Bond Activation Of Substrates Research Articles

Controlled Single-Electron Transfer via Metal-Ligand Cooperativity Drives Divergent Nickel-Electrocatalyzed Radical Pathways.

Electrocatalysis enables the construction of C-C bonds under mild conditions via controlled formation of carbon-centered radicals. For sequences initiated by alkyl halide reduction, coordinatively unsaturated Ni complexes commonly serve as single-electron transfer agents, giving rise to the foundational question of whether outer- or inner-sphere electron transfer oxidative addition prevails in redox mediation. Indeed, rational design of electrochemical processes requires the discrimination of these two electron transfer pathways, as they can have outsized effects on the rate of substrate bond activation and thus impact radical generation rates and downstream product selectivities. We present results from combined synthetic, electroanalytical, and computational studies that examine the mechanistic differences of single electron transfer to alkyl halides imparted by Ni metal-ligand cooperativity. Electrogenerated reduced Ni species, stabilized by delocalized spin density onto a redox-active tpyPY2Me polypyridyl ligand, activates alkyl iodides via outer-sphere electron transfer, allowing for the selective activation of alkyl iodide substrates over halogen atom donors and the controlled generation and sequestration of electrogenerated radicals. In contrast, the Ni complex possessing a redox-innocent pentapyridine congener activates the substrates in an inner-sphere fashion owning to a purely metal-localized spin, thereby activating both substrates and halogen atom donors in an indiscriminate fashion, generating a high concentration of radicals and leading to unproductive dimerization. Our data establish that controlled electron transfer via Ni-ligand cooperativity can be used to limit undesired radical recombination products and promote selective radical processes in electrochemical environments, providing a generalizable framework for designing redox mediators with distinct rate and potential requirements.

Mixed Electron–Proton Conductors Enable Spatial Separation of Bond Activation and Charge Transfer in Electrocatalysis

Electrochemical energy conversion requires electrodes that can simultaneously facilitate substrate bond activation and electron-proton charge transfer. Traditional electrodes co-localize both functions to a single solid|liquid interface even though each process is typically favored in a disparate reaction environment. Herein, we establish a strategy for spatially separating bond activation and charge transfer by exploiting mixed electron-proton conduction (MEPC) in an oxide membrane. Specifically, we interpose a MEPC WOx membrane between a Pt catalyst and aqueous electrolyte and show that this composite electrode is active for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). Consistent with H2 activation occurring at the gas|solid interface, the composite electrode displays HOR current densities over 8-fold larger than the diffusion-limited rate of HOR catalysis at a singular Pt|solution interface. The segregation of bond activation and charge separation steps also confers excellent tolerance to poisons and impurities introduced to the electrolyte. Mechanistic studies establish that H2 activation at the Pt|gas interface is coupled to the electron-proton charge separation at the WOx|solution interface via rapid H-diffusion in the bulk of the WOx. Consequently, the rate of HOR is principally controlled by the rate of H-spillover at the Pt|WOx boundary. Our results establish MEPC membrane electrodes as a platform for spatially separating the critical bond activation and charge transfer steps of electrocatalysis.

A coordinatively unsaturated iridium complex with an unsymmetrical redox-active ligand: (spectro)electrochemical and reactivity studies.

Redox-active ligands, owing to their electron reservoir capability, are well suited for the generation of coordinatively unsaturated metal complexes. We present here iridium complexes with an unsymmetrically substituted o-phenylenediamine ligand. A coordinatively unsaturated, formally iridium(iii) complex with the fully reduced o-phenylenediamide (or o-diamidobenzene) ligand was isolated and structurally characterized. This coordinatively unsaturated metal complex undergoes methylation reactions with a CH3+ source to form a new species with an Ir-CH3 bond. The redox-active Ir-CH3 complex performs the activation of CDCl3. The same activation reaction was also tested for other haloforms. In all types of reactions, the masked coordination site at the metal center and the electron reservoir behavior of the redox-active ligand are used for reactivity. Furthermore, we show that the aforementioned iridium(iii) complex performs redox-induced dihydrogen activation. This activation process was used to catalytically transfer the electrons and protons of dihydrogen to a substrate molecule. Crystallographic, spectroscopic, electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical and DFT methods were used to elucidate the geometric and the electronic structures of the metal complex in the various redox forms and to probe the mechanism of the investigated reactions. We demonstrate here how the cooperative behavior between a catalytically active metal center and a redox non-innocent ligand can be utilized to perform substrate bond activation and transformation.

Triazolylidene-Iridium Complexes with a Pendant Pyridyl Group for Cooperative Metal-Ligand Induced Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Amines.

