Harnessing Oxidizing Potential of Nickel for Sustainable Hydrocarbon Functionalization

While the oxidative chemistry of transition metals such as iron and copper is a highly developed area of investigation, the study of similar chemistry with nickel is much younger. However, nickel offers rich coordination chemistry with oxygen and other oxidants and is a promising avenue of research for applications such as sustainable hydrocarbon functionalization. Herein, we summarize the progress made recently in nickel coordination chemistry relevant to hydrocarbon functionalization and offer our perspectives on open questions in the field.

Appended Lewis Acids Enable Dioxygen Reactivity and Catalytic Oxidations with Ni(II)

We disclose a suite of Ni(II) complexes featuring secondary sphere Lewis acids of varied Lewis acidity and tether lengths. Several of these complexes feature atypical behavior of Ni(II): reactivity with O2 that occurs only in the presence of a tethered Lewis acid. In situ UV-vis spectroscopy revealed that, although adducts are stable at -40 °C, complexes containing 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) Lewis acids underwent irreversible oxidative deborylation when warmed to room temperature. We computationally and experimentally identified that oxidative instability of appended 9-BBN moieties can be mitigated using weaker Lewis acids such as pinacolborane (BPin). These insights enabled the realization of catalytic reactions: hydrogen atom abstraction from phenols and room temperature oxygen atom transfer to PPh3.

Mechanistic Studies for Pd(II)(O2) Reduction Generating Pd(0) and H2O: Formation of Pd(OH)2 as a Key Intermediate

Molecular oxygen (O₂) remains to be an ideal yet underutilized feedstock for the oxidative transformation of organic substrates and renewable energy systems such as fuel cells. Palladium (Pd) has shown particular promise in enabling these applications. The present study describes a Pd-mediated O₂ reduction to water via C-H activation of 9,10-dihydroanthracene (DHA) by a Pd(II) η²-peroxo complex 1O₂. The reaction yields stoichiometric anthracene and Pd(0) product 1 and is notable in two respects. First, plots of concentrations of the reaction participants over time have distinctly sigmoidal shapes, indicating that conversion accelerates over time and implying autocatalysis. Second, the reaction proceeds via a genuine monometallic Pd(II) dihydroxide 1(OH)₂ directly observed to grow and decay as an intermediate. Confirming its role as an intermediate, the dihydroxide 1(OH)₂ was found to mediate C-H oxidation of DHA on par in activity with the peroxo compound 1O₂. Mechanistic studies with density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that both 1O₂ and 1(OH)₂ react with DHA by hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and that autocatalysis in the 1O₂ reaction results from oxidative addition of the initial Pd(II) complex 1O₂ to the Pd(0) product 1. This reaction forms a transient bis(μ-oxo) Pd(II) dimer 1O₂1 that is more active in the HAT oxidation of DHA than the initial 1O₂.

Activation of O2 across a C(sp3)-C(sp3) bond

The activation of atmospheric molecular dioxygen (O₂) is reported, which occurred across a C(sp³)-C(sp³) bond of a piperazine derivative without any catalyst at ambient conditions under the formation of 1,2,4,7-dioxadiazoctane, an 8-membered (larger-ring) cyclic organic peroxide.

Conversion of E4 (E4 =P4 , As4 , AsP3 ) by Ni(0) and Ni(I) Synthons - A Comparative Study

The reactivity of white phosphorus and yellow arsenic towards two different nickel nacnac complexes is investigated. The nickel complexes [(L1 Ni)2 tol] (1, L1 =[{N(C6 H3 i Pr2 -2,6)C(Me)}2 CH]- ) and [K2 ][(L1 Ni)2 (μ,η1 : 1 -N2 )] (6) were reacted with P4 , As4 and the interpnictogen compound AsP3 , respectively, yielding the homobimetallic complexes [(L1 Ni)2 (μ-η2 ,κ1 :η2 ,κ1 -E4 )] (E=P (2 a), As (2 b), AsP3 (2 c)), [(L1 Ni)2 (μ,η3 : 3 -E3 )] (E=P (3 a), As (3 b)) and [K@18-c-6(thf)2 ][L1 Ni(η1 : 1 -E4 )] (E=P (7 a), As (7 b)), respectively. Heating of 2 a, 2 b or 2 c also leads to the formation of 3 a or 3 b. Furthermore, the reactivity of these compounds towards reduction agents was investigated, leading to [K2 ][(L1 Ni)2 (μ,η2 : 2 -P4 )] (4) and [K@18-c-6(thf)3 ][(L1 Ni)2 (μ,η3 : 3 -E3 )] (E=P (5 a), As (5 b)), respectively. Compound 4 shows an unusual planarization of the initial Ni2 P4 -prism. All products were comprehensively characterized by crystallographic and spectroscopic methods.

