DFT Study on C-F Bond Activation by Group 14 Dialkylamino Metalylenes: A Competition between Oxidative Additions versus Substitution Reactions

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Studies on the Conversion of Solvent-Shared to Contact Ion Pairs in Sparingly Soluble MF2 (M = Mg2+ and Ca2+) Aqueous Solutions: Implications for Understanding Supersaturated Behavior and Association Constant Determination

The thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors of Mg²⁺-F^- ion pairing in aqueous solution are investigated theoretically and experimentally and are contrasted to those of Ca²⁺-F^-. Thermodynamically, similar to CaF_x(H₂O)₁₄^2-x (x = 1 and 2), MgF(H₂O)_y⁺ (y = 14-20) contact ion pairs (CIPs) are more stable than their solvent-shared ion pairs (SSIPs), whereas the CIPs and SSIPs of MF₂(H₂O)_y are almost isoenergetic. However, in kinetics, the conversion of SSIPs to CIPs for M²⁺-F^- (M = Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) ion pairing must overcome a high energy barrier due to the strong hydration of Mg²⁺ and F^-. The kinetics dominate after the thermodynamics and kinetics are balanced, which hinders the formation of M²⁺-F^- CIPs in practical MF₂ aqueous solutions (less than or equal to saturated concentrations). This result is also supported by the ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of saturated MF₂ solutions. Although the interaction between Mg²⁺ and F^- is slightly stronger than that between Ca²⁺ and F^- due to the smaller radius of Mg²⁺, the formation of Mg²⁺-F^- CIPs needs to go through two rate-limiting steps, the dehydration and entrance of F^- (i.e., via exchange mode) with a higher energy barrier, due to the ability of strongly bound water molecules and rigorous octahedral coordinated configuration of Mg²⁺, while the formation of Ca²⁺-F^- CIPs only goes through a single rate-limiting step, the entrance of F^- (i.e., via swinging mode) with a lower energy barrier, due to the flexible coordination configuration of Ca²⁺. This is responsible for precipitation in MgF₂ aqueous solution requiring a larger supersaturation degree and a lower precipitation rate than in CaF₂. These kinetic factors lead to the association constants previously reported for MF⁺ determined by a fluoride ion-selective electrode (ISE) combined with the titration method, where the MF₂ solutions were always unsaturated at the titration end point, which actually corresponds to those of the ligand process going from completely free M²⁺ and F^- to their SSIPs. A possible strategy to accurately determine the association constants of MF⁺ and MF₂(aq) CIPs by fluoride ISEs is proposed. The present results suggest that judging the formation of M²⁺-F^- CIPs in practical solutions from a theoretical calculation perspective requires significant consideration of the kinetic factors, except for the thermodynamic factors.

Isomerization of Functionalized Olefins Using the Dinuclear Catalyst [PdI(μ-Br)(PtBu3)]2: A Mechanistic Study

In a combined experimental and computational study, the isomerization activity of the dinuclear palladium(I) complex [Pd^I(μ‐Br)(P^tBu₃)]₂ towards allyl arenes, esters, amides, ethers, and alcohols has been investigated. The calculated energy profiles for catalyst activation for two alternative dinuclear and mononuclear catalytic cycles, and for catalyst deactivation are in good agreement with the experimental results. Comparison of experimentally observed E/Z ratios at incomplete conversion with calculated kinetic selectivities revealed that a substantial amount of product must form via the dinuclear pathway, in which the isomerization is promoted cooperatively by two palladium centers. The dissociation barrier towards mononuclear Pd species is relatively high, and once the catalyst enters the energetically more favorable mononuclear pathway, only a low barrier has to be overcome towards irreversible deactivation.

The diverse reactivity of NOBF4 towards silylene, disilene, germylene and stannylene

The reactivity of NOBF₄ towards silylene, disilene, germylene, stannylenes has been described. Smooth syntheses of compounds of composition [PhC(NtBu)₂E(= O → BF₃)N(SiMe₃)₂, E = Si (3) and Ge (4)] were accomplished from the corresponding tetrylenes. An unusual heterocycle (10) featuring B, Sn, N, P, and O atoms was obtained from the reaction with a stannylene, while a 1,2-vicinal anti addition of fluoride was observed with a disilene (12).

Interconversion between a silaimine and an aminosilylene supported by an iminophosphonamide ligand

The reaction of a chlorosilylene, supported by an iminophosphonamide ligand, with KN(SiMe₃)₂ resulted in the formation of a silaimine instead of the expected aminosilylene. However, this silaimine exists in equilibrium with the corresponding aminosilylene, which was experimentally demonstrated using variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy and a trapping reaction with elemental selenium to give a silaselenourea.

