Metathesis Catalysts Research Articles

Unprecedented Selectivity of Ruthenium Iodide Benzylidenes in Olefin Metathesis Reactions.

The development of selective olefin metathesis catalysts is crucial to achieving new synthetic pathways. Herein, we show that cis-diiodo/sulfur-chelated ruthenium benzylidenes do not react with strained cycloalkenes and internal olefins, but can effectively catalyze metathesis reactions of terminal dienes. Surprisingly, internal olefins may partake in olefin metathesis reactions once the ruthenium methylidene intermediate has been generated. This unexpected behavior allows the facile formation of strained cis-cyclooctene by the RCM reaction of 1,9-undecadiene. Moreover, cis-1,4-polybutadiene may be transformed into small cyclic molecules, including its smallest precursor, 1,5-cyclooctadiene, by the use of this novel sequence. Norbornenes, including the reactive dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), remain unscathed even in the presence of terminal olefin substrates as they are too bulky to approach the diiodo ruthenium methylidene. The experimental results are accompanied by thorough DFT calculations.

Unprecedented Selectivity of Ruthenium Iodide Benzylidenes in Olefin Metathesis Reactions

AbstractThe development of selective olefin metathesis catalysts is crucial to achieving new synthetic pathways. Herein, we show that cis‐diiodo/sulfur‐chelated ruthenium benzylidenes do not react with strained cycloalkenes and internal olefins, but can effectively catalyze metathesis reactions of terminal dienes. Surprisingly, internal olefins may partake in olefin metathesis reactions once the ruthenium methylidene intermediate has been generated. This unexpected behavior allows the facile formation of strained cis‐cyclooctene by the RCM reaction of 1,9‐undecadiene. Moreover, cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene may be transformed into small cyclic molecules, including its smallest precursor, 1,5‐cyclooctadiene, by the use of this novel sequence. Norbornenes, including the reactive dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), remain unscathed even in the presence of terminal olefin substrates as they are too bulky to approach the diiodo ruthenium methylidene. The experimental results are accompanied by thorough DFT calculations.

Silica-supported Z-selective Ru olefin metathesis catalysts

Recently reported thiolate-coordinated ruthenium alkylidene complexes show promise in Z-selective and stereoretentive olefin metathesis reactions. Herein we describe the immobilization of three Ru complexes containing a bulky aryl thiolate on mesostructured silica via surface organometallic chemistry. The applied methodology gives isolated catalytic sites homogeneously distributed on the silica surface. The catalytic results with two model substrates show comparable Z-selectivities to those of the homogeneous counterparts.

Molecular Modeling of Mechanisms of Decomposition of Ruthenium Metathesis Catalysts by Acrylonitrile

We report a computational mechanistic study explaining the low stability of Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst in the presence of acrylonitrile. We show the atomistic and energetic basis of why recently synth...

Vortex Fluidic Ethenolysis, Integrating a Rapid Quench of Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalysts

Ruthenium-catalysed ethenolysis occurs in a vortex fluidic device (VFD) – a scalable, thin-film microfluidic continuous flow process. This process takes advantage of the efficient mass transfer of gaseous reagents into the dynamic thin film of liquid. Also reported is the rapid quenching of the ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalyst by the addition of a saturated solution of N-acetyl-l-cysteine in MeCN, as a convenient alternative to previously reported quenching methods.

Molecular-level insight in supported olefin metathesis catalysts by combining surface organometallic chemistry, high throughput experimentation, and data analysis.

A combination of high-throughput experimentation (HTE), surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) and statistical data analysis provided the platform to analyze in situ silica-grafted Mo imido alkylidene catalysts based on a library of 35 phenols. Overall, these tools allowed for the identification of σ-donor electronic effects and dispersive interactions and as key drivers in a prototypical metathesis reaction, homodimerization of 1-nonene. Univariate and multivariate correlation analysis confirmed the categorization of the catalytic data into two groups, depending on the presence of aryl groups in ortho position of the phenol ligand. The initial activity (TOFin) was predominantly correlated to the σ-donor ability of the aryloxy ligands, while the overall catalytic performance (TON1 h) was mainly dependent on attractive dispersive interactions with the used phenol ligands featuring aryl ortho substituents and, in sharp contrast, repulsive dispersive interactions with phenol free of aryl ortho substituents. This work outlines a fast and efficient workflow of gaining molecular-level insight into supported metathesis catalysts and highlights σ-donor ability and noncovalent interactions as crucial properties for designing active d0 supported metathesis catalysts.

Impact of the olefin structure on the catalytic cycle and decomposition rates of Hoveyda-Grubbs metathesis catalysts.

