Ammonia–Borane and Amine–Borane Dehydrogenation Mediated by Complex Metal Hydrides

Homo- and heterodehydrocoupling of phosphines mediated by alkali metal catalysts

Catalytic chemistry that involves the activation and transformation of main group substrates is relatively undeveloped and current examples are generally mediated by expensive transition metal species. Herein, we describe the use of inexpensive and readily available tBuOK as a catalyst for P-P and P-E (E = O, S, or N) bond formation. Catalytic quantities of tBuOK in the presence of imine, azobenzene hydrogen acceptors, or a stoichiometric amount of tBuOK with hydrazobenzene, allow efficient homodehydrocoupling of phosphines under mild conditions (e.g. 25 °C and < 5 min). Further studies demonstrate that the hydrogen acceptors play an intimate mechanistic role. We also show that our tBuOK catalysed methodology is general for the heterodehydrocoupling of phosphines with alcohols, thiols and amines to generate a range of potentially useful products containing P-O, P-S, or P-N bonds.

A Mn(II) complex with an amide-containing ligand: synthesis, structural characterization, and magnetic properties

A new Mn(II) complex [Mn2(L)(H2O)3] · (H2O)4.8 (1) was synthesized via the hydrothermal reaction of MnCl2 · 4H2O with N 4,N 4′-di(5-isophthalyl)biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxamide (H4L). Complex 1 is characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. 1 exhibits a uninodal 5-connected 3D bnn framework structure with (46.64) topology. The magnetic properties of 1 were investigated.

Ammonia-Borane Derived BN Fragments Trapped on Bi- and Trimetallic Titanium(III) Systems

Titanium(III) complexes containing unprecedented (NH₂ BH₂ NHBH₃ )^2- and {N(BH₃ )₃ }^3- ligands have been isolated, and their structures elucidated by a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. The treatment of the trimethyl derivative [TiCp*Me₃ ] (Cp*=η⁵ -C₅ Me₅ ) with NH₃ BH₃ (3 equiv) at room temperature gives the paramagnetic dinuclear complex [{TiCp*(NH₂ BH₃ )}₂ (μ-NH₂ BH₂ NHBH₃ )], which at 80 °C leads to the trinuclear hydride derivative [{TiCp*(μ-H)}₃ {μ₃ -N(BH₃ )₃ }]. The bonding modes of the anionic BN fragments in those complexes, as well as the dimethylaminoborane group trapped on the analogous trinuclear [{TiCp*(μ-H)}₃ (μ₃ -H)(μ₃ -NMe₂ BH₂ )], have been studied by X-ray crystallography and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Host-Guest Complexations of Amine Boranes and Isoelectronic/Isostructural Quaternary Alkylammonium Cations by Cucurbit[7]uril in Aqueous Solution

The host-guest complexation of six amine boranes (R3NBH3) by the macrocyclic host molecule cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) in aqueous solution has been investigated using 1H and 11B NMR spectroscopy. The limiting complexation-induced 1H and 11B chemical shift changes indicate that the amine boranes are included in the hydrophobic cavity of the host molecule. The host-guest stability constants for neutral  R3NBH3∙CB[7]  complexes (in the range of 105-107M-1) have been determined by 1H NMR competition experiments and are compared with the corresponding values for the isoelectronic/isostructural  R3NCH3∙CB[7] + complexes. Ammonia borane (H3NBH3) does not form a host-guest complex with CB[7]. The trends in the host-guest stability constant with the guest molar volume are examined, and the stability is ascribed to the hydrophobic effect (packing coefficient) and quadrupole-dipole interactions.

