Iron(II) Complexes with Scorpiand-Like Macrocyclic Polyamines: Kinetico-Mechanistic Aspects of Complex Formation and Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Coordinated Amines

Multiple N-H and C-H Hydrogen Atom Abstractions Through Coordination-Induced Bond Weakening at Fe-Amine Complexes

We report the use of the reported Fe-phthalocyanine complex, PcFe (1; Pc = 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaethoxy-phthalocyanine), to generate PcFe-amine complexes 1-(NH₃)₂, 1-(MeNH₂)₂, and 1-(Me₂NH)₂. Treatment of 1 or 1-(NH₃)₂ to an excess of the stable aryloxide radical, 2,4,6-tritert-butylphenoxyl radical (^tBuArO^•), under NH₃ resulted in catalytic H atom abstraction (HAA) and C-N coupling to generate the product 4-amino-2,4,6-tritert-butylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one (2) and ^tBuArOH. Exposing 1-(NH₃)₂ to an excess of the trityl (CPh₃) variant, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-tritylphenoxyl radical (^TrArO^•), under NH₃ did not lead to catalytic ammonia oxidation as previously reported in a related Ru-porphyrin complex. However, pronounced coordination-induced bond weakening of both α N-H and β C-H in the alkylamine congeners, 1-(MeNH₂)₂ and 1-(Me₂NH)₂, led to multiple HAA events yielding the unsaturated cyanide complex, 1-(MeNH₂)(CN), and imine complex, 1-(MeN═CH₂)₂, respectively. Subsequent C-N bond formation was also observed in the latter upon addition of a coordinating ligand. Detailed computational studies support an alternating mechanism involving sequential N-H and C-H HAA to generate these unsaturated products.

Dehydrogenation of amines in aryl-amine functionalized pincer-like nitrogen-donor redox non-innocent ligands via ligand reduction on a Ni(ii) template

We have synthesized a series of new redox non-innocent azo aromatic pincer-like ligands: 2-(phenylazo)-6-(arylaminomethyl)pyridine (HLa-c: HLa = 2-(phenylazo)-6-(2,6-diisopropylphenylaminomethyl)pyridine, HLb = 2-(phenylazo)-6-(2,6-dimethylphenylaminomethyl)pyridine, and HLc = 2-(phenylazo)-6-(phenylaminomethyl)pyridine), in which one side arm is an arylaminomethyl moiety and the other arm is a 2-phenylazo moiety. Nickel(ii) complexes, 1-3, of these ligands HLa-c were synthesized in good yield (approximately 70%) by the reaction of ligands : (NiCl2·6H2O) in a 1 : 1 molar ratio in methanol. The amine donor in each of the ligands HLa-c binds to the Ni(ii) centre without deprotonation. In the solid state, complex 3 is a dimer; in solution it exists as monomer 3a. The reduction of acetonitrile solutions of each of the complexes 1, 2 and 3a, separately, with cobaltocene (1 equivalent), followed by exposure of the solution to air, resulted in the formation of new complexes 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Novel free ligands Lx and Ly have also been isolated, in addition to complexes 7 and 8, from the reaction of complexes 1 and 2, respectively. Complexes 7-9 and free ligands Lx and Ly have been formed via a dehydrogenation reaction of the arylaminomethyl side arm. The mechanism of the reaction was thoroughly investigated using a series of studies, including cyclic voltammetry, EPR, and UV-Vis spectral studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results of these studies suggest a mechanism initiated by ligand reduction followed by dioxygen activation. A Cl-/I- scrambling experiment revealed that the dissociation of the chloride ligand(s) was associated with the one-electron reduction of the ligand (azo moiety) in each of the complexes 1, 2 and 3a. The dissociated chloride ligand(s) were reassociated with the metal following the dehydrogenation reaction to yield the final products. All of the newly synthesized compounds were fully characterized using a variety of physicochemical techniques. Single-crystal X-ray structures of the representative compounds were determined to confirm the identities of the synthesized molecules.

Stabilization of polyiodide networks with Cu(ii) complexes of small methylated polyazacyclophanes: shifting directional control from H-bonds to I⋯I interactions

Modulation of hydrogen bonds and iodine–iodine interactions, both covalent and supramolecular, unlocks novel possibilities for the construction of transition metal-polyiodide hybrid networks.