Reversible and Selective CO2 to HCO2− Electrocatalysis near the Thermodynamic Potential

Reversible catalysis is a hallmark of energy‐efficient chemical transformations, but can only be achieved if the changes in free energy of intermediate steps are minimized and the catalytic cycle is devoid of high transition‐state barriers. Using these criteria, we demonstrate reversible CO₂/HCO₂^? conversion catalyzed by [Pt(depe)₂]²⁺ (depe=1,2‐bis(diethylphosphino)ethane). Direct measurement of the free energies associated with each catalytic step correctly predicts a slight bias towards CO₂ reduction. We demonstrate how the experimentally measured free energy of each step directly contributes to the <50 mV overpotential. We also find that for CO₂ reduction, H₂ evolution is negligible and the Faradaic efficiency for HCO₂^? production is nearly quantitative. A free‐energy analysis reveals H₂ evolution is endergonic, providing a thermodynamic basis for highly selective CO₂ reduction.     

Coordination modes of 2-hydroxynicotinic acid in second- and third-row transition metal complexes

The new Pd(II), Pt(II), Re(V), Mo(VI) and W(VI) complexes of 2-hydroxynicotinic acid (H₂nicO), trans-[PdCl(HnicO)(PPh₃)₂]·0.75CH₃CN (1), K[PdCl(HnicO)₂]·H₂O (2), [Pd(HnicO)₂(bipy)] (3), cis-[PtCl(HnicO)(PPh₃)₂]·0.75CH₃OH·0.5H₂O (4), [PtCl(HnicO)(bipy)] (5), cis-[ReOI₂(HnicO)(PPh₃)] (6), Na₂[Mo₂O₆(HnicO)₂]·5H₂O (7), Na₂[Mo₄O₁₂(HnicO)₂]·2H₂O (8) and Na₂[W₂O₆(HnicO)₂]·5H₂O (9) have been prepared. The crystal structures of 1 and 4, were determined by X-ray diffraction and show the HnicO⁻ ligand coordinated to palladium or platinum through the nitrogen atom only. Infrared, Raman, ¹H and ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectroscopic data for the complexes are presented and are in agreement with the crystallographic results.     

Convenient route to enantiopure aryl cyclopentanes via Diels-Alder reaction of asymmetric dienes. Total synthesis of (+)-herbertene and (+)-cuparene

A general route for the synthesis of highly substituted aryl cyclopentanes has been developed involving Diels-Alder reaction of asymmetric dienes prepared from (+)-camphoric acid followed by aromatization of the resulting cyclohexene derivatives. Employing this protocol enantiospecific synthesis of (+)-herbertene and (+)-cuparene has been accomplished.     

Addition reaction of azido-exTTFs to C60: synthesis of fullerotriazoline and azafulleroid electroactive dyads

[structure: see text] The addition reaction of azido-exTTFs to C(60) affords electroactive fullerotriazoline and azafulleroid dyads, which behave as amphoteric redox systems. Fluorescence experiments and transient absorption spectroscopy reveal that excitation of the fullerene moiety leads to radical pair lifetimes that are 2 orders of magnitude higher than those previously reported for related fullerotriazolines.     

The enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino acid derivatives via organoboranes

Optically active (S)-alpha-amino acids are prepared in 54-95% ee (12 cases) by reaction of the Schiff base acetate of glycine tert-butyl ester with B-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives in the presence of the Cinchona alkaloid, cinchonidine, and base. The enantiomeric (R)-alpha-amino acids are available in 59-92% ee (3 cases) by using cinchonine as the chiral control element.     