Role of Alkaline-Earth Metal-Catalyst: A Theoretical Study of Pyridines Hydroboration

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to investigate the mechanism of alkaline-earth-metal-catalyzed hydroboration of pyridines with borane. In this reaction, the active catalytic species is considered to be an alkaline earth metal hydride complex when the corresponding alkaline earth metal is used as the catalyst. The theoretical results reveal that initiation of the catalytic cycle is hydride transfer to generate a magnesium hydride complex when β-diimine alkylmagnesium is used as a pre-catalyst. The magnesium hydride complex can undergo coordination of the pyridine reactant followed by hydride transfer to form a dearomatized magnesium pyridine intermediate. Coordination of borane and hydride transfer from borohydride to magnesium then give the hydroboration product and regenerate the active magnesium hydride catalyst. The rate-determining step of the catalytic cycle is hydride transfer to pyridine with a free energy barrier of 29.7 kcal/mol. Other alkaline earth metal complexes, including calcium and strontium complexes, were also considered. The DFT calculations show that the corresponding activation free energies for the rate-determining step of this reaction with calcium and strontium catalysts are much lower than with the magnesium catalyst. Therefore, calcium and strontium complexes can be used as the catalyst for the reaction, which could allow mild reaction conditions.

Dehydropolymerization of H3B·NMeH2 Using a [Rh(DPEphos)]+ Catalyst: The Promoting Effect of NMeH2

[Rh(κ²-PP-DPEphos){η²η²-H₂B(NMe₃)(CH₂)₂^tBu}][BAr^F₄] acts as an effective precatalyst for the dehydropolymerization of H₃B·NMeH₂ to form N-methylpolyaminoborane (H₂BNMeH)_n. Control of polymer molecular weight is achieved by variation of precatalyst loading (0.1–1 mol %, an inverse relationship) and use of the chain-modifying agent H₂: with M_n ranging between 5 500 and 34 900 g/mol and Đ between 1.5 and 1.8. H₂ evolution studies (1,2-F₂C₆H₄ solvent) reveal an induction period that gets longer with higher precatalyst loading and complex kinetics with a noninteger order in [Rh]_TOTAL. Speciation studies at 10 mol % indicate the initial formation of the amino–borane bridged dimer, [Rh₂(κ²-PP-DPEphos)₂(μ-H)(μ-H₂BN=HMe)][BAr^F₄], followed by the crystallographically characterized amidodiboryl complex [Rh₂(cis-κ²-PP-DPEphos)₂(σ,μ-(H₂B)₂NHMe)][BAr^F₄]. Adding ∼2 equiv of NMeH₂ in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution to the precatalyst removes this induction period, pseudo-first-order kinetics are observed, a half-order relationship to [Rh]_TOTAL is revealed with regard to dehydrogenation, and polymer molecular weights are increased (e.g., M_n = 40 000 g/mol). Speciation studies suggest that NMeH₂ acts to form the  precatalysts [Rh(κ²-DPEphos)(NMeH₂)₂][BAr^F₄] and [Rh(κ²-DPEphos)(H)₂(NMeH₂)₂][BAr^F₄], which were independently synthesized and shown to follow very similar dehydrogenation kinetics, and produce polymers of molecular weight comparable with [Rh(κ²-PP-DPEphos){η²-H₂B(NMe₃)(CH₂)₂^tBu}][BAr^F₄], which has been doped with amine. This promoting effect of added amine in situ is shown to be general in other cationic Rh-based systems, and possible mechanistic scenarios are discussed.

Boosted Reactivity of Ammonia Borane Dehydrogenation over Ni/Ni2P Heterostructure

Ammonia borane (AB) is regarded as a highly promising candidate for chemical hydrogen-storage materials. Developing low-cost yet efficient catalysts for the dehydrogenation of AB is central to achieving hydrogen conversion. Here a heterostructure of Ni/Ni₂P nanoparticles deposited on a defective carbon framework for the hydrolysis of AB is developed by elaborately controlling phosphorization conditions. The electronic structure and interfacial interaction of the ternary components are probed by synchrotron-based X-ray absorption fine structure and further simulated via density functional theory. By adjusting the content of Ni and Ni₂P in the hetrostructure, the optimized hybrid exhibits catalytic performance of H₂ generation from the hydrolysis of AB under ambient conditions with a turnover frequency of 68.3 mol (H₂) mol^-1 (Cat) min^-1 and an activation energy ( E_a) of 44.99 kJ mol^-1, implying its high potential as an efficient supplement for noble-metal-based catalysts in hydrogen energy applications.

