Carbon-to-Metal Hydrogen Atom Transfer: Direct Observation Using Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy

Direct detection of photo-induced reactions by IR: from Brook rearrangement to photo-catalysis

In situ IR detection of photoreactions induced by the light of LEDs at appropriate wavelengths provides a simple, cost-effective, and versatile method to get insight into mechanistic details. In particular, conversions of functional groups can be selectively followed. Overlapping UV-Vis bands or fluorescence from the reactants and products and the incident light do not obstruct IR detection. Compared with in situ photo-NMR, our setup does not require tedious sample preparation (optical fibers) and offers a selective detection of reactions, even at positions where ¹H-NMR lines overlap or ¹H resonances are not clear-cut. We illustrate the applicability of our setup following the photo-Brook rearrangement of (adamant-1-yl-carbonyl)-tris(trimethylsilyl)silane, address photo-induced α-bond cleavage (1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone), study photoreduction using tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II), investigate photo-oxygenation of double bonds with molecular oxygen and the fluorescent 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium photocatalyst, and address photo-polymerization. With the LED/FT-IR combination, reactions can be qualitatively followed in fluid solution, (highly) viscous environments, and in the solid state. Viscosity changes during the reaction (e.g., during a polymerization) do not obstruct the method.

Unmasking the Iron-Oxo Bond of the [(Ligand)Fe-OIAr]2+/+ Complexes

ArIO (ArI = 2-(^tBuSO₂)C₆H₄I) is an oxidant used to oxidize Fe^II species to their Fe^IV-oxo state, enabling hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) and oxygen-atom transfer (OAT) reactions at low energy barriers. ArIO, as a ligand, generates masked Feⁿ═O species of the type Fe^(n-2)-OIAr. Herein, we used gas-phase ion-molecule reactions and DFT calculations to explore the properties of masked iron-oxo species and to understand their unmasking mechanisms. The theory shows that the I-O bond cleavage in [(TPA)Fe^IVO(ArIO)]²⁺ (1²⁺, TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine)) is highly endothermic; therefore, it can be achieved only in collision-induced dissociation of 1²⁺ leading to the unmasked iron(VI) dioxo complex. The reduction of 1²⁺ by HAT leads to [(TPA)Fe^IIIOH(ArIO)]²⁺ with a reduced energy demand for the I-O bond cleavage but is, however, still endothermic. The exothermic unmasking of the Fe═O bond is predicted after one-electron reduction of 1²⁺ or after OAT reactivity. The latter leads to the 4e^- oxidation of unsaturated hydrocarbons: The initial OAT from [(TPA)Fe^IVO(ArIO)]²⁺ leads to the epoxidation of an alkene and triggers the unmasking of the second Fe═O bond still within one collisional complex. The second oxidation step starts with HAT from a C-H bond and follows with the rebound of the C-radical and the OH group. The process starting with the one-electron reduction could be studied with [(TQA)Fe^IVO(ArIO)]²⁺ (2²⁺, TQA = tris(2-quinolylmethyl)amine)) because it has a sufficient electron affinity for electron transfer with alkenes. Accordingly, the reaction of 2²⁺ with 2-carene leads to [(TQA)Fe^IIIO(ArIO)]²⁺ that exothermically eliminates ArI and unmasks the reactive Fe^V-dioxo species.

Direct observation of reversible bond homolysis by 2D EXSY NMR

Bond homolysis is one of the most fundamental bond cleavage mechanisms. Thus, understanding of bond homolysis influences the development of a wide range of chemistry. Photolytic bond homolysis and its reverse process have been observed directly using time-resolved spectroscopy. However, direct observation of reversible bond homolysis remains elusive. Here, we report the direct observation of reversible Co–Co bond homolysis using two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance exchange spectroscopy (2D EXSY NMR). The characterization of species involved in this homolysis is firmly supported by diffusion ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY NMR). The unambiguous characterization of the Co–Co bond homolysis process enabled us to study ligand steric and electronic factors that influence the strength of the Co–Co bond. Understanding of these factors will contribute to rational design of multimetallic complexes with desired physical properties or catalytic activity.

