Computational Design of Metal-Free Molecules for Activation of Small Molecules, Hydrogenation, and Hydroamination

Asymmetric catalysis by chiral FLPs: A computational mini-review

Steric hindrance in Lewis acid (LA) and Lewis base (LB) obstruct the Lewis acid-base adduct formation, and the pair was termed as frustrated Lewis pair (FLP). In the past 16 years, the field of enantioselective catalysis by chiral FLPs has been slowly growing. It was shown that chiral LAs are significant as they are involved in the hydrogen transfer (HT) step to the imine, resulting in enantioselectivity. After H2 activation, the borohydride can exist in a number of plausible conformations and their stability is governed by the presence of noncovalent interaction through C-H····π and π····π interactions. However, LBs are not ideal for asymmetric induction as they compete with the imine substrate as a counter LB. Further, the proton transfer from chiral LB to the imine does not induce any chirality as chirality develops in the HT step. However, intramolecular FLPs with chiral scaffold are very efficient as they possess an optimum distance between LA and LB, which facilitates the H2 activation but precludes the adduct formation of the small molecules substrate with the LA component. This mini-review summarizes computational investigation involving chiral LA and LB, and discusses intramolecular FLPs in the enantioselective catalysis.

A Frustrated Phosphane-Borane Lewis Pair and Hydrogen: A Kinetics Study

The energy profile of a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) dihydrogen splitting system was determined by a combined experimental kinetic and DFT study. A trimethylene-bridged phosphane-borane FLP was converted into its endothermic H2 -cleavage product by sequential H(+) /H(-) addition. The system could be handled at low temperature, and the kinetics of the H2 elimination were determined to give a rate constant of kHH,exp (299 K)=(2.87±0.1)×10(-4)  s(-1) in solution. The primary kinetic isotope effects were determined; for example, (kHH /kDD )exp =3.19. The system was accurately analyzed by DFT calculations.

Gold catalyzed hydrogenations of small imines and nitriles: enhanced reactivity of Au surface toward H2via collaboration with a Lewis base

Au (111) surface can serve as a Lewis acid to couple with a Lewis base (e.g. imine or nitrile) to form the Au-coupled FLP (frustrated Lewis pair, left) which can cleave H₂, further achieving hydrogenation of small imines and nitriles.