Structural and Spectroscopic Evidence for a Side-on Fe(III)-Superoxo Complex Featuring Discrete O-O Bond Distances

The O-O bond length is often used as a structural indicator to determine the valence states of bound O₂ ligands in biological metal-dioxygen intermediates and related biomimetic complexes. Here, we report very distinct O-O bond lengths found for three crystallographic forms (1.229(4), 1.330(4), 1.387(2) Å at 100 K) of a side-on iron-dioxygen species. Despite their different O-O bond distances, all forms possess the same electronic structure of Fe(III)-O₂ ^•-, as evidenced by their indistinguishable spectroscopic features. Density functional theory and ab initio calculations, which successfully reproduce spectroscopic parameters, predict a flat potential energy surface of an η²-O₂ motif binding to the iron center regarding the O-O distance. Therefore, the discrete O-O bond lengths observed likely arise from differential intermolecular interactions in the second coordination sphere. The work suggests that the O-O distance is not a reliable benchmark to unequivocally identify the valence state of O₂ ligands for metal-dioxygen species in O₂-utilizing metalloproteins and synthetic complexes.

Transformation of Formazanate at Nickel(II) Centers to Give a Singly Reduced Nickel Complex with Azoiminate Radical Ligands and Its Reactivity toward Dioxygen

The heteroleptic (formazanato)nickel bromide complex LNi(μ-Br)₂NiL [LH = Mes-NH-N═C(p-tol)-N═N-Mes] has been prepared by deprotonation of LH with NaH followed by reaction with NiBr₂(dme). Treatment of this complex with KC₈ led to transformation of the formazanate into azoiminate ligands via N-N bond cleavage and the simultaneous release of aniline. At the same time, the potentially resulting intermediate complex L'₂Ni [L' = HN═C(p-tol)-N═N-Mes] was reduced by one additional electron, which is delocalized across the π system and the metal center. The resulting reduced complex [L'₂Ni]K(18-c-6) has a S = ¹/₂ ground state and a square-planar structure. It reacts with dioxygen via one-electron oxidation to give the complex L'₂Ni, and the formation of superoxide was detected spectroscopically. If oxidizable substrates are present during this process, these are oxygenated/oxidized. Triphenylphosphine is converted to phosphine oxide, and hydrogen atoms are abstracted from TEMPO-H and phenols. In the case of cyclohexene, autoxidations are triggered, leading to the typical radical-chain-derived products of cyclohexene.

Well-Defined, Silica-Supported Homobimetallic Nickel Hydride Hydrogenation Catalyst

There is an increasing interest to replace precious metal-based catalysts by earth-abundant nonprecious metals due to higher costs, toxicity, and declining availability of the former. Here, the synthesis of a well-defined supported nickel hydrogenation catalyst prepared by surface organometallic chemistry is reported. For this purpose, [LNi(μ-H)]₂ (L = HC(CMeNC₆H₃(ⁱPr)₂)₂) was grafted on partially dehydroxylated silica to give a homobimetallic H- and O(silica)-bridged Ni₂ complex. The structure of the latter was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analyses as well as hydride titration studies. The immobilized catalyst was capable of hydrogenating alkenes and alkynes at low temperatures without prior activation. As an example, ethene can be hydrogenated with an initial turnover frequency of 25.5 min^-1 at room temperature.

Electron transfer within β-diketiminato nickel bromide and cobaltocene redox couples activating CO2

Reduction of β-diketiminato nickel(ii) complexes (LtBuNiII) to the corresponding nickel(i) compounds does not require alkali metal compounds but can also be performed with the milder cobaltocenes. LtBuNiBr and Cp2Co have rather similar redox potentials, so that the equilibrium with the corresponding electron transfer compound [LtBuNiIBr][Cp2CoIII] (ETC) clearly lies on the side of the starting materials. Still, the ETC portion can be used to activate CO2 yielding a mononuclear nickel(ii) carbonate complex and ETC can be isolated almost quantitatively from the solutions through crystallisation. The more negative reduction potential of Cp*2Co shifts the equilibrium formed with LtBuNiBr strongly towards the ETC and accordingly the reaction of such solutions with CO2 is much faster.

