Net Hydride Transfer Research Articles

Mechanistic basis for tuning iridium hydride photochemistry from H2 evolution to hydride transfer hydrodechlorination.

The photochemistry of metal hydride complexes is dominated by H2 evolution, limiting access to reductive transformations based on photochemical hydride transfer. In this article, the innate H2 evolution photochemistry of the iridium hydride complexes [Cp*Ir(bpy-OMe)H]+ (1, bpy-OMe = 4,4ʹ-dimethoxy-2,2′-bipyridine) and [Cp*Ir(bpy)H]+ (2, bpy = 2,2ʹ-bipyridine) is diverted towards photochemical hydrodechlorination. Net hydride transfer from 1 and 2 to dichloromethane produces chloromethane with high selectivity and exceptional photochemical quantum yield (Φ ≤ 1.3). Thermodynamic and kinetic mechanistic studies are consistent with a non-radical-chain reaction sequence initiated by “self-quenching” electron transfer between excited state and ground state hydride complexes, followed by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) hydrodechlorination that outcompetes H–H coupling. This unique photochemical mechanism provides a new hope for the development of light-driven hydride transfer reactions.

Selective oxidation of exogenous substrates by a bis-Cu(III) bis-oxide complex: Mechanism and scope

Cu(III)2(μ-O)2 bis-oxides (O) form spontaneously by direct oxygenation of nitrogen-chelated Cu(I) species and constitute a diverse class of versatile 2e−/2H+ oxidants, but while these species have attracted attention as biomimetic models for dinuclear Cu enzymes, reactivity is typically limited to intramolecular ligand oxidation, and systems exhibiting synthetically useful reactivity with exogenous substrates are limited. OTMPD (TMPD = N1, N1, N3, N3-tetramethylpropane-1,3-diamine) presents an exception, readily oxidizing a diverse array of exogenous substrates, including primary alcohols and amines selectively over their secondary counterparts in good yields. Mechanistic and DFT analyses suggest substrate oxidation proceeds through initial axial coordination, followed by rate-limiting rotation to position the substrate in the Cu(III) equatorial plane, whereupon rapid deprotonation and oxidation by net hydride transfer occurs. Together, the results suggest the selectivity and broad substrate scope unique to OTMPD are best attributed to the combination of ligand flexibility, limited steric demands, and ligand oxidative stability. In keeping with the absence of rate-limiting CH scission, OTMPD exhibits a marked insensitivity to the strength of the substrate CαH bond, readily oxidizing benzyl alcohol and 1-octanol at near identical rates.

ChemInform Abstract: Thermodynamic Hydricity of Transition Metal Hydrides

AbstractReview: 331 refs.

Thermodynamic Hydricity of Transition Metal Hydrides.

Transition metal hydrides play a critical role in stoichiometric and catalytic transformations. Knowledge of free energies for cleaving metal hydride bonds enables the prediction of chemical reactivity, such as for the bond-forming and bond-breaking events that occur in a catalytic reaction. Thermodynamic hydricity is the free energy required to cleave an M-H bond to generate a hydride ion (H(-)). Three primary methods have been developed for hydricity determination: the hydride transfer method establishes hydride transfer equilibrium with a hydride donor/acceptor pair of known hydricity, the H2 heterolysis method involves measuring the equilibrium of heterolytic cleavage of H2 in the presence of a base, and the potential-pKa method considers stepwise transfer of a proton and two electrons to give a net hydride transfer. Using these methods, over 100 thermodynamic hydricity values for transition metal hydrides have been determined in acetonitrile or water. In acetonitrile, the hydricity of metal hydrides spans a range of more than 50 kcal/mol. Methods for using hydricity values to predict chemical reactivity are also discussed, including organic transformations, the reduction of CO2, and the production and oxidation of hydrogen.

Reaction of cobalt porphycene with hydride reagents: spectroscopic detection of Co–H porphycene species and formation of Co–SnR3 porphycene species

The reaction of tetrapropylporphycenatocobalt(III) with tributyltin hydride generates a cobalt(III)–hydride porphycene detectable by UV-vis spectroscopy under diluted conditions, whereas it is impossible to characterize hydride species of cobalt porphyrins. One of the reasons for the stability of the porphycene hydride species is that the porphycene ring has a lower LUMO energy level due to the decrease in the symmetry of the ligand character. However, the hydride species in a highly concentrated solution of the complex is easily converted into the cobalt(II) species via dimerization or reaction of the hydride with excess tributyltin hydride through hemolysis of the Sn–H/Co–H bonds. When the Co(III) porphycene is reacted with LiBHEt3 , the final product is the cobalt(III)–ethyl complex formed by β-rearrangement during the reaction of the hydride species and diethylborane in a solvent cage. In the reaction of tetrakistrifluoromethylporphycenatocobalt(III) with tributyltin hydride, the dominant reaction pathway includes one-electron reduction of the porphycene ring together with radical coupling of the tin reagent rather than the net hydride transfer. This finding suggests that the delicate control of the LUMO energy level influences the stability of the hydride species. The tetrapropylporphycenatocobalt(III) complex with tributyltin or triphenyltin hydride in the presence of AIBN produces the corresponding Co(III)– trialkyltin complex. This complex was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Steric effect for proton, hydrogen-atom, and hydride transfer reactions with geometric isomers of NADH–model ruthenium complexes