A relatively fast degradation of ruthenium catalysts in the presence of selected olefins, and ethylene in particular, is one of the bottlenecks in their use in metathesis reactions. Here we explore the structure-activity relationships between the rate of degradation of Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts and the structure of olefins by means of DFT calculations. We show that (Z)-1,2-dichloroethene can't form stable complexes with a 14-electron active complex due to a strong inductive electron withdrawal effect. Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts can be, however, used to convert (Z)-1,2-dichloroethene to (E)-1,2-dichloroethene due to differences in crucial barriers in the catalytic cycle for E/Z isomers. Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts in the presence of both isomers of 1,2-dimethoxyethene and 1,2-dichloroethene are predicted to be very stable in the unproductive metathesis, while for monosubstituted olefins the methoxyethene presence gives relatively low barriers for crucial degradation transition states and can readily undergo decomposition.

Protonation of Propene on Silica-Grafted Hydroxylated Molybdenum and Tungsten Oxide Metathesis Catalysts: A DFT Study

Theoretical assessment of the protonation reaction in the activation of propene on hydroxylated Mo(VI) and W(VI) metathesis catalysts is presented in this paper using the density functional theory calculations and five support clusters varying from simple SiO4H3 clusters to a large Si4O13H9 cluster. The bond distances and thermochemical data were similar for most of the clusters. The formation of isopropoxide was more favorable than a propoxide counterpart bonded via the primary carbon atom, with the Gibbs free energies of –3.73 and –7.78 kcal/mol, respectively, for the W catalyst. Overall, the 1T cluster models with optimized H atoms or an all-relaxed alternative would be considered appropriate replacements for a larger 4T cluster model saturated with OH groups and optimized terminal hydrogen atoms. The largest deviations in the energetic data were observed between the protonated structures formed on the two larger clusters saturated with either OH or H groups.

The Impact of Oxygen on Leading and Emerging Ru-Carbene Catalysts for Olefin Metathesis: An Unanticipated Correlation Between Robustness and Metathesis Activity

The impact of O2 on olefin metathesis promoted by Ru-NHC and Ru-CAAC catalysts is examined (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene; CAAC = cyclic alkyl amino carbene). An atmosphere of 8% O2 in Ar is found t...

Olefin Metathesis in Confined Geometries: A Biomimetic Approach toward Selective Macrocyclization.

The synthesis of macrocycles is severely impeded by concomitant oligomer formation. Here, we present a biomimetic approach that utilizes spatial confinement to increase macrocyclization selectivity in the ring-closing metathesis of various dienes at elevated substrate concentration up to 25 mM using an olefin metathesis catalyst selectively immobilized inside ordered mesoporous silicas with defined pore diameters. By this approach, the ratio between macro(mono)cyclization (MMC) product and all undesired oligomerization products (O) resulting from acyclic diene metathesis polymerization was increased from 0.55, corresponding to 35% MMC product obtained with the homogeneous catalyst, up to 1.49, corresponding to 60% MMC product. A correlation between the MMC/O ratio and the substrate-to-pore-size ratio was successfully established. Modification of the inner pore surface with dimethoxydimethylsilane allowed fine-tuning the effective pore size and reversing surface polarity, which resulted in a further increase of the MMC/O ratio up to 2.2, corresponding to >68% MMC product. Molecular-level simulations in model pore geometries help to rationalize the complex interplay between spatial confinement, specific (substrate and product) interaction with the pore surface, and diffusive transport. These effects can be synergistically adjusted for optimum selectivity by suitable surface modification.

Chemo-enzymatic cascades to produce cycloalkenes from bio-based resources

Engineered enzyme cascades offer powerful tools to convert renewable resources into value-added products. Man-made catalysts give access to new-to-nature reactivities that may complement the enzyme’s repertoire. Their mutual incompatibility, however, challenges their integration into concurrent chemo-enzymatic cascades. Herein we show that compartmentalization of complex enzyme cascades within E. coli whole cells enables the simultaneous use of a metathesis catalyst, thus allowing the sustainable one-pot production of cycloalkenes from oleic acid. Cycloheptene is produced from oleic acid via a concurrent enzymatic oxidative decarboxylation and ring-closing metathesis. Cyclohexene and cyclopentene are produced from oleic acid via either a six- or eight-step enzyme cascade involving hydration, oxidation, hydrolysis and decarboxylation, followed by ring-closing metathesis. Integration of an upstream hydrolase enables the usage of olive oil as the substrate for the production of cycloalkenes. This work highlights the potential of integrating organometallic catalysis with whole-cell enzyme cascades of high complexity to enable sustainable chemistry.