Activation of C–F, Si–F, and S–F Bonds by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes and Their Isoelectronic Analogues

Reactions involving C–F, Si–F, and S–F bond cleavage with N-heterocyclic carbenes and isoelectronic species are reviewed. Most examples involve activation of aromatic C–F bond via an SNAr pathway and nucleophilic substitution of fluorine in electron-deficient olefins. The mechanism of the C–F bond activation depends on the reaction partners and the reaction can proceed via addition–elimination, oxidative addition (concerted or stepwise) or metathesis. The adducts formed upon substitution find applications in organic synthesis, as ligands and as stable radical precursors, but in most cases, their full potential remains unexplored.

1 Introduction

1.1 The C–F Bond

1.2 C–F Bond Activation: A Short Summary

1.3 C–F Bond Activation: A Special Case of SNAr

1.4 N-Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs)

1.5 The Purpose of this Article

2 C–F bond Activation in Acyl Fluorides

3 Activation of Vinylic C–F Bonds

4 Activation of Aromatic C–F Bonds

5 X–F Bond Activation (X = S or Si)

6 C–F Bond Activation by Main Group Compounds Isoelectronic with NHCs

7 Conclusions and Outlook

A 1,5-Oligosilanylene Dianion as Building Block for Oligosiloxane Containing Cages, Ferrocenophanes, and Cyclic Germylenes and Stannylenes

Starting out from dipotassium 1,5-oligosiloxanylene diide 2, a 3,7,10-trioxa-octasilabicyclo[3.3.3]undecane was prepared, which represents the third known example of this cage structure type. Reaction of 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane with 1,1'-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)potassiosilyl]ferrocene gave a ferrocenophane with a disiloxane containg bridge. The compound can be further derivatized by conversion into a 1,5-oligosilanyl diide. Reacting 1,5-oligosiloxanylene diide 2 with SnCl2 or GeCl2·dioxane in the presence of PMe3 gave cyclic disilylated tetrylene PMe3 adducts. Release of the base-free stannylene led to a dimerization process which gave a bicyclic distannene as the final product. Abstraction of the PMe3 from the cyclic disilylated germylene PMe3 adduct with B(C6F5)3 caused oxidative addition of the germylene into a para-C-F bond of Me3P·B(C6F5)3.

Saturated N-Heterocyclic Carbene Based Thiele's Hydrocarbon with a Tetrafluorophenylene Linker

The synthesis of a SIPr [1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imidazolin-2-ylidene] derived Kekulé diradicaloid with a tetrafluorophenylene spacer (3) has been described. Two synthetic routes have been reported to access 3. The cleavage of C-F bond of C₆ F₆ by SIPr in the presence of BF₃ led to double C-F activated compound with two tetrafluoro borate counter anions (2), which upon reduction by lithium metal afforded 3. Alternatively, 3 can be directly accessed in one step by reacting SIPr with C₆ F₆ in presence of Mg metal. Compounds 2 and 3 were well characterized spectroscopically and by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Experimental and computational studies support the cumulenic closed-shell singlet state of 3 with a singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔE_S-T ) of 23.7 kcal mol^-1 .

B(C6F5)3-catalyzed dehydrogenative cyclization of N-tosylhydrazones and anilines via a Lewis adduct: a combined experimental and computational investigation

Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane-catalyzed dehydrogenative-cyclization of N-tosylhydrazones with aromatic amines has been disclosed. This metal-free catalytic protocol is compatible with a range of functional groups to provide both symmetrical and unsymmetrical 3,4,5-triaryl-1,2,4-triazoles. Mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) studies suggest an initial Lewis adduct formation of N-tosylhydrazone with B(C6F5)3 followed by sequential intermolecular amination of the borane adduct with aniline, intramolecular cyclization and frustrated Lewis pair (FLP)-catalyzed dehydrogenation for the generation of substituted 1,2,4-triazoles.

Mechanistic Features in Al(I)-Mediated Oxidative Addition of Aryl C-F Bonds: Insights From Density Functional Theory Calculations

The oxidative addition of a range of robust aryl C–F bonds to a single Al(I) center supported by a (NacNac)⁻ bidentate ligand ((NacNac)⁻ = [ArNC(Me)CHC(Me)NAr]⁻ and Ar = 2,6–Pr2iC₆H₃) have been explored by density functional theory calculations. Our calculations demonstrate that the Al(I) center-mediated C–F insertion generally proceeds via the concerted mechanism that involve both the donation (nAl→σC-F*) and back-donation (σF(p)→πAl(p)*) interactions. In addition, the predicted free energy barriers for the C–F bond activation show good agreement with the experimental information available. Finally, the comparative studies show that B(I) is the most active among group III metals (B, Al, Ga), thus supplying a testable prediction for experiments.