Solvent extraction and lanthanide complexation studies with new terdentate ligands containing two 1,3,5-triazine moieties

The extracting agent 2,6-bis(4,6-di-pivaloylamino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-pyridine (L(5)) in n-octanol was found, in synergy with 2-bromodecanoic acid, to give D(Am)/D(Eu) separation factors (SFs) between 2.4 and 3.7 when used to extract the metal ions from 0.02-0.12 M HNO(3). Slightly higher SFs (4-6) were obtained in the absence of the synergist when the ligand was used to extract Am(III) and Eu(III) from 0.98 M HNO(3). In order to investigate the possible nature of the extracted species crystal structures of L(5) and the complex formed between Yb(III) with 2,6-bis(4,6-di-amino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-pyridine (L(4)) were also determined. The structure of L(5) shows 3 methanol solvent molecules all of which form 2 or 3 hydrogen bonds with triazine nitrogen atoms, amide nitrogen or oxygen atoms, or pyridine nitrogen atoms. However, L(5) is relatively unstable in metal complexation reactions and loses amide groups to form the parent tetramine L(4). The crystal structure of Yb(L(4))(NO(3))(3) shows ytterbium in a 9-coordinate environment being bonded to three donor atoms of the ligand and three bidentate nitrate ions. The solvent extraction properties of L(4) and L(5) are far inferior to those found for the 2,6-bis-(1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)-pyridines (L(1)) which have SF values of ca. 140 and theoretical calculations have been made to compare the electronic properties of the ligands. The electronic charge distribution in L(4) and L(5) is similar to that found in other terdentate ligands such as terpyridine which have equally poor extraction properties and suggests that the unique properties of L(1) evolve from the presence of two adjacent nitrogen atoms in the triazine rings.     

New results for the OH (nu = 0,j = 0) + CO (nu = 0,j = 0) --> H + CO2 reaction: Five- and full-dimensional quantum dynamical study on several potential energy surfaces

Full- [six-dimensional (6-D)] and reduced-dimensional [five-dimensional (5-D)] quantum wave packet calculations have been performed for the title reaction to obtain reaction probabilities deriving from the ground rovibrational states of OH and CO with total angular momentum J = 0. Three potential energy surfaces (PES) are studied, namely, those of Bradley and Schatz (BS), Yu, Muckerman, and Sears (YMS), and Lakin, Troya, Schatz, and Harding (LTSH). 6-D calculations are performed only for the BS PES, while 5-D results are reported for all three PES'. The 6-D results obtained in the present work improve on those previously reported, since a larger vibrational basis and a better representation of the OH and CO bonds has been introduced. In particular, we now employ a generalized Lanczos-Morse discrete variable representation for both the OH and CO vibrations. In a further improvement, the generalized discrete variable representation of the CO vibration is based on different CO intramolecular potentials for the asymptotic and product grids employed in our projection formalism. This new treatment of the vibrational bases allows for a large reduction in computation time with respect to our previous implementation of the wave packet method, for a given level of accuracy. As a result, we have been able to extend the range of collision energies for which we can obtain converged 6-D results to a higher energy (0.8 eV) than was possible before (0.5 eV). The comparison of the new 6-D and previous 5-D results for the BS PES shows good agreement of the general trend in the reaction probabilities over all collision energies considered (0.1-0.8 eV), while our previous 6-D calculation showed reaction probabilities that differed from the 5-D results by up to 10% between 0.5 and 0.8 eV. The 5-D reaction probabilities reveal interesting trends for the different PES'. In particular, at low energies (< 0.2 eV) the LTSH PES gives rise to much larger reactivity than the other PES', while at high energies (> 0.3 eV) its reaction probability decreases with respect to the BS and YMS PES', being more than a factor of 2 smaller at 0.8 eV. A 5-D calculation on a modified version of the LTSH surface shows that the van der Waals interaction in the entrance channel, which is not correctly described in the other PES' is largely responsible for its larger reactivity at low energies. The large difference between the 5-D reaction probabilities for the YMS and LTSH PES' serves to emphasize the importance of the van der Waals interaction for the reactivity at low energies, because most of the stationary point energies on the YMS and LTSH PES are rather similar, being in line with high-level ab initio information.