Generation and Reactivity of a NiIII2(μ-1,2-peroxo) Complex

High-valent transition metal-oxo, -peroxo, and -superoxo complexes are crucial intermediates in both biological and synthetic oxidation of organic substrates, water oxidation, and oxygen reduction. While high-valent oxygenated complexes of Mn, Fe, Co, and Cu are increasingly well-known, high-valent oxygenated Ni complexes are comparatively rarer. Herein we report the isolation of such an unusual high-valent species in a thermally unstable Ni^III₂(μ-1,2-peroxo) complex, which has been characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption, NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopies. Reactivity studies show that this complex is stable toward dissociation of oxygen but reacts with simple nucleophiles and electrophiles.

Ambiphilicity of a mononuclear cobalt(III) superoxo complex

Addition of HOTf to a mixture of CoIII(BDPP)(O2˙) (1, H2BDPP = 2,6-bis((2-(S)-diphenylhydroxylmethyl-1-pyrrolidinyl)methyl)pyridine) and Cp*2Fe produced H2O2 in high yield implying formation of CoIII(BDPP)(OOH) (3), and reaction of Sc(OTf)3 with the same mixture gave a peroxo-bridged CoIII/ScIII5. These findings demonstrate the ambiphilic property of CoIII-superoxo 1.

Generation and Oxidative Reactivity of a Ni(II) Superoxo Complex via Ligand-Based Redox Non-Innocence

Metal ligand cooperativity is a powerful strategy in transition metal chemistry. This type of mechanism for the activation of O₂ is best exemplified by heme centers in biological systems. While aerobic oxidations with Fe and Cu are well precedented, Ni-based oxidations are frequently less common due to less-accessible metal-based redox couples. Some Ni enzymes utilize special ligand environments for tuning the Ni(II)/(III) redox couple such as strongly donating thiolates in Ni superoxide dismutase. A recently characterized example of a Ni-containing protein, however, suggests an alternative strategy for mediating redox chemistry with Ni by utilizing ligand-based reducing equivalents to enable oxygen binding. While this mechanism has little synthetic precedent, we show here that Ni complexes of the redox-active ligand ^tBu,TolDHP (^tBu,TolDHP = 2,5-bis((2-t-butylhydrazono)(p-tolyl)methyl)-pyrrole) activate O₂ to generate a Ni(II) superoxo complex via ligand-based electron transfer. This superoxo complex is competent for stoichiometric oxidation chemistry with alcohols and hydrocarbons. This work demonstrates that coupling ligand-based redox chemistry with functionally redox-inactive Ni centers enables oxidative transformations more commonly mediated by metals such as Fe and Cu.

A Manganese(IV)-Hydroperoxo Intermediate Generated by Protonation of the Corresponding Manganese(III)-Superoxo Complex

Earlier work revealed that metal-superoxo species primarily function as radicals and/or electrophiles. Herein, we present ambiphilicity of a Mn^III-superoxo complex revealed by its proton- and metal-coupled electron-transfer processes. Specifically, a Mn^IV-hydroperoxo intermediate, [Mn(BDP^BrP)(OOH)]⁺ (1, H₂BDP^BrP = 2,6-bis((2-(S)-di(4-bromo)phenylhydroxylmethyl-1-pyrrolidinyl)methyl)pyridine) was generated by treatment of a Mn^III-superoxo complex, Mn(BDP^BrP)(O₂^•) (2) with trifluoroacetic acid at -120 °C. Detailed insights into the electronic structure of 1 are obtained using resonance Raman and multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies coupled with density functional theory calculations. Similarly, the reaction of 2 with scandium(III) triflate was shown to give a Mn(IV)/Sc(III) bridging peroxo species, [Mn(BDP^BrP)(OO)Sc(OTf)_n]^(3-n)+ (4). Furthermore, it is found that deprotonation of 1 quantitatively regenerates 2, and that one-electron oxidation of the corresponding Mn^III-hydroperoxo species, Mn(BDP^BrP)(OOH) (3), also yields 1.

Mechanistic dichotomies in redox reactions of mononuclear metal–oxygen intermediates

This review article focuses on various mechanistic dichotomies in redox reactions of metal–oxygen intermediates with the emphasis on understanding and controlling their redox reactivity from experimental and theoretical points of view.

Boron-based stepwise dioxygen activation with 1,4,2,5-diazadiborinine

Activation of dioxygen (O2) by 1,4,2,5-diazadiborinine 1 is reported. Two boron centers in 1 undergo a formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition with O2 at room temperature affording a bicyclo[2.2.2] molecule 2 featuring a B-O-O-B unit. Treatment of 2 with an additional equivalent of 1 leads to the cleavage of the O-O bond in 2 concomitant with the formation of two B-O bonds to yield 4 involving the extremely rare B4C2N2O2 ten-membered rings. A series of these reactions demonstrate the stepwise scission of the O[double bond, length as m-dash]O π-bond and the O-O σ-bond of O2.