Amine-Borane Dehydropolymerization: Challenges and Opportunities

The dehydropolymerization of amine-boranes, exemplified as H2 RB⋅NR'H2 , to produce polyaminoboranes (HRBNR'H)n that are inorganic analogues of polyolefins with alternating main-chain B-N units, is an area with significant potential, stemming from both fundamental (mechanism, catalyst development, main-group hetero-cross-coupling) and technological (new polymeric materials) opportunities. This Concept article outlines recent advances in the field, covering catalyst development and performance, current mechanistic models, and alternative non-catalytic routes for polymer production. The substrate scope, polymer properties and applications of these exciting materials are also outlined. Challenges and opportunities in the field are suggested, as a way of providing focus for future investigations.

Base-free hydrogen generation from formaldehyde and water catalyzed by copper nanoparticles embedded on carbon sheets

Base-free hydrogen generation through complete dehydrogenation from formaldehyde and water catalyzed by Cu nanoparticles embedded on carbon sheets.

Stoichiometric reactions and catalytic dehydrogenations of amine–boranes with calcium aryloxide

A calcium aryloxide complex reacts with amine–boranes to give unprecedented amine–borane coordinated complexes through Ca⋯H interactions, which serve as active species for catalytic dehydrogenation reactions.

Synthesis, structural properties and reactivity of ruthenocene-based pincer Pd(ii) tetrahydroborate

Non-covalent interactions determine the structure, crystal packing and reactivity of isolated ruthenocene-based pincer Pd(ii) complexes. Bifurcate dihydrogen-bonded complexes are active intermediates of tetrahydroborate alcoholysis.

Investigation of the rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration of NHC-boranes: the role of alkene coordination and the origin of enantioselectivity

The mechanism of the intramolecular enantioselective rhodium(i)-catalyzed hydroboration of NHC-boranes is investigated by experiments and calculations, using Density Functional Theory and Random Phase Approximation methods.

Room-temperature hydrogen generation from water and nanoscale Fe catalyzed by Pd

Production of pure H₂ through a redox reaction between water and Fe nanoparticles at room temperature.

First-Row Transition Metal (De)Hydrogenation Catalysis Based On Functional Pincer Ligands

The use of 3d metals in de/hydrogenation catalysis has emerged as a competitive field with respect to "traditional" precious metal catalyzed transformations. The introduction of functional pincer ligands that can store protons and/or electrons as expressed by metal-ligand cooperativity and ligand redox-activity strongly stimulated this development as a conceptual starting point for rational catalyst design. This review aims at providing a comprehensive picture of the utilization of functional pincer ligands in first-row transition metal hydrogenation and dehydrogenation catalysis and related synthetic concepts relying on these such as the hydrogen borrowing methodology. Particular emphasis is put on the implementation and relevance of cooperating and redox-active pincer ligands within the mechanistic scenarios.

Amine-Borane Dehydrogenation and Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyzed by α-Diimine Cobaltates

Anionic α-diimine cobalt complexes, such as [K(thf)_1.5 {(^Dipp BIAN)Co(η⁴ -cod)}] (1; Dipp=2,6-diisopropylphenyl, cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene), catalyze the dehydrogenation of several amine-boranes. Based on the excellent catalytic properties, an especially effective transfer hydrogenation protocol for challenging olefins, imines, and N-heteroarenes was developed. NH₃ BH₃ was used as a dihydrogen surrogate, which transferred up to two equivalents of H₂ per NH₃ BH₃ . Detailed spectroscopic and mechanistic studies are presented, which document the rate determination by acidic protons in the amine-borane.

