The Equatorial Ligand Effect on the Properties and Reactivity of Iron(V) Oxo Intermediates

Highly regioselective oxidation of C-H bonds in water using hydrogen peroxide by a cytochrome P450 mimicking iron complex

Cytochrome P450, one of nature's oxidative workhorses, catalyzes the oxidation of C-H bonds in complex biological settings. Extensive research has been conducted over the past five decades to develop a fully functional mimic that activates O2 or H2O2 in water to oxidize strong C-H bonds. We report the first example of a synthetic iron complex that functionally mimics cytochrome P450 in 100% water using H2O2 as the oxidant. This iron complex, in which one methyl group is replaced with a phenyl group in either wing of the macrocycle, oxidized unactivated C-H bonds in small organic molecules with very high selectivity in water (pH 8.5). Several substrates (34 examples) that contained arenes, heteroaromatics, and polar functional groups were oxidized with predictable selectivity and stereoretention with moderate to high yields (50-90%), low catalyst loadings (1-4 mol%) and a small excess of H2O2 (2-3 equiv.) in water. Mechanistic studies indicated the oxoiron(v) to be the active intermediate in water and displayed unprecedented selectivity towards 3° C-H bonds. Under single-turnover conditions, the reactivity of this oxoiron(v) intermediate in water was found to be around 300 fold higher than that in CH3CN, thus implying the role water plays in enzymatic systems.

Systematic Electronic Tuning on the Property and Reactivity of Cobalt-(Hydro)peroxo Intermediates

A series of cobalt(III)-peroxo complexes, [Co^III(R₂-TBDAP)(O₂)]⁺ (1^R2; R₂ = Cl, H, and OMe), and cobalt(III)-hydroperoxo complexes, [Co^III(R₂-TBDAP)(O₂H)(CH₃CN)]²⁺ (2^R2), bearing electronically tuned tetraazamacrocyclic ligands (R₂-TBDAP = N,N'-di-tert-butyl-2,11-diaza[3.3](2,6)-p-R₂-pyridinophane) were prepared from their cobalt(II) precursors and characterized by various physicochemical methods. The X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic analyses unambiguously showed that all 1^R2 compounds have similar octahedral geometry with a side-on peroxocobalt(III) moiety, but the O-O bond lengths of 1^Cl [1.398(3) Å] and 1^OMe [1.401(4) Å] were shorter than that of 1^H [1.456(3) Å] due to the different spin states. For 2^R2, the O-O bond vibration energies of 2^Cl and 2^OMe were identical at 853 cm^-1 (856 cm^-1 for 2^H), but their Co-O bond vibration frequencies were observed at 572 cm^-1 for 2^Cl and 550 cm^-1 for 2^OMe, respectively, by resonance Raman spectroscopy (560 cm^-1 for 2^H). Interestingly, the redox potentials (E_1/2) of 2^R2 increased in the order of 2^OMe (0.19 V) < 2^H (0.24 V) < 2^Cl (0.34 V) according to the electron richness of the R₂-TBDAP ligands, but the oxygen-atom-transfer reactivities of 2^R2 showed a reverse trend (k₂: 2^Cl < 2^H < 2^OMe) with a 13-fold rate enhancement at 2^OMe over 2^Cl in a sulfoxidation reaction with thioanisole. Although the reactivity trend contradicts the general consideration that electron-rich metal-oxygen species with low E_1/2 values have sluggish electrophilic reactivity, this could be explained by a weak Co-O bond vibration of 2^OMe in the unusual reaction pathway. These results provide considerable insight into the electronic nature-reactivity relationship of metal-oxygen species.

Comparing the reactivity of an oxoiron(IV) cation radical and its oxoiron(V) tautomer towards C-H bonds

An oxoiron(IV) cation radical is generated upon two-electron oxidation of an iron(III) complex bearing an electron-rich methoxy substituted bTAML framework and thoroughly characterized via multiple spectroscopic techniques and density functional theory (DFT). Reactivity studies demonstrate faster rates for oxidation of strong aliphatic sp³ C-H bonds than for its corresponding oxoiron(V) valence tautomer.

Effect of Brшnsted Acid on the Reactivity and Selectivity of the Oxoiron(V) Intermediates in C-H and C=C Oxidation Reactions

The effect of HClO4 on the reactivity and selectivity of the catalyst systems 1,2/H2O2/AcOH, based on nonheme iron complexes of the PDP families, [(Me2OMePDP)FeIII(μ-OH)2FeIII(MeOMe2PDP)](OTf)4 (1) and [(NMe2PDP)FeIII(μ-OH)2FeIII(NMe2PDP](OTf)4 (2), toward oxidation of benzylideneacetone (bna), adamantane (ada), and (3aR)-(+)-sclareolide (S) has been studied. Adding HClO4 (2–10 equiv. vs. Fe) has been found to result in the simultaneous improvement of the observed catalytic efficiency (i.e., product yields) and the oxidation regio- or enantioselectivity. At the same time, HClO4 causes a threefold increase of the second-order rate constant for the reaction of the key oxygen-transferring intermediate [(Me2OMePDP)FeV=O(OAc)]2+ (1a), with cyclohexane at −70 °C. The effect of strong Brønsted acid on the catalytic reactivity is discussed in terms of the reversible protonation of the Fe=O moiety of the parent perferryl intermediates.

pH Changes That Induce an Axial Ligand Effect on Nonheme Iron(IV) Oxo Complexes with an Appended Aminopropyl Functionality

Nonheme iron enzymes often utilize a high-valent iron(IV) oxo species for the biosynthesis of natural products, but their high reactivity often precludes structural and functional studies of these complexes. In this work, a combined experimental and computational study is presented on a biomimetic nonheme iron(IV) oxo complex bearing an aminopyridine macrocyclic ligand and its reactivity toward olefin epoxidation upon changes in the identity and coordination ability of the axial ligand. Herein, we show a dramatic effect of the pH on the oxygen-atom-transfer (OAT) reaction with substrates. In particular, these changes have occurred because of protonation of the axial-bound pendant amine group, where its coordination to iron is replaced by a solvent molecule or anionic ligand. This axial ligand effect influences the catalysis, and we observe enhanced cyclooctene epoxidation yields and turnover numbers in the presence of the unbound protonated pendant amine group. Density functional theory studies were performed to support the experiments and highlight that replacement of the pendant amine with a neutral or anionic ligand dramatically lowers the rate-determining barriers of cyclooctene epoxidation. The computational work further establishes that the change in OAT is due to electrostatic interactions of the pendant amine cation that favorably affect the barrier heights.