Formation of active species from ruthenium alkylidene catalysts\u2014an insight from computational perspective

Ruthenium alkylidene complexes are commonly used as olefin metathesis catalysts. Initiation of the catalytic process requires formation of a 14-electron active ruthenium species via dissociation of a respective ligand. In the present work, this initiation step has been computationally studied for the Grubbs-type catalysts (H2IMes)(PCy3)(Cl)2Ru=CHPh, (H2IMes)(PCy3)(Cl)2Ru=CH-CH=CMe2 and (H2IMes)(3-Br-py)2(Cl)2Ru=CHPh, and the Hoveyda-Grubbs-type catalysts (H2IMes)(Cl)2Ru=CH(o-OiPrC6H4), (H2IMes)(Cl)2Ru=CH(5-NO2–2-OiPrC6H3), and (H2IMes)(Cl)2Ru=CH(2-OiPr-3-PhC6H3), using density functional theory (DFT). Additionally, the extended-transition-state combined with the natural orbitals for the chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) and the interacting quantum atoms (IQA) energy decomposition methods were applied. The computationally determined activity order within both families of the catalysts and the activation parameters are in agreement with reported experimental data. The significance of solvent simulation and the basis set superposition error (BSSE) correction is discussed. ETS-NOCV demonstrates that the bond between the dissociating ligand and the Ru-based fragment is largely ionic followed by the charge delocalizations: σ(Ru–P) and π(Ru–P) and the secondary CH…Cl, CH…π, and CH…HC interactions. In the case of transition state structures, the majority of stabilization stems from London dispersion forces exerted by the efficient CH…Cl, CH…π, and CH…HC interactions. Interestingly, the height of the electronic dissociation barriers is, however, directly connected with the prevalent (unfavourable) changes in the electrostatic and orbital interaction contributions despite the favourable relief in Pauli repulsion and geometry reorganization terms during the activation process. According to the IQA results, the isopropoxy group in the Hoveyda-Grubbs-type catalysts is an efficient donor of intra-molecular interactions which are important for the activity of these catalysts.

Siloxide Podand Ligand as a Scaffold for Molybdenum-Catalyzed Alkyne Metathesis and Isolation of a Dynamic Metallatetrahedrane Intermediate

Triphenylsiloxide is one of the most successful ancillary ligands for Mo(VI)-alkyne metathesis catalysts. It was proposed that flexible siloxide ligands allow Mo–O–Si bond angles to modulate the electrophilicity of Mo≡C and thereby promote the catalysis. Introduction of a siloxide podand ligand allowed elucidation of the effect of ligand flexibility and Mo–O–Si angles on the electrophilicity of Mo≡C. It also allowed for the isolation of a rare metallatetrahedrane of Mo(VI) which was found to be dynamic in solution.

A Gentler Touch: Synthesis of Modern Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalysts Sustained by Mechanical Force

AbstractMechanochemical synthesis of nine contemporary ruthenium catalysts used for olefin metathesis is described, being the first reported example of formation of Ru carbene organometallic complexes in solid state. Three key organometallic transformations commonly used in the synthesis of the second and third generations of Ru catalysts in solution—phosphine ligand (PCy3) exchange with in situ formed N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand, PCy3 to pyridine ligand replacement, and benzylidene ligands interchange—were proved to work under mechanochemical conditions, affording the targets in high purity. Mechanochemical approach not only requires less amounts of organic solvent (null for synthesis, only for purification) and is scalable, but also allows for transformations that were reported impossible in the solution phase.

Well-Defined Silica-Supported Tungsten(IV)-Oxo Complex: Olefin Metathesis Activity, Initiation, and Role of Brønsted Acid Sites.

Despite the importance of the heterogeneous tungsten-oxo-based olefin metathesis catalyst (WO3/SiO2) in industry, understanding of its initiation mechanism is still very limited. It has been proposed that reduced W(IV)-oxo surface species act as precatalysts. In order to understand the reactivity and initiation mechanism of surface W(IV)-oxo species, we synthesized a well-defined silica-supported W(IV)-oxo species, (≡SiO)WO(OtBuF6)(py)3 (F6@SiO2-700; OtBuF6 = OC(CH3)(CF3)2; py = pyridine), via surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC). F6@SiO2-700 was shown to be highly active in olefin metathesis upon removal of pyridine ligands through the addition of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)3) or thermal treatment under high vacuum. The metathesis activity toward olefins with and without allylic C-H groups, namely β-methylstyrene and styrene, respectively, was investigated. In the case of styrene, we demonstrated the role of surface OH groups in initiating metathesis activity. We proposed that the presence of strong Brønsted acidic OH sites, which likely arises from the presence of adjacent W sites in the catalyst as revealed by 15N-labeled pyridine adsorption, can assist styrene metathesis. In contrast, initiation of olefins with allylic C-H groups (e.g., β-methylstyrene) is independent of the surface OH density and likely involves an allylic C-H activation mechanism, like the molecular W(IV)-oxo species. This study indicates that initiation mechanisms depend on the olefinic substrates and reveals the synergistic effect of Brønsted acidic surface sites and reduced W(IV) sites in the initiation of olefin metathesis.

