Palladium-catalyzed meta-selective C-H bond activation with a nitrile-containing template: computational study on mechanism and origins of selectivity

Computational organic chemistry: bridging theory and experiment in establishing the mechanisms of chemical reactions

Understanding the mechanisms of chemical reactions, especially catalysis, has been an important and active area of computational organic chemistry, and close collaborations between experimentalists and theorists represent a growing trend. This Perspective provides examples of such productive collaborations. The understanding of various reaction mechanisms and the insight gained from these studies are emphasized. The applications of various experimental techniques in elucidation of reaction details as well as the development of various computational techniques to meet the demand of emerging synthetic methods, e.g., C-H activation, organocatalysis, and single electron transfer, are presented along with some conventional developments of mechanistic aspects. Examples of applications are selected to demonstrate the advantages and limitations of these techniques. Some challenges in the mechanistic studies and predictions of reactions are also analyzed.

The mechanism of a ligand-promoted C(sp3)-H activation and arylation reaction via palladium catalysis: theoretical demonstration of a Pd(II)/Pd(IV) redox manifold

Density functional theory (DFT) computations (BP86 and M06-L) have been utilized to elucidate the detailed mechanism of a palladium-catalyzed reaction involving pyridine-type nitrogen-donor ligands that significantly expands the scope of C(sp(3))-H activation and arylation. The reaction begins with precatalyst initiation, followed by substrate binding to the Pd(II) center through an amidate auxiliary, which directs the ensuing bicarbonate-assisted C(sp(3))-H bond activation producing five-membered-ring cyclopalladate(II) intermediates. These Pd(II) complexes further undergo oxidative addition with iodobenzene to form Pd(IV) complexes, which proceed by reductive C-C elimination/coupling to give final products of arylation. The base-assisted C(sp(3))-H bond cleavage is found to be the rate-determining step, which involves hydrogen bond interactions. The mechanism unravels the intimate involvement of the added 2-picoline ligand in every phase of the reaction, explains the isolation of the cyclopalladate intermediates, agrees with the observed kinetic hydrogen isotope effect, and demonstrates the Pd(II)/Pd(IV) redox manifold.

Transition metal catalyzed meta-C–H functionalization of aromatic compounds

This review summarizes synthetic methods for directing group guided, transition metal catalyzed meta-C–H functionalization of aromatic compounds.

Mechanism of Pd-catalyzed C(sp3)–H activation of aliphatic amines: an insight from DFT calculations

DFT studies on Pd-catalyzed C(sp³)–H activation of aliphatic amines have been performed using the B3LYP functional. The rate- and regio-determining step of the catalytic cycle is deprotonation of the C_methyl–H bond through a six-membered cyclopalladation transition state.

Palladium catalyzed amide-oxazoline directed C–H acetoxylation of arenes

A palladium catalyzedortho-acetoxylation of arenes is shown, using an amide-oxazoline as the directing group. The reactions are compatible with a variety of aryl and heteroaryl amides in moderate to good yields.

Mechanism, reactivity, and selectivity of nickel-catalyzed [4 + 4 + 2] cycloadditions of dienes and alkynes

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations with B3LYP and M06 functionals elucidated the reactivities of alkynes and Z/E selectivity of cyclodecatriene products in the Ni-catalyzed [4 + 4 + 2] cycloadditions of dienes and alkynes. The Ni-mediated oxidative cyclization of butadienes determines the Z/E selectivity. Only the oxidative cyclization of one s-cis to one s-trans butadiene is facile and exergonic, leading to the observed 1Z,4Z,8E-cyclodecatriene product. The same step with two s-cis or s-trans butadienes is either kinetically or thermodynamically unfavorable, and the 1Z,4E,8E- and 1Z,4Z,8Z-cyclodecatriene isomers are not observed in experiments. In addition, the competition between the desired cooligomerization and [2 + 2 + 2] cycloadditions of alkynes depends on the coordination of alkynes. With either electron-deficient alkynes or alkynes with free hydroxyl groups, the coordination of alkynes is stronger than that of dienes, and alkyne trimerization prevails. With alkyl-substituted alkynes, the generation of alkyne-coordinated nickel complex is much less favorable, and the [4 + 4 + 2] cycloaddition occurs.

