Mechanistic diversity covering 15 orders of magnitude in rates: cyanide exchange on [M(CN)(4)](2-) (M = Ni, Pd, and Pt)

Unlocking metal-ligand cooperative catalytic photochemical benzene carbonylation: a mechanistic approach

A key challenge in green synthesis is the catalytic transformation of renewable substrates at high atom and energy efficiency, with minimal energy input (ΔG ≈ 0). Non-thermal pathways, i.e., electrochemical and photochemical, can be used to leverage renewable energy resources to drive chemical processes at well-defined energy input and efficiency. Within this context, photochemical benzene carbonylation to produce benzaldehyde is a particularly interesting, albeit challenging, process that combines unfavorable thermodynamics (ΔG° = 1.7 kcal mol-1) and the breaking of strong C-H bonds (113.5 kcal mol-1) with full atom efficiency and the use of renewable starting materials. Herein, we present a mechanistic study of photochemical benzene carbonylation catalyzed by a rhodium-based pincer complex that is capable of metal-ligand cooperation. The catalytic cycle, comprising both thermal and non-thermal steps, was probed by NMR spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and spectrophotochemistry, and density functional theory calculations. This investigation provided us with a detailed understanding of the reaction mechanism, allowing us to unlock the catalytic reactivity of the Rh-pincer complex, which represents the first example of a metal-ligand cooperative system for benzene carbonylation, exhibiting excellent selectivity.

Understanding Precatalyst Activation and Speciation in Manganese-Catalyzed C–H Bond Functionalization Reactions

An investigation into species formed following precatalyst activation in Mn-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions is reported. Time-resolved infrared spectroscopy demonstrates that light-induced CO dissociation from precatalysts [Mn(C^N)(CO)₄] (C^N = cyclometalated 2-phenylpyridine (1a), cyclometalated 1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)methanimine (1b)) in a toluene solution of 2-phenylpyridine (2a) or 1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)methanimine (2b) results in the initial formation of solvent complexes fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(toluene)]. Subsequent solvent substitution on a nanosecond time scale then yields fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(κ¹-(N)-2a)] and fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(κ¹-(N)-2b)], respectively. When the experiments are performed in the presence of phenylacetylene, the initial formation of fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(toluene)] is followed by a competitive substitution reaction to give fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(2)] and fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(η²-PhC₂H)]. The fate of the reaction mixture depends on the nature of the nitrogen-containing substrate used. In the case of 2-phenylpyridine, migratory insertion of the alkyne into the Mn-C bond occurs, and fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(κ¹-(N)-2a)] remains unchanged. In contrast, when 2b is used, substitution of the η²-bound phenylacetylene by 2b occurs on a microsecond time scale, and fac-[Mn(C^N)(CO)₃(κ¹-(N)-2b)] is the sole product from the reaction. Calculations with density functional theory indicate that this difference in behavior may be correlated with the different affinities of 2a and 2b for the manganese. This study therefore demonstrates that speciation immediately following precatalyst activation is a kinetically controlled event. The most dominant species in the reaction mixture (the solvent) initially binds to the metal. The subsequent substitution of the metal-bound solvent is also kinetically controlled (on a ns time scale) prior to the thermodynamic distribution of products being obtained.

Palladium release from catalytic converter materials induced by road de-icer components chloride and ferrocyanide

Environmental levels of platinum group elements (PGEs) are rising due to emissions of vehicle catalytic converter (VCC) materials containing palladium, platinum and rhodium. When these PGE-containing VCC materials are exposed to soil and water, coordination complex formation with ligands present in the environment may mobilize PGEs into solution, particularly Pd. Road de-icing salt contains two ligands with high affinities for Pd²⁺: chloride (Cl^-) from NaCl and cyanide (CN^-) from ferrocyanide (Fe(CN)₆^4-) anti-caking agents. Batch leaching studies of VCC materials were conducted with solutions representative of de-icer-contaminated road runoff at pH 8 and room temperature for 48 h. Ferrocyanide (FC) concentrations of 0 μM, 1 μM, 2 μM and 10 μM were tested with background electrolyte concentrations of 0.028 M NaCl (1000 mg/L Cl^-) or 0.028 M NaClO₄. Palladium release increased with FC concentration, ranging from 0.014 ± 0.002 μM Pd without FC to 5.013 ± 0.002 μM Pd at 10 μM FC. At 0 μM, 1 μM and 2 μM FC, chloride induced further Pd release, but had no effect at 10 μM FC. PHREEQC modeling predicted that the predominant species present in equilibrium with Pd(OH)₂(s) were Pd(OH)₂⁰ and Pd(CN)₄^2-, and that PdCl_x^2-x complexes had only a minor effect on the total concentration of dissolved palladium. The effect of FC on Pd release was predicted but not the effect of Cl^-, indicating possible kinetic control. Platinum was measured above limits of detection (LODs) only at 10 μM FC, and rhodium levels were below LODs, consistent with their slower complexation kinetics.