Fluoro-imidazopyridinylidene Ruthenium Catalysts for Cross Metathesis with Ethylene

A series of ruthenium metathesis catalysts bearing fluorinated imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-ylidene carbenes (F-ImPy) were developed for ethenolysis (cross metathesis with ethylene) of methyl oleate. X-ray crystal structure analysis shows Ru–F interaction, and this fluorine substitution appears to be pivotal to have stable ImPy-Ru precatalysts. Ligand structure was varied for high catalyst activity and cross metathesis selectivity in ethenolysis reaction. F-ImPy-Ru catalysts showed high selectivity in ethenolysis of methyl oleate and thermal robustness under an ethylene atmosphere.

Ruthenium Catalyzed Ethenolysis of Internal Olefin Generated from Fischer-Tropsch Process to Produce α-Olefin

Ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts were evaluated for the ethenolysis of trans-5-decene, a model compound of internal olefins, to produce α-olefin. N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ruthenium metathe...

Transfer-hydrogenation reactions of ketones/aldehydes in water using first generation ruthenium indenylidene olefin metathesis catalyst: One step towards sequential cross-metathesis/transfer hydrogenation reactions

The transfer hydrogenation reactions of various ketones/aldehydes and one-pot cross-metathesis/transfer hydrogenation (CM/TH) reactions of 10-undecenal were carried out in water media using first generation ruthenium-indenylidene complex (M1). A stable emulsion with an average particle size of 23.00 (±7.20) nm was formed in water media using non-ionic (Tween 20) and cationic (dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride) surfactants in the presence of acetophenone, M1 (1%) and sodium formate, yielding corresponding alcohol derivatives in quantitative yields.The performance of M1 (5%) was tested on sequential cross-metathesis/transfer hydrogenation reaction of 10-undecenal using methyl acrylate as the cross-metathesis partner in water. The sequential CM/TH reaction of 10-undecenal was found to proceed even in tap water under air atmosphere using micellar catalyst system, giving the corresponding CM/TH product in 65% yield.

Non‐Glovebox Ethenolysis of Ethyl Oleate and FAME at Larger Scale Utilizing a Cyclic (Alkyl)(Amino)Carbene Ruthenium Catalyst

AbstractA ruthenium metathesis catalyst Ru1 bearing a cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (CAAC) ligand is used in the ethenolysis reaction of biosourced 90% pure undistilled ethyl oleate or technical fatty acid methyl esters mixture with grade 3 ethylene, to yield 1‐decene and valuable terminal unsaturated 9‐decenoic acid ester. Under optimized conditions (25 ppm of catalyst Ru1, 20 bar, 50 °C, 2 h, use of metal scavenger/quenching agent, SnatchCat), the title reaction proceeds with high productivity (up to 70% conversion) and selectivity, and is tested in scale up to 1 L, with the exclusion of a glovebox or Schlenk techniques usage, and the ethenolysis products are isolated by fractional distillation. In addition, a large‐scale synthesis of Ru1 is presented.Practical Applications: Decreasing availability of fossil organic feedstock and current policies of the European Union drives scientists to look for alternative sustainable sources of fine chemicals. In this context, olefin metathesis based ethenolysis of transesterified seed oils studied herein shows a significant potential as a sustainable way to obtain valuable products, such as 1‐decene and valuable terminal unsaturated 9‐decenoic acid ester. Unlike other published studies on ethenolysis, in the present work, the focus is on optimizing this reaction under industrially practical conditions, thus utilizing an air‐stable catalyst, technical grade oleic substrates, grade 3 ethylene, and excluding the use of a glovebox or Schlenk techniques.

Molybdenum Alkylidyne Complexes with Tripodal Silanolate Ligands: The Next Generation of Alkyne Metathesis Catalysts

AbstractA new type of molybdenum alkylidyne catalysts for alkyne metathesis is described, which is distinguished by an unconventional podand topology. These structurally well‐defined complexes are easy to make on scale and proved to be tolerant toward numerous functional groups; even certain protic substituents were found to be compatible. The new catalysts were characterized by X‐ray crystallography and by spectroscopic means, including 95Mo NMR.