Nitrosyl Linkage Isomers: NO Coupling to N2O at a Mononuclear Site

Linkage isomers of reduced metal-nitrosyl complexes serve as key species in nitric oxide (NO) reduction at monometallic sites to produce nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas. While factors leading to extremely rare side-on nitrosyls are unclear, we describe a pair of nickel-nitrosyl linkage isomers through controlled tuning of noncovalent interactions between the nitrosyl ligands and differently encapsulated potassium cations. Furthermore, these reduced metal-nitrosyl species with N-centered spin density undergo radical coupling with free NO and provide a N-N coupled cis-hyponitrite intermediate whose protonation triggers the release of N₂O. This report outlines a stepwise molecular mechanism of NO reduction to form N₂O at a mononuclear metal site that provides insight into the related biological reduction of NO to N₂O.

Structure and reactivity of the first-row d-block metal-superoxo complexes

This review discusses the structure and reactivity of metal-superoxo complexes covering all ten first-row d-block metals from Sc to Zn.

Nickel(iii)-mediated oxidative cascades from a thiol-bearing nickel(ii) precursor to the nickel(iv) product

A nickel(ii) complex, Ni(HPS2)₂ (1) that contains two pendant thiols, is rapidly aerobically oxidized in the presence of an amine to produce a diamagnetic nickel(iv) complex, Ni(PS2)₂ (2). This process was investigated spectroscopically at a temperature of -80 °C. Absorption spectra revealed that the deprotonation of one pendant thiol of 1 triggers an oxidative cascade; EPR findings indicate that single-spin species comprised of nickel(iii) intermediates are produced in the reaction solution. Possible reaction routes were examined by DFT calculations, in which an energy profile indicates that (i) a self-driven formation of 2 favors a sequential proton/electron transfer pathway; (ii) kinetically trapped nickel(iii) intermediates may respond to the specificity of the coordination of 2 in a cis-form. The overall findings help one to rationalize how a nickel(ii) precursor can be oxidized by O₂ to a higher oxidation state.

Bite-Angle-Regulated Coordination Geometries: Tetrahedral and Trigonal Bipyramidal in Ni(II) with Biphenyl-Appended (2-Pyridyl)alkylamine N,N'-Bidentate Ligands

Two simple biphenyl-appended (2-pyridyl)alkylamine N-bidentate ligands, L^e and L^m, having ethylene and methylene spacers between donor groups, with bite angles L^e ≈ 100° and L^m ≈ 80°, dictate pseudotetrahedral and trigonal-bipyramidal geometries in six high-spin Ni(II)-halide complexes, [Ni(L^e)X₂] and [Ni(L^m)₂X](ClO₄) (where X = Cl^-, Br^-, I^-), respectively. The structures in the solid state, determined using X-ray crystallography, and in solution, determined using spectroscopic methods (UV-vis-NIR and paramagnetic ¹H NMR), which complement each other, are described.

Synthesis and Speciation-Dependent Properties of a Multimetallic Model Complex of NiSOD That Exhibits Unique Hydrogen-Bonding

The complex Na₃[{Ni^II(nmp)}₃S₃BTA^alk)] (1) (nmp^2- = deprotonated form of N-(2-mercaptoethyl)picolinamide; H₃S₃BTA^alk = N¹,N³,N⁵-tris(2-mercaptoethyl)benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide, where H = dissociable protons), supported by the thiolate-benzenetricarboxamide scaffold (S₃BTA^alk), has been synthesized as a trimetallic model of nickel-containing superoxide dismutase (NiSOD). X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and ¹H NMR measurements on 1 indicate that the Ni^II centers are square-planar with N₂S₂ coordination, and Ni-N and Ni-S distances of 1.95 and 2.16 Å, respectively. Additional evidence from IR indicates the presence of H-bonds in 1 from the approximately -200 cm^-1 shift in ν_NH from free ligand. The presence of H-bonds allows for speciation that is temperature-, concentration-, and solvent-dependent. In unbuffered water and at low temperature, a dimeric complex (1^A; λ = 410 nm) that aggregates through intermolecular NH···O═C bonds of BTA units is observed. Dissolution of 1 in pH 7.4 buffer or in unbuffered water at temperatures above 50 °C results in monomeric complex (1^M; λ = 367 nm) linked through intramolecular NH···S bonds. DFT computations indicate a low energy barrier between 1^A and 1^M with nearly identical frontier MOs and Ni-ligand metrics. Notably, 1^A and 1^M exhibit remarkable stability in protic solvents such as MeOH and H₂O, in stark contrast to monometallic [Ni^II(nmp)(SR)]^- complexes. The reactivity of 1 with excess O₂, H₂O₂, and O₂^•- is species-dependent. IR and UV-vis reveal that 1^A in MeOH reacts with excess O₂ to yield an S-bound sulfinate, but does not react with O₂^•-. In contrast, 1^M is stable to O₂ in pH 7.4 buffer, but reacts with O₂^•- to yield a putative [Ni^II(nmp)(O₂)]^- complex from release of the BTA-thiolate based on EPR.