Computational Exploration of Mechanistic Avenues in C-H Activation Assisted Pd-Catalyzed Carbonylative Coupling

The detailed mechanism of the intermolecular Pd-catalyzed carbonylative coupling reaction between aryl bromides and polyfluoroarenes relying on C(sp²)-H activation was investigated using state-of-the-art computational methods (SMD-B3LYP-D3(BJ)/BS2//B3LYP-D3/BS1). The mechanism unveils the necessary and important roles of a slight excess of carbon monoxide: acting as a ligand in the active catalyst state, participating as a reactant in the carbonylation process, and accelerating the final reductive elimination event. Importantly, the desired carbonylative coupling route follows the rate-limiting C-H activation process via the concerted metalation-deprotonation pathway, which is slightly more feasible than the decarboxylative route leading to byproduct formation by 1.2 kcal/mol. The analyses of the free energies indicate that the choice of base has a significant effect on the reaction mechanism and its energetics. The Cs₂CO₃ base guides the reaction toward the coupling route, whereas carbonate bases such as K₂CO₃ and Na₂CO₃ switch toward an undesired decarboxylative path. However, K₃PO₄ significantly reduces the C-H activation barrier over the decarboxylation reaction barrier and can act as a potential alternative base. The positional influence of a methoxy substituent in bromoanisole and different substituent effects in polyfluoroarenes were also considered. Our results show that different substituents impose significant impact on the desired carbonylative product formation energetics. Considering the influence of several ligands leads to the conclusion that other phosphine and N-heterocyclic carbene, such as P ⁿBuAd₂ and IMes, can be used as an efficient alternative than the experimentally reported P ^tBu₃ ligand exhibiting a clear preference for C-H activation (ΔΔ^⧧ G_L^S) by 7.1 and 10.9 kcal/mol, respectively. We have also utilized the energetic span model to interpret the experimental results. Moreover, to elucidate the origin of activation barriers, energy decomposition analysis calculations were accomplished for the critical transition states populating the energy profiles.

Cyclometallation of a germylene ligand by concerted metalation-deprotonation of a methyl group

The reaction of [CH{(CMe)(2,6-iPr2C6H3N)}2]GeCl with LiN(SiMe3)2 was previously reported, which led to the formation of a hetero-fulvene type germylene, [CH{(CMe)(C[double bond, length as m-dash]CH2)(2,6-iPr2C6H3N)}2]Ge through the deprotonation of the C-H bond from the methyl substituents. In this paper, we attempted the analogous reaction with (Dipp)NCMeCHCOMeGeCl using LiN(SiMe3)2 which gave rise to a metathesis product, (Dipp)NCMeCHCOMeGeN(SiMe3)2 (2). However, the reactions of 2 with [M2Cl2(μ-Cl)2(η5-Cp*)2] (M = Rh and Ir) resulted in cyclometallated Rh and Ir complexes through the activation of the C-H bond from the germylene ligand. The complexes were characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis, which authenticated the presence of Ge-Rh and Ge-Ir bonds. DFT studies have been performed to understand the mechanism.

A combined experimental and computational study on the reaction of fluoroarenes with Mg-Mg, Mg-Zn, Mg-Al and Al-Zn bonds

Through a combined experimental and computational (DFT) approach, the reaction mechanism of the addition of fluoroarenes to Mg–Mg bonds has been determined as a concerted S_NAr-like pathway in which one Mg centre acts as a nucleophile and the other an electrophile.

Through a combined experimental and computational (DFT) approach, the reaction mechanism of the addition of fluoroarenes to Mg–Mg bonds has been determined as a concerted S_NAr-like pathway in which one Mg centre acts as a nucleophile and the other an electrophile. The experimentally determined Gibbs activation energy for the addition of C₆F₆ to a Mg–Mg bond of a molecular complex, ΔG‡298 K(experiment) = 21.3 kcal mol^–1 is modelled by DFT with the ωB97X functional, ΔG‡298 K(DFT) = 25.7 kcal mol^–1. The transition state for C–F activation involves a polarisation of the Mg–Mg bond and significant negative charge localisation on the fluoroarene moiety. This transition state is augmented by stabilising closed-shell Mg···F_ortho interactions that, in combination with the known trends in C–F and C–M bond strengths in fluoroarenes, provide an explanation for the experimentally determined preference for C–F bond activation to occur at sites flanked by ortho-fluorine atoms. The effect of modification of both the ligand coordination sphere and the nature and polarity of the M–M bond (M = Mg, Zn, Al) on C–F activation has been investigated. A series of highly novel β-diketiminate stabilised complexes containing Zn–Mg, Zn–Zn–Zn, Zn–Al and Mg–Al bonds has been prepared, including the first crystallographic characterisation of a Mg–Al bond. Reactions of these new M–M containing complexes with perfluoroarenes were conducted and modelled by DFT. C–F bond activation is dictated by the steric accessibility, and not the polarity, of the M–M bond. The more open coordination complexes lead to enhanced Mg···F_ortho interactions which in turn lower the energy of the transition states for C–F bond activation.

Silicon-fluorine chemistry: from the preparation of SiF2to C–F bond activation using silylenes and its heavier congeners

The feisty nature of silicon(ii) fluorides has been harnessed by two cyclic alkyl amino carbene (cAAC) ligands and (cAAC)₂SiF₂has been isolated at room temperature and structurally characterized.