Study of the Replacement of Weak Ligands on Square-Planar Organometallic Nickel(II) Complexes. Organo-Nickel Aquacomplexes

When trans-[NiRf2L2] (Rf = 3,5-C6Cl2F3; L = group 15 soft monodentate weak ligand such as SbPh3 or AsPh3) is dissolved in wet (CD3)2CO, isomerization (to give cis-[NiRf2L2]) and subsequent substitutions of L by (CD3)2CO or by water occur, and several complexes containing acetone and aqua ligands are formed. The isomerization takes place in a few seconds at room temperature. The substitution reactions on the cis isomer formed are faster. The kinetics of the equilibria between all of the participating species have been studied by 19F exchange spectroscopy experiments at 217 K, and the exchange rates and rate constants have been calculated. These data reflect the weakness of acetone compared to water and AsPh3. The data obtained are the first available for square-planar nickel(II) aquacomplexes. The bulkier AsCyPh2 ligand slows down the exchange processes while the displacement of AsMePh2 is clearly disfavored. Activation entropy studies support an associative ligand substitution. All of these data fit well with the previously reported relative activity of these complexes as catalysts in norbornene polymerization.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Platinum−Thallium Bond Formation: The Binuclear [(CN)5Pt−Tl(CN)]- and the Trinuclear [(CN)5Pt−Tl−Pt(CN)5]3- Complex

Formation kinetics of the metal-metal bonded binuclear [(CN)(5)Pt-Tl(CN)](-) (1) and the trinuclear [(CN)(5)Pt-Tl-Pt(CN)(5)](3-) (2) complexes is studied, using the standard mix-and-measure spectrophotometric method. The overall reactions are Pt(CN)(4)(2-) + Tl(CN)(2)(+) <==> 1 and Pt(CN)(4)(2-) + [(CN)(5)Pt-Tl(CN)](-) <==> 2. The corresponding expressions for the pseudo-first-order rate constants are k(obs) = (k(1)[Tl(CN)(2)(+)] + k(-1))[Tl(CN)(2)(+)] (at Tl(CN)(2)(+) excess) and k(obs) = (k(2b)[Pt(CN)(4)(2-)] + k(-2b))[HCN] (at Pt(CN)(4)(2-) excess), and the computed parameters are k(1) = 1.04 +/- 0.02 M(-2) s(-1), k(-1) = k(1)/K(1) = 7 x 10(-5) M(-1) s(-1) and k(2b) = 0.45 +/- 0.04 M(-2) s(-1), K(2b) = 26 +/- 6 M(-1), k(-2b) = k(2b)/K(2b) = 0.017 M(-1) s(-1), respectively. Detailed kinetic models are proposed to rationalize the rate laws. Two important steps need to occur during the complex formation in both cases: (i) metal-metal bond formation and (ii) the coordination of the fifth cyanide to the platinum site in a nucleophilic addition. The main difference in the formation kinetics of the complexes is the nature of the cyanide donor in step ii. In the formation of [(CN)(5)Pt-Tl(CN)](-), Tl(CN)(2)(+) is the source of the cyanide ligand, while HCN is the cyanide donating agent in the formation of the trinuclear species. The combination of the results with previous data predict the following reactivity order for the nucleophilic agents: CN(-) > Tl(CN)(2)(+) > HCN.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Formation of the Platinum−Thallium Bond: The [(CN)5Pt−Tl(CN)3]3- Complex

Formation kinetics of the metal-metal bonded [(CN)(5)PtTl(CN)(3)](3)(-) complex from Pt(CN)(4)(2)(-) and Tl(CN)(4)(-) has been studied in the pH range of 5-10, using standard mix-and-measure spectrophotometric technique at pH 5-8 and stopped-flow method at pH > 8. The overall order of the reaction, Pt(CN)(4)(2)(-) + Tl(CN)(4)(-) right harpoon over left harpoon [(CN)(5)PtTl(CN)(3)](3)(-), is 2 in the slightly acidic region and 3 in the alkaline region, which means first order for the two reactants in both cases and also for CN(-) at high pH. The two-term rate law corresponds to two different pathways via the Tl(CN)(3) and Tl(CN)(4)(-) complexes in acidic and alkaline solution, respectively. The two complexes are in fast equilibrium, and their actual concentration ratio is controlled by the concentration of free cyanide ion. The following expression was derived for the pseudo-first-order rate constant of the overall reaction: k(obs) = (k(1)(a)[Tl(CN)(4)(-) + (k(1)(a)/K(f)))(1/(1 + K(p)[H(+)]))[CN(-)](free) + k(1)(b)[Tl(CN)(4)(-)] + (k(1)(b)/K(f)), where k(1)(a) and k(1)(b) are the forward rate constants for the alkaline and slightly acidic paths, K(f) is the stability constant of [(CN)(5)PtTl(CN)(3)](3)(-), and K(p) is the protonation constant of cyanide ion. k(1)(a) = 143 +/- 13 M(-)(2) s(-)(1), k(1)(b) = 0.056 +/- 0.004 M(-)(1) s(-)(1), K(f) = 250 +/- 54 M(-)(1), and log K(p) = 9.15 +/- 0.05 (I = 1 M NaClO(4), T = 298 K). Two possible mechanisms were postulated for the overall reaction in both pH regions, which include a metal-metal bond formation step and the coordination of the axial cyanide ion to the platinum center. The alternative mechanisms are different in the sequence of these steps.