Theoretical elucidation of the origins of substituent and strain effects on the rates of Diels-Alder reactions of 1,2,4,5-tetrazines

The Diels-Alder reactions of seven 1,2,4,5-tetrazines with unstrained and strained alkenes and alkynes were studied with quantum mechanical calculations (M06-2X density functional theory) and analyzed with the distortion/interaction model. The higher reactivities of alkenes compared to alkynes in the Diels-Alder reactions with tetrazines arise from the differences in both interaction and distortion energies. Alkenes have HOMO energies higher than those of alkynes and therefore stronger interaction energies in inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reactions with tetrazines. We have also found that the energies to distort alkenes into the Diels-Alder transition-state geometries are smaller than for alkynes in these reactions. The strained dienophiles, trans-cyclooctene and cyclooctyne, are much more reactive than unstrained trans-2-butene and 2-butyne, because they are predistorted toward the Diels-Alder transition structures. The reactivities of substituted tetrazines correlate with the electron-withdrawing abilities of the substituents. Electron-withdrawing groups lower the LUMO+1 of tetrazines, resulting in stronger interactions with the HOMO of dienophiles. Moreover, electron-withdrawing substituents destabilize the tetrazines, and this leads to smaller distortion energies in the Diels-Alder transition states.

Iridium-catalyzed oxidative olefination of furans with unactivated alkenes

The oxidative coupling of arenes and alkenes is an attractive strategy for the synthesis of vinylarenes, but reactions with unactivated alkenes have typically occurred in low yield. We report an Ir-catalyzed oxidative coupling of furans with unactivated olefins to generate branched vinylfuran products in high yields and with high selectivities with a second alkene as the hydrogen acceptor. Detailed mechanistic experiments revealed catalyst decomposition pathways that were alleviated by the judicious selection of reaction conditions and application of new ligands.

Enantioselective formation of cyano-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters: desymmetrization by copper-catalyzed N-arylation

The enantioselective construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters is one of the most challenging fields in asymmetric synthesis. An asymmetric desymmetrization strategy offers an indirect and efficient method for the formation of all-carbon stereocenters. An enantioselective formation of cyano-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters in 1,2,3,4,-tetrahydroquinolines and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepines by copper-catalyzed desymmetric N-arylation is demonstrated. The cyano group at the prochiral center plays a key role for the high enantioselectivity and works as an important functional group for further transformations. DFT studies provide a model which successfully accounts for the origin of enantioselectivity.

The mechanism of catalytic methylation of 2-phenylpyridine using di-tert-butyl peroxide

The mechanism of palladium chloride-catalyzed direct methylation of arenes with peroxides is elucidated by using the energetics computed at the M06 density functional theory. The introduction of a methyl group by tert-butyl peroxides at the ortho-position of a prototypical 2-phenyl pyridine, a commonly used substrate in directed C-H functionalization reactions, is examined in detail by identifying the key intermediates and transition states involved in the reaction sequence. Different possibilities that differ in terms of the site of catalyst coordination with the substrate and the ensuing mechanism are presented. The important mechanistic events involved are (a) an oxidative or a homolytic cleavage of the peroxide O-O bond, (b) C-H bond activation, (c) C-C bond activation, and (d) reductive elimination involving methyl transfer to the aromatic ring. We have examined both radical and non-radical pathways. In the non-radical pathway, the lowest energy pathway involves C-H bond activation prior to the coordination of the peroxide to palladium, which is subsequently followed by the O-O bond cleavage of the peroxide and the C-C bond activation. Reductive elimination in the resulting intermediate leads to the vital C-C bond formation between methyl and aryl carbon atoms. In the non-radical pathway, the C-C bond activation is higher in energy and has been identified as the rate-limiting step of this reaction. In the radical pathway, however, the activation barrier for the C-C bond cleavage is lower than for the peroxide O-O bond cleavage. A combination of a radical pathway up to the formation of a palladium methyl intermediate and a subsequent non-radical pathway has been identified as the most favored pathway for the title reaction. The predicted mechanism is in good agreement with the experimental observations on PdCl2 catalyzed methylation of 2-phenyl pyridine using tert-butyl peroxide.

