cu-BIF-2 by ILAG for 90 minutes using NH₄NO₃ ionic additive (5% by weight) and MeOH (η = 0.5 μL mg⁻¹).Samples of both Li-BIF-2 and Li-BIF-3 after washing with MeCN were further characterized by FTIR-ATR, TGA in air, and analysis of metal content by ICP-MS (see ESI^†). Nitrogen sorption measurement on the mechanochemically obtained Li-BIF-3, after washing with MeCN and evacuation at 85 °C, revealed a highly microporous material with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 1010 m² g⁻¹ (Fig. 5A), which is close to the value expected from the crystal structure of the material (1200 m² g⁻¹, 32 For direct comparison with previous work,³² we also calculated the Langmuir surface area, revealing an almost 40% increase (1060 m² g⁻¹) compared to samples made solvothermally (762.5 m² g⁻¹) (Fig. 5A, inset).Experimental Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Langmuir surface area (in m² g⁻¹) of mechanochemically synthesized SOD-topology BIFs, compared to previously measured and theoretically calculated values, along with average particle sizes (in nm) established by SEM and calculated energies (in eV) for all Li-, Cu-, and Ag-BIF polymorphs. The difference between calculated energies for SOD- and dia-polymorphs in each system is given as ΔE (in kJ mol⁻¹)

Ligand design for Rh(iii)-catalyzed C–H activation: an unsymmetrical cyclopentadienyl group enables a regioselective synthesis of dihydroisoquinolones

We report the regioselective synthesis of dihydroisoquinolones from aliphatic alkenes and O-pivaloyl benzhydroxamic acids mediated by a Rh(iii) precatalyst bearing sterically bulky substituents. While the prototypical Cp* ligand provides product with low selectivity, sterically bulky Cp^t affords product with excellent regioselectivity for a range of benzhydroxamic acids and alkenes. Crystallographic evidence offers insight as to the source of the increased regioselectivity.C–H activation mediated processes have provided a unique retrosynthetic approach to access a variety of substituted heterocycles.¹ One tactic that has received increased attention is the coupling of π-components with heteroatom containing molecules.² A variety of transition metals are capable of catalyzing this type of transformation, providing access to dozens of heterocyclic motifs.^1–3 A challenge for these methods is controlling the regioselectivity of migratory insertion across alkenes and alkynes after the metallacycle forming C–H activation (eqn 1).Steric and electronic effects are understood to control migratory insertion of unsymmetrical alkynes in Rh(iii) catalyzed isoquinolone syntheses (eqn 1). When the substituents are electronically similar, the larger group resides β- to Rh in the metallacycle to avoid unfavorable steric interactions (selectivity is generally >10 : 1).⁴ When the substituents are electronically different, the more electron-donating group prefers being α- to rhodium in the metallacycle, presumably to stabilize the electron poor metal.^5,6 The type of C–H bond being activated also plays an important role in the regioselectivity of migratory insertion; aromatic substrates typically provide synthetically useful regioselectivities when electronically different alkynes are used (>10 : 1) but alkenyl C–H activation leads to products with lower regioselectivities, presumably due to minimal steric interactions during migratory insertion.^7,8 We found that sterically bulky di-tert-butylcyclopentadienyl ligand (Cp^t) enhances the regioselectivity of the alkyne migratory insertion event in these cases, delivering regioselectivities (>10 : 1) modestly above those achievable by Cp* ligated Rh complexes (<6 : 1). However, when the alkyne migratory insertion was poorly selective with RhCp* (<3 : 1), RhCp^t complex was ineffective at providing synthetically useful levels of selectivity. Furthermore, the Cp^t ligand was only effective with aryl substituted alkynes, presumably because of strong steric interactions between the ligand and alkyne in the insertion event. Migratory insertion of alkenes to access heterocycles using C–H activation chemistry is still relatively rare, with seminal studies by Glorius and Fagnou reporting the synthesis of dihydroisoquinolones.^9–11 Similar to alkynes, alkenyl electron-donating groups favor the position adjacent to the metal in the metallacycle delivering high regioselectivity. In contrast to alkynes, aliphatic alkenes afford product with poor regioselectivity (2 : 1) (eqn 2).^5h,12 We hypothesized competing steric and electronic effects cause the low regioselectivity, with steric effects favoring the formation of a 4-substituted product and electronics favoring the formation of a 3-substituted product.¹³ As a temporary solution to this problem, our group and others have employed tethering strategies to increase the regioselectivity of the migratory insertion event (eqn 3).^14,15 Of course, regioselectivity controlled by the ligand on Rh would be the optimal solution to the selectivity problem (eqn 4).¹⁶ Consequently, we focused our attention toward developing an intermolecular variant of this reaction that would provide product with improved regioselectivity.As a model system, we explored the impact ligands have on the coupling of O-pivaloyl-benzhydroxamic acid 1a with 1-decene 2a to provide dihydroisoquinolones 3a and 3a′. When Cp* is used as a ligand, the desired products are isolated in excellent yield but poor selectivity (2.4 : 1 3a : 3a′) ( a

Beyond Reppe: Building Substituted Arenes by [2+2+2] Cycloadditions of Alkynes

Synthetic sequel : The transition‐metal‐catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition is an established method for the construction of carbocyclic frameworks but is often plagued by poor selectivity. Recent literature paints a promising picture—a more general metal‐catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition can be accomplished intermolecularly using three separate alkynes to furnish highly substituted arenas (see scheme).

     

Total Synthesis of Indolizidine Alkaloid (−)‐209D: Overriding Substrate Bias in the Asymmetric Rhodium‐Catalyzed [2+2+2] Cycloaddition

CO! You had me at hello : The use of chiral biphenyl‐based phosphoramidite ligands on rhodium provides an efficient [2+2+2] cycloaddition between terminal alkyl alkynes and alkenyl isocyanates (see scheme). The cycloaddition proceeds through a CO migration pathway, and facilitates a rapid four‐step asymmetric synthesis of indolizidine (?)‐209D.