Two isomers, [Ru(1)]2+ (Ru = Ru(bpy)2, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, 1 = 2-(pyrid-2'-yl)-1-azaacridine) and [Ru(2)]2+ (2 = 3-(pyrid-2'-yl)-4-azaacridine), are bioinspired model compounds containing the nicotinamide functionality and can serve as precursors for the photogeneration of C-H hydrides for studying reactions pertinent to the photochemical reduction of metal-C1 complexes and/or carbon dioxide. While it has been shown that the structural differences between the azaacridine ligands of [Ru(1)]2+ and [Ru(2)]2+ have a significant effect on the mechanism of formation of the hydride donors, [Ru(1HH)]2+ and [Ru(2HH)]2+, in aqueous solution, we describe the steric implications for proton, net-hydrogen-atom and net-hydride transfer reactions in this work. Protonation of [Ru(2*-)] in aprotic and even protic media is slow compared to that of [Ru(1*-)]+. The net hydrogen-atom transfer between *[Ru(1)]2+ and hydroquinone (H2Q) proceeds by one-step EPT, rather than stepwise electron-proton transfer. Such a reaction was not observed for *[Ru(2)]2+ because the non-coordinated N atom is not easily available for an interaction with H2Q. Finally, the rate of the net hydride ion transfer from [Ru(1HH)]2+ to [Ph3C]+ is significantly slower than that of [Ru (2HH)]2+ owing to steric congestion at the donor site.

Transition from hydrogen atom to hydride abstraction by Mn4O4(O2PPh2)6 versus [Mn4O4(O2PPh2)6]+: O-H bond dissociation energies and the formation of Mn4O3(OH)(O2PPh2)6.

Synthesis, characterization, and reactions of the novel manganese-oxo cubane complex [Mn(4)O(4)(O(2)PPh(2))(6)](ClO(4)), 1+ (ClO(4)(-)), are described. Cation 1+ is composed of the [Mn(4)O(4)](7+) core surrounded by six bidentate phosphinate ligands. The proton-coupled electron transfer (pcet) reactions of phenothiazine (pzH), the cation radical (pzH(.+)(ClO(4)(-)), and the neutral pz* radical with 1+ are reported and compared to Mn(4)O(4)(O(2)PPh(2))(6) (1). Compound 1+ (ClO(4)(-)) reacts with excess pzH via four sequential reduction steps that transfer a total of five electrons and four protons to 1+. This reaction forms the doubly dehydrated manganese cluster Mn(4)O(2)(O(2)PPh(2))(6) (2) and two water molecules derived from the corner oxygen atoms. The first pcet step forms the novel complex Mn(4)O(3)(OH)(O(2)PPh(2))(6) (1H) and 1 equiv of the pz+ cation by net hydride transfer from pzH. Spectroscopic characterization of isolated 1H is reported. Reduction of 1 by pzH or a series of para-substituted phenols also produces 1H via net H atom transfer. A lower limit to the homolytic bond dissociation energy (BDE) (1H --> 1 + H) was estimated to be >94 kcal/mol using solution phase BDEs for pzH and para-substituted phenols. The heterolytic BDE was estimated for the hydride transfer reaction 1H --> 1+ + H(-) (BDE approximately 127 kcal/mol). These comparisons reveal the O-H bond in 1H to be among the strongest of any Mn-hydroxo complex measured thus far. In three successive H atom transfer steps, 1H abstracts three hydrogen atoms from three pzH molecules to form complex 2. Complex 2 is shown to be identical to the "pinned butterfly" cluster produced by the reaction of 1 with pzH (Ruettinger, W. F.; Dismukes, G. C. Inorg. Chem. 2000, 39, 1021-1027). The Mn oxidation states in 2 are formally Mn(4)(2II,2III), and no further reduction occurs in excess pzH. By contrast, outer-sphere electron-only reductants such as cobaltacene reduce both 1+ and 1 to the all Mn(II) oxidation level and cause cluster fragmentation. The reaction of pzH(.+) with 1+ produces 1H and the pz+ cation by net hydrogen atom transfer, and terminates at 1 equiv of pzH(.+) with no further reaction at excess. By contrast, pz* does not react with 1+ at all, indicating that reduction of 1+ by electron transfer to form pz+ does not occur without a proton (pcet to 1+ is thermodynamically required). Experimental free energy changes are shown to account for these pcet reactions and the absence of electron transfer for any of the phenothiazine series. Hydrogen atom abstraction from substrates by 1 versus hydride abstraction by 1(+ )()illustrates the transition to two-electron one-proton pcet chemistry in the [Mn(4)O(4)](7+) core that is understood on the basis of free energy consideration. This transition provides a concrete example of the predicted lowest-energy pathway for the oxidation of two water molecules to H(2)O(2) as an intermediate within the photosynthetic water-oxidizing enzyme (vs sequential one-electron/proton steps). The implications for the mechanism of photosynthetic water splitting are discussed.

Mechanism of the carbonylation of dicyclopentadienylmolybdenum dihydride

The carbonylation of Cp 2MoH 2 proceeds through the intermediates Cp 2MoCO, [Cp 2Mo(H)CO] [CpMo(CO) 3] (I) and CpMo(CO) 3 to the final products [CpMo(CO) 3] 2 and CpMo(η 3-C 5H 7)(CO) 2. The formation of I in the carbonylation reaction has been shown to involve net hydride transfer, but an alternate synthesis has demonstrated the considerable proton basicity of Cp 2MoCO. Since the net hydride transfer between Cp 2MoH 2 and [CpMo(CO) 3] 2 can be accelerated by production of metal centered radicals, the actual mechanism is not a simple two-electron process (H − transfer, but rather a sequence of one-electron steps.