Two iridium(III) complexes containing a C,N-bidentate pyridyl-triazolylidene ligand were prepared that are structurally very similar but differ in their pendant substituent. Whereas complex 1 contains a non-coordinating pyridyl unit, complex 2 has a phenyl group on the triazolylidene substituent. The presence of the basic pyridyl unit has distinct effects on the catalytic activity of the complex in the oxidative dehydrogenation of benzylic amines, inducing generally higher rates, higher selectivity towards formation of imines versus secondary amines, and notable quantities of tertiary amines when compared to the phenyl-functionalized analogue. The role of the pyridyl functionality has been elucidated from a set of stoichiometric experiments, which demonstrate hydrogen bonding between the pendant pyridyl unit and the amine protons of the substrate. Such Npyr ⋅⋅⋅H-N interactions are demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis, 1 H NMR, and IR spectroscopy, and suggest a pathway of substrate bond-activation that involves concerted substrate binding through the Lewis acidic iridium center and the Lewis basic pyridyl site appended to the triazolylidene ligand, in agreement with ligand-metal cooperative substrate activation.

ChemInform Abstract: Theory of Surface Chemistry and Reactivity of Reducible Oxides

AbstractReview: 115 refs.

Three-way cooperativity in d8 metal complexes with ligands displaying chemical and redox non-innocence.

Reversible proton- and electron-transfer steps are crucial for various chemical transformations. The electron-reservoir behavior of redox non-innocent ligands and the proton-reservoir behavior of chemically non-innocent ligands can be cooperatively utilized for substrate bond activation. Although site-decoupled proton- and electron-transfer steps are often found in enzymatic systems, generating model metal complexes with these properties remains challenging. To tackle this issue, we present herein complexes [(cod-H)M(μ-L(2-)) M(cod-H)] (M = Pt(II), [1] or Pd(II), [2], cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, H2L = 2,5-di-[2,6-(diisopropyl)anilino]-1,4-benzoquinone), in which cod acts as a proton reservoir, and L(2-) as an electron reservoir. Protonation of [2] leads to an unusual tetranuclear complex. However, [1] can be stepwise reversibly protonated with up to two protons on the cod-H ligands, and the protonated forms can be stepwise reversibly reduced with up to two electrons on the L(2-) ligand. The doubly protonated form of [1] is also shown to react with OMe(-) leading to an activation of the cod ligands. The site-decoupled proton and electron reservoir sources work in tandem in a three-way cooperative process that results in the transfer of two electrons and two protons to a substrate leading to its double reduction and protonation. These results will possibly provide new insights into developing catalysts for multiple proton- and electron-transfer reactions by using metal complexes of non-innocent ligands.

Theory of surface chemistry and reactivity of reducible oxides

The increasing availability of computational data from quantum-chemical calculations on the reactivity and electronic structure of catalytically active oxidic systems make a revisitation of the classical questions on chemical bonding aspects of catalytically reactive systems useful.This Perspective paper starts with a short review of the different available systems. The elementary reactions that are part of the selective oxidation catalysis, such as substrate bond activation or oxygen insertion, are introduced.This is followed by a discussion of basic electronic features of the valence electron structure of oxide materials. We will initially compare the chemical bonding and reactivity of compounds with dominantly ionic versus covalent bonding. Surface reactivity descriptors for the two types of chemical bonds are indicated. It will appear that, except for longer range ionic interactions, binding to the metal cations is dominated by local covalent interactions and that ligand field theory type atomic orbital splitting as well as rehybridisation are important. Trends in bonding as a function of position of reducible metal in the periodic system are emphasized throughout the paper.At the surface, in addition to the changes in electronic structure, atom position relaxation and surface reconstruction effects may also have a large influence on the differences in reactivity.The reactivity of the oxygen atoms varies. They can be proton acceptors and generate Brønsted acidity, can assist heterolytic or radical type CH bond activation or when electrophilic will insert into hydrocarbon double bonds.At the end of the paper trends in catalytic reactivity are analyzed. The double volcano type curve found for the dependence of catalytic reactivity on the position of cation in the third row of the periodic system is shown to relate to the distribution of electrons with high spin over the ligand field split atomic orbitals of the respective cations. This will be discussed in the context of classical catalytic results that are based on Balandin type volcano plots of reactivity versus the catalyst material reactivity parameters.

Evidence for an Alternative to the Oxygen Rebound Mechanism in C–H Bond Activation by Non-Heme FeIVO Complexes

The hydroxylation of alkanes by heme Fe(IV)O species occurs via the hydrogen abstraction/oxygen rebound mechanism. It has been assumed that non-heme Fe(IV)O species follow the heme Fe(IV)O paradigm in C-H bond activation reactions. Herein we report theoretical and experimental evidence that C-H bond activation of alkanes by synthetic non-heme Fe(IV)O complexes follows an alternative mechanism. Theoretical calculations predicted that dissociation of the substrate radical formed via hydrogen abstraction from the alkane is more favorable than the oxygen rebound and desaturation processes. This theoretical prediction was verified by experimental results obtained by analyzing iron and organic products formed in the C-H bond activation of substrates by non-heme Fe(IV)O complexes. The difference in the behaviors of heme and non-heme Fe(IV)O species is ascribed to differences in structural preference and exchange-enhanced reactivity. Thus, the general consensus that C-H bond activation by high-valent metal-oxo species, including non-heme Fe(IV)O, occurs via the conventional hydrogen abstraction/oxygen rebound mechanism should be viewed with caution.