Multinuclear Solid-State NMR Studies of Polymer-Supported Scandium Triflate Catalysts

Abstract

Scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)3] is extensively used in organic synthesis to catalyze a wide variety of carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions in aqueous media. It has previously been demonstrated that it is possible to immobilize Sc(OTf)3 in polystyrene (PS) to form the heterogeneous catalysts, microencapsulated (ME) Sc(OTf)3. The ME catalysts are recoverable, reusable, often reduce metal leaching, and have activity similar to that of their homogeneous counterparts. Aside from preliminary scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) imaging studies and solution 45Sc NMR studies, there is little information available about the molecular and bulk structure of the ME catalyst. In this regard, we have conducted a 45Sc solid-state NMR investigation of the Sc environments in the crystalline and ME forms of anhydrous Sc(OTf)3 and hydrated Sc(OTf)3·8H2O. Additional solid-state 1H, 19F, and 13C NMR and powder X-ray diffraction experiments provide information that is complementary to that obtained from the 45Sc NMR spectra, allowing for structural models of ME complexes to be proposed. The principal findings are that Sc(OTf)3 is hydrated upon microencapsulation to form Sc(OTf)3·8H2O. 1H–45Sc TRAPDOR and 1H–19F CP SSNMR experiments and powder X-ray diffraction experiments suggest that Sc is dispersed throughout the polymer within nanocrystalline domains of Sc(OTf)3·8H2O. The approach outlined here should be applicable for the characterization of many other polymer-supported metal-based catalysts.