Carboxylate-assisted C(sp³)-H activation in olefin metathesis-relevant ruthenium complexes

The mechanism of C-H activation at metathesis-relevant ruthenium(II) benzylidene complexes was studied both experimentally and computationally. Synthesis of a ruthenium dicarboxylate at a low temperature allowed for direct observation of the C-H activation step, independent of the initial anionic ligand-exchange reactions. A first-order reaction supports an intramolecular concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism with ΔG(‡)(298K) = 22.2 ± 0.1 kcal·mol(-1) for the parent N-adamantyl-N'-mesityl complex. An experimentally determined ΔS(‡) = -5.2 ± 2.6 eu supports a highly ordered transition state for carboxylate-assisted C(sp(3))-H activation. Experimental results, including measurement of a large primary kinetic isotope effect (k(H)/k(D) = 8.1 ± 1.7), agree closely with a computed six-membered carboxylate-assisted C-H activation mechanism where the deprotonating carboxylate adopts a pseudo-apical geometry, displacing the aryl ether chelate. The rate of cyclometalation was found to be influenced by both the electronics of the assisting carboxylate and the ruthenium ligand environment.

Non-innocent additives in a palladium(II)-catalyzed C-H bond activation reaction: insights into multimetallic active catalysts

The role of a widely employed additive (AgOAc) in a palladium acetate-catalyzed ortho-C-H bond activation reaction has been examined using the M06 density functional theory. A new hetero-bimetallic Pd-(μ-OAc)3-Ag is identified as the most likely active species. This finding could have far-reaching implications with respect to the notion of the active species in palladium catalysis in the presence of other metal salt additives.

Mechanisms and origins of switchable chemoselectivity of Ni-catalyzed C(aryl)-O and C(acyl)-O activation of aryl esters with phosphine ligands

Many experiments have shown that nickel with monodentate phosphine ligands favors the C(aryl)-O activation over the C(acyl)-O activation for aryl esters. However, Itami and co-workers recently discovered that nickel with bidentate phosphine ligands can selectively activate the C(acyl)-O bond of aryl esters of aromatic carboxylic acids. The chemoselectivity with bidentate phosphine ligands can be switched back to C(aryl)-O activation when aryl pivalates are employed. To understand the mechanisms and origins of this switchable chemoselectivity, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been conducted. For aryl esters, nickel with bidentate phosphine ligands cleaves C(acyl)-O and C(aryl)-O bonds via three-centered transition states. The C(acyl)-O activation is more favorable due to the lower bond dissociation energy (BDE) of C(acyl)-O bond, which translates into a lower transition-state distortion energy. However, when monodentate phosphine ligands are used, a vacant coordination site on nickel creates an extra Ni-O bond in the five-centered C(aryl)-O cleavage transition state. The additional interaction energy between the catalyst and substrate makes C(aryl)-O activation favorable. In the case of aryl pivalates, nickel with bidentate phosphine ligands still favors the C(acyl)-O activation over the C(aryl)-O activation at the cleavage step. However, the subsequent decarbonylation generates a very unstable tBu-Ni(II) intermediate, and this unfavorable step greatly increases the overall barrier for generating the C(acyl)-O activation products. Instead, the subsequent C-H activation of azoles and C-C coupling in the C(aryl)-O activation pathway are much easier, leading to the observed C(aryl)-O activation products.

Role of N-acyl amino acid ligands in Pd(II)-catalyzed remote C-H activation of tethered arenes

A combined experimental/computational study on the amino acid ligand-assisted Pd-catalyzed C-H bond activation reveals a mechanism in which the amino acid acts as both a dianionic bidentate ligand and a proton acceptor. This new model explains the effects of amino acids on reactivity and selectivity and unveils the dual roles of amino acids: stabilizing monomeric Pd complexes and serving as the internal base for proton abstraction.

Experimental and computational studies on the mechanism of the Pd-catalyzed C(sp3)–H γ-arylation of amino acid derivatives assisted by the 2-pyridylsulfonyl group

Experimental and computational studies on the mechanism of the Pd(OAc)₂-catalyzed C(sp³)–H γ-arylation of amino acid derivatives are reported.