Activation of Dioxygen at a Lewis Acidic Nickel(II) Complex: Characterization of a Metastable Organoperoxide Complex

In metal-mediated O₂ activation, nickel(II) compounds hardly play a role, but recently it has been shown that enzymes can use nickel(II) for O₂ activation. Now a low-coordinate Lewis acidic nickel(II) complex has been synthesized that reacts with O₂ to give a nickel(II) organoperoxide, as proposed for the enzymatic system. Its formation was studied further by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, leading to the observation of a short-lived intermediate that proved to be reactive in both oxygen atom transfer and hydrogen abstraction reactions, while the peroxide efficiently transfers O atoms. Both for the enzyme and for the functional model, the key to O₂ activation is proposed to represent a concomitant electron shift from the substrate/co-ligand.

A New Domain of Reactivity for High-Valent Dinuclear [M(μ-O)2 M'] Complexes in Oxidation Reactions

The strikingly different reactivity of a series of homo- and heterodinuclear [(MIII )(μ-O)2 (MIII )']2+ (M=Ni; M'=Fe, Co, Ni and M=M'=Co) complexes with β-diketiminate ligands in electrophilic and nucleophilic oxidation reactions is reported, and can be correlated to the spectroscopic features of the [(MIII )(μ-O)2 (MIII )']2+ core. In particular, the unprecedented nucleophilic reactivity of the symmetric [NiIII (μ-O)2 NiIII ]2+ complex and the decay of the asymmetric [NiIII (μ-O)2 CoIII ]2+ core through aromatic hydroxylation reactions represent a new domain for high-valent bis(μ-oxido)dimetal reactivity.

Novel nickel(ii) complexes of sterically modified linear N4 ligands: effect of ligand stereoelectronic factors and solvent of coordination on nickel(ii) spin-state and catalytic alkane hydroxylation

The donor atom type and diazacyclo backbone of the ligands and solvent of coordination dictate the Ni(ii) spin state (4, LS; 1–3, 5, HS) and catalytic activity of complexes.

Complexes of Ni(i): a “rare” oxidation state of growing importance

The synthesis and diverse structures, reactivity (small molecule activation and catalysis) and magnetic properties of Ni(i) complexes are summarized.

Oxygen activation by mononuclear Mn, Co, and Ni centers in biology and synthetic complexes

The active sites of metalloenzymes that catalyze O₂-dependent reactions generally contain iron or copper ions. However, several enzymes are capable of activating O₂ at manganese or nickel centers instead, and a handful of dioxygenases exhibit activity when substituted with cobalt. This minireview summarizes the catalytic properties of oxygenases and oxidases with mononuclear Mn, Co, or Ni active sites, including oxalate-degrading oxidases, catechol dioxygenases, and quercetin dioxygenase. In addition, recent developments in the O₂ reactivity of synthetic Mn, Co, or Ni complexes are described, with an emphasis on the nature of reactive intermediates featuring superoxo-, peroxo-, or oxo-ligands. Collectively, the biochemical and synthetic studies discussed herein reveal the possibilities and limitations of O₂ activation at these three "overlooked" metals.

Spectroscopically Characterized Synthetic Mononuclear Nickel-Oxygen Species

Iron, copper, and manganese are the predominant metals found in oxygenases that perform efficient and selective hydrocarbon oxidations and for this reason, a large number of the corresponding metal-oxygen species has been described. However, in recent years nickel has been found in the active site of enzymes involved in oxidation processes, in which nickel-dioxygen species are proposed to play a key role. Owing to this biological relevance and to the existence of different catalytic protocols that involve the use of nickel catalysts in oxidation reactions, there is a growing interest in the detection and characterization of nickel-oxygen species relevant to these processes. In this Minireview the spectroscopically/structurally characterized synthetic superoxo, peroxo, and oxonickel species that have been reported to date are described. From these studies it becomes clear that nickel is a very promising metal in the field of oxidation chemistry with still unexplored possibilities.