Inorganic Triphenylphosphine

A completely inorganic version of one of the most famous organophosphorus compounds, triphenylphosphine, has been prepared. A comparison of the crystal structures of inorganic triphenylphosphine, PBaz₃ (where Baz=B₃ H₂ N₃ H₃ ) and PPh₃ shows that they have superficial similarities and furthermore, the Lewis basicities of the two compounds are remarkably similar. However, their oxygenation and hydrolysis reactions are starkly different. PBaz₃ reacts quantitatively with water to give PH₃ and with the oxidizing agent ONMe₃ to give the triply-O-inserted product P(OBaz)₃ , an inorganic version of triphenyl phosphite; a corresponding transformation with PPh₃ is inconceivable. Thermodynamically, what drives these striking differences in the chemistry of PBaz₃ and PPh₃ is the great strength of the B-O bond.

The Recycling of Spent Ammonia Borane with HBr/AlBr3 and Other HX/AlX3 -Based Schemes

Although the development and application of a BNH_x -waste recycling process is one of the major prerequisites for the use of ammonia borane as hydrogen source material, most research groups in the field have focused on AB hydrogen release and only few groups have worked on the development of energetically viable recycling schemes. In our work we target the development of a closed recycling process containing three desired steps: superacid break-up of the BNH_x -waste, catalytic hydrodehalogenation of the generated boron halide, and base-exchange between Et₃ NBH₃ and ammonia. Catalytic hydrodehalogenation provides a convenient means to generate B-H bonds using molecular hydrogen, avoiding potentially energetically expensive reduction reagents.

Pd-CuFe Catalyst for Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitriles: Controllable Selectivity to Primary Amines and Secondary Amines

A multicomponent nanocatalyst system was fabricated for the transfer hydrogenation of nitrile compounds. This catalyst system contains palladium, copper, and iron, which are supported on the magnetite nanospheres, and the loading of palladium could be at the parts per million level. Palladium and copper contribute to the transformation of nitrile, and the product distribution highly depends on the alloying of Fe to Cu. The nitriles could be converted to primary amine by the Pd-Cu catalyst in the absence of Fe, whereas in the presence of Fe the products are secondary amines with high selectivity. This could be attributed to the electronic modulation of iron to copper. A variety of nitriles have been transformed to the corresponding primary or secondary amines with high selectivity, and the TOF reaches 2,929 hr⁻¹ for Pd. Furthermore, the catalyst could be recycled by an external magnetic field and reused five times without severe activity loss.

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The novel transfer hydrogenation of nitriles to primary or secondary amine

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The dosage of Pd can be reduced to 139 ppm with a TOF of 3,597 hr⁻¹

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The selectivity of products can be easily adjusted by electronic modulation

Designing Metal-Free Frustrated Lewis Pairs Catalyst for the Efficient Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

Ammonia borane (AB) has been in the spotlight for the chemical storage of hydrogen over the past decade. However, the development of methods for efficient and controlled hydrogen release from AB under mild conditions is still underway. Herein, using density functional theory (DFT) computations, we designed a metal-free frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyst o-(BPh₂ )C₆ H₄ (NiPr₂ ) (M1) that can efficiently dehydrogenate AB to release more than two equivalents of H₂ under mild conditions. Catalyst M1 can dehydrogenate not only AB to H₂ N=BH₂ (AOB) and H₂ , but also oligomers of AOB with rather low free-energy barriers. The high dehydrogenation activity of M1 is the key of new oligomerization routes to the efficient dehydrogenation of AB to borazine (BZ) or H₂ B-(NH=BH)_n -NH₂ (PIB) and finally to polyborazylene (PBZ) so that more than two equivalents of H₂ can be released. A first-principle kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) study reveals that the activity of our catalytic system can be tuned by varying the initial concentration of M1 and AB. This work can guide the design of catalyst for the highly efficient utilization of AB as a hydrogen storage material.