Ligand Architecture Perturbation Influences the Reactivity of Nonheme Iron(V)-Oxo Tetraamido Macrocyclic Ligand Complexes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Iron(V)-oxo complexes bearing negatively charged tetraamido macrocyclic ligands (TAMLs) have provided excellent opportunities to investigate the chemical properties and the mechanisms of oxidation reactions of mononuclear nonheme iron(V)-oxo intermediates. Herein, we report the differences in chemical properties and reactivities of two iron(V)-oxo TAML complexes differing by modification on the "Head" part of the TAML framework; one has a phenyl group at the "Head" part (1), whereas the other has four methyl groups replacing the phenyl ring (2). The reactivities of 1 and 2 in both C-H bond activation reactions, such as hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, and oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reactions, such as the oxidation of thioanisole and its derivatives, were compared experimentally. Under identical reaction conditions, 1 showed much greater reactivity than 2, such as a 10²-fold decrease in HAT and a 10⁵-fold decrease in OAT by replacing the phenyl group (i.e., 1) with four methyl groups (i.e., 2). Then, density functional theory calculations were performed to rationalize the reactivity differences between 1 and 2. Computations reproduced the experimental findings well and revealed that the replacement of the phenyl group in 1 with four methyl groups in 2 not only increased the steric hindrance but also enlarged the energy gap between the electron-donating orbital and the electron-accepting orbital. These two factors, steric hindrance and the orbital energy gap, resulted in differences in the reduction potentials of 1 and 2 and their reactivities in oxidation reactions.

Enhanced Redox Reactivity of a Nonheme Iron(V)-Oxo Complex Binding Proton

Acid effects on the chemical properties of metal-oxygen intermediates have attracted much attention recently, such as the enhanced reactivity of high-valent metal(IV)-oxo species by binding proton(s) or Lewis acidic metal ion(s) in redox reactions. Herein, we report for the first time the proton effects of an iron(V)-oxo complex bearing a negatively charged tetraamido macrocyclic ligand (TAML) in oxygen atom transfer (OAT) and electron-transfer (ET) reactions. First, we synthesized and characterized a mononuclear nonheme Fe(V)-oxo TAML complex (1) and its protonated iron(V)-oxo complexes binding two and three protons, which are denoted as 2 and 3, respectively. The protons were found to bind to the TAML ligand of the Fe(V)-oxo species based on spectroscopic characterization, such as resonance Raman, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The two-protons binding constant of 1 to produce 2 and the third protonation constant of 2 to produce 3 were determined to be 8.0(7) × 10⁸ M^-2 and 10(1) M^-1, respectively. The reactivities of the proton-bound iron(V)-oxo complexes were investigated in OAT and ET reactions, showing a dramatic increase in the rate of sulfoxidation of thioanisole derivatives, such as 10⁷ times increase in reactivity when the oxidation of p-CN-thioanisole by 1 was performed in the presence of HOTf (i.e., 200 mM). The one-electron reduction potential of 2 (E_red vs SCE = 0.97 V) was significantly shifted to the positive direction, compared to that of 1 (E_red vs SCE = 0.33 V). Upon further addition of a proton to a solution of 2, a more positive shift of the E_red value was observed with a slope of 47 mV/log([HOTf]). The sulfoxidation of thioanisole derivatives by 2 was shown to proceed via ET from thioanisoles to 2 or direct OAT from 2 to thioanisoles, depending on the ET driving force.

Reactivity patterns of vanadium(iv/v)-oxo complexes with olefins in the presence of peroxides: a computational study

Vanadium porphyrin complexes are naturally occurring substances found in crude oil and have been shown to have medicinal properties as well. Little is known on their activities with substrates; therefore, we decided to perform a detailed density functional theory study on the properties and reactivities of vanadium(iv)- and vanadium(v)-oxo complexes with a TPPCl8 or 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octachloro-meso-tetraphenylporphyrinato ligand system. In particular, we investigated the reactivity of [VV(O)(TPPCl8)]+ and [VIV(O)(TPPCl8)] with cyclohexene in the presence of H2O2 or HCO4-. The work shows that vanadium(iv)-oxo and vanadium(v)-oxo are sluggish oxidants by themselves and react with olefins slowly. However, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, these metal-oxo species can be transformed into a side-on vanadium-peroxo complex, which reacts with substrates more efficiently. Particularly with anionic axial ligands, the side-on vanadium-peroxo and vanadium-oxo complexes produced epoxides from cyclohexene via small barrier heights. In addition to olefin epoxidation, we investigated aliphatic hydroxylation mechanisms by the same oxidants and some oxidants show efficient and viable cyclohexene hydroxylation mechanisms. The work implies that vanadium-oxo and vanadium-peroxo complexes can react with double bonds through epoxidation, and under certain conditions also undergo hydroxylation, but the overall reactivity is highly dependent on the equatorial ligand, the local environment and the presence or absence of anionic axial ligands.