Iron Precatalysts with Bulky Tri(tert-butyl)cyclopentadienyl Ligands for the Dehydrocoupling of Dimethylamine-Borane

In an attempt to prepare new Fe catalysts for the dehydrocoupling of amine-boranes and to provide mechanistic insight, the paramagnetic Fe^II dimeric complex [Cp'FeI]₂ (1) (Cp'=η⁵ -((1,2,4-tBu)₃ C₅ H₂ )) was used as a precursor to a series of cyclopentadienyl Fe^II and Fe^III mononuclear species. The complexes prepared were [Cp'Fe(η⁶ -Tol)][Cp'FeI₂ ] (2) (Tol=C₆ H₅ Me), [Cp'Fe(η⁶ -Tol)][BAr^F₄ ] (3) (BAr^F₄ =[B(C₆ H₃ (m-CF₃ )₂ )₄ ]^- ), [N(nBu)₄ ][Cp'FeI₂ ] (4), Cp'FeI₂ (5), and [Cp'Fe(MeCN)₃ ][BAr^F₄ ] (6). The electronic structure of the [Cp'FeI₂ ]^- anion in 2 and 4 was investigated by SQUID magnetometry, EPR spectroscopy and ab initio Complete Active Space Self Consistent Field-Spin Orbit (CASSCF-SO) calculations, and the studies revealed a strongly anisotropic S=2 ground state. Complexes 1-6 were investigated as catalysts for the dehydrocoupling of Me₂ NH⋅BH₃ (I) in THF at 20 °C to yield the cyclodiborazane product [Me₂ N-BH₂ ]₂ (IV). Complexes 1-4 and 6 were active dehydrocoupling catalysts towards I (5 mol % loading), however 5 was inactive, and ultra-violet (UV) irradiation was required for the reaction mediated by 3. Complex 6 was found to be the most active precatalyst, reaching 80 % conversion to IV after 19 h at 22 °C. Dehydrocoupling of I by 1-4 proceeded via formation of the aminoborane Me₂ N=BH₂ (II) as the major intermediate, whereas for 6 the linear diborazane Me₂ NH-BH₂ -NMe₂ -BH₃ (III) could be detected, together with trace amounts of II. Reactions of 1 and 6 with Me₃ N⋅BH₃ were investigated in an attempt to identify Fe-based intermediates in the catalytic reactions. The σ-complex [Cp'Fe(MeCN)(κ² -H₂ BH⋅NMe₂ H][BAr^F₄ ] was proposed to initially form in dehydrocoupling reactions involving 6 based on ESI-MS (ESI=Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectroscopy) and NMR spectroscopic evidence. The latter also suggests that these complexes function as precursors to iron hydrides which may be the true catalytic species.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Nanoparticles on Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers: A Highly Efficient Nanocatalyst for the Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Methylamine Borane

We report the fabrication of a novel and highly active nanocatalyst system comprising electrospun carbon nanofiber (CNF)-supported ruthenium nanoparticles (NPs) (Ru@CNF), which can reproducibly be prepared by the ozone-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Ru NPs on electrospun CNFs. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was electropsun into bead-free one-dimensional (1D) nanofibers by electrospinning. The electrospun PAN nanofibers were converted into well-defined 1D CNFs by a two-step carbonization process. We took advantage of an ozone-assisted ALD technique to uniformly decorate the CNF support by highly monodisperse Ru NPs of 3.4 ± 0.4 nm size. The Ru@CNF nanocatalyst system catalyzes the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of methylamine borane (CH₃NH₂BH₃), which has been considered as one of the attractive materials for the efficient chemical hydrogen storage, with a record turnover frequency of 563 mol H₂/mol Ru × min and an excellent conversion (>99%) under air at room temperature with the activation energy ( E_a) of 30.1 kJ/mol. Moreover, Ru@CNF demonstrated remarkable reusability performance and conserved 72% of its inherent catalytic activity even at the fifth recycle.

Selective Three-Component Coupling for CO2 Chemical Fixation to Boron Guanidinato Compounds

A selective three-component coupling was employed to fix carbon dioxide to boron guanidinato compounds. The one-pot reaction of carbon dioxide, carbodiimides, and borylamines (ArNH)BC₈H₁₄ afforded the corresponding 1,2-adducts {R(H)N}C{N(Ar)}(NR)(CO₂)BC₈H₁₄. Alternatively, the reaction with p-MeOC₆H₄NC or 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃NC gave the corresponding isocyanide 1,1-adducts { i-PrHN}C{N(p-Me-C₆H₄)}(N i-Pr){CNAr}BC₈H₁₄. The molecular structures of products (2,6- i-Pr₂C₆H₃NH)BC₈H₁₄ 7, { i-Pr(H)N}C{N(p-MeC₆H₄)}(N i-Pr)(CO₂)BC₈H₁₄ 9, {Cy(H)N}C{N( p-MeC₆H₄)}(Cy)(CO₂)BC₈H₁₄ 13, and { i-PrHN}C{N( p-MeC₆H₄)}(N i-Pr){CNR″}BC₈H₁₄ (R″ = p-MeOC₆H₄, 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃) 14 and 15 were established by X-ray diffraction. Density functional theory calculations at the M05-2X level of theory revealed that CO₂ fixation and formation of the corresponding adduct is exothermic and proceeds via a nonchelate boron guanidinato intermediate.

Dehydrocoupling of dimethylamine borane by titanocene: elucidation of ten years of inconsistency between theoretical and experimental descriptions

More than ten years ago, Manners and coworkers published the first experimental study on the efficiency of titanocene to catalyze the dehydrocoupling of dimethylamine borane (DMAB, T. Clark, C. Russell and I. Manners, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 9582-9583). Several experimental investigations have shown that a two-step mechanism leads to the formation of a cyclic diborazane (Me2N-BH2)2via the linear diborazane (HNMe2-BH2-NMe2-BH3). This finding stood in contradiction to the following theoretical investigations of the reaction pathway. Herein, using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D), we propose an energetically favored reaction mechanism in perfect agreement with the experimental findings. It is shown that van der Waals interactions play a prominent role in the reaction pathway. The formation of 3-center 2-electron interactions, classical dihydrogen bonds, and non-classical dihydrogen bonds was identified with the help of topological and localized orbital approaches.

A leap forward in iridium-NHC catalysis: new horizons and mechanistic insights

This review summarises the most recent advances in Ir-NHC catalysis while revisiting all the classical reactions in which this type of catalyst has proved to be active. The influence of the ligand system and, in particular, the impact of the NHC ligand on the activity and selectivity of the reaction have been analysed, accompanied by an examination of the great variety of catalytic cycles hitherto reported. The reaction mechanisms so far proposed are described and commented on for each individual process. Moreover, some general considerations that attempt to explain the influence of the NHC from a mechanistic viewpoint are presented at the end of the review. The first sections are dedicated to the most widely explored reactions that use Ir-NHCs, i.e., hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation, for which a general overview that tries to compile all the Ir-NHC catalysts hitherto reported for these processes is provided. The next sections deal with hydrogen borrowing, hydrosilylation, water splitting, dehydrogenation (of alcohols, alkanes, aminoboranes and formic acid), hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE), signal amplification by reversible exchange and C-H bond functionalisation (silylation and borylation). The last section compiles a series of reactions somewhat less explored for Ir-NHC catalysts that include the hydroalkynylation of imines, hydroamination, diboration of olefins, hydrolysis and methanolysis of silanes, arylation of aldehydes with boronic acids, addition of aroyl chlorides to alkynes, visible light driven reactions, isomerisation of alkenes, asymmetric intramolecular allylic amination and reactions that employ heterometallic catalysts containing at least one Ir-NHC unit.