We report the first direct observation of reversible bond homolysis using EXSY NMR. This study revealed that electron donating groups weaken the Co–Co bond.

Using nature's blueprint to expand catalysis with Earth-abundant metals

Numerous redox transformations that are essential to life are catalyzed by metalloenzymes that feature Earth-abundant metals. In contrast, platinum-group metals have been the cornerstone of many industrial catalytic reactions for decades, providing high activity, thermal stability, and tolerance to chemical poisons. We assert that nature's blueprint provides the fundamental principles for vastly expanding the use of abundant metals in catalysis. We highlight the key physical properties of abundant metals that distinguish them from precious metals, and we look to nature to understand how the inherent attributes of abundant metals can be embraced to produce highly efficient catalysts for reactions crucial to the sustainable production and transformation of fuels and chemicals.

Brønsted-Lowry Acid Strength of Metal Hydride and Dihydrogen Complexes

Transition metal hydride complexes are usually amphoteric, not only acting as hydride donors, but also as Brønsted-Lowry acids. A simple additive ligand acidity constant equation (LAC for short) allows the estimation of the acid dissociation constant Ka(LAC) of diamagnetic transition metal hydride and dihydrogen complexes. It is remarkably successful in systematizing diverse reports of over 450 reactions of acids with metal complexes and bases with metal hydrides and dihydrogen complexes, including catalytic cycles where these reactions are proposed or observed. There are links between pKa(LAC) and pKa(THF), pKa(DCM), pKa(MeCN) for neutral and cationic acids. For the groups from chromium to nickel, tables are provided that order the acidity of metal hydride and dihydrogen complexes from most acidic (pKa(LAC) -18) to least acidic (pKa(LAC) 50). Figures are constructed showing metal acids above the solvent pKa scales and organic acids below to summarize a large amount of information. Acid-base features are analyzed for catalysts from chromium to gold for ionic hydrogenations, bifunctional catalysts for hydrogen oxidation and evolution electrocatalysis, H/D exchange, olefin hydrogenation and isomerization, hydrogenation of ketones, aldehydes, imines, and carbon dioxide, hydrogenases and their model complexes, and palladium catalysts with hydride intermediates.

Hydrogen bonding tunes the early stage of hydrogen-atom abstracting reaction

The spontaneous and collision-assisted hydrogen-atom abstracting reaction (HA) dynamics of triplet benzil are investigated through the combination of transient absorption spectroscopy with TD-DFT calculations. HA dynamics exhibit a remarkable dependence on the hydrogen donor properties. The effects of the triplet-state hydrogen bonding on the reaction dynamics are illustrated. In particular, it is experimentally observed that strengthened triplet-state hydrogen bonding could accelerate the HA, whereas weakened triplet-state hydrogen bonding would postpone the HA. The triplet-state hydrogen bonding has great influences on the early stage of the HA reaction, while the bond dissociation energy of the hydrogen donors determines the subsequent reaction pathways. Protic solvents could sustain longer lifetimes of the excited-state intermediate formed after HA than non-protic solvents by 10 μs. This investigation provides insights into the HA dynamics and guidance to improve the product efficiency of photochemical reactions.

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of 17- and 18-electron piano-stool complexes of chromium. Thermochemical analyses of weak Cr-H bonds

The 17-electron radical CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)(•) (IMe = 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) was synthesized by the reaction of IMe with [CpCr(CO)(3)](2), and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), IR, and variable temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The metal-centered radical is monomeric under all conditions and exhibits Curie paramagnetic behavior in solution. An electrochemically reversible reduction to 18-electron CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)(-) takes place at E(1/2) = -1.89(1) V vs Cp(2)Fe(+•/0) in MeCN, and was accomplished chemically with KC(8) in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The salts K(+)(18-crown-6)[CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)](-)·½THF and K(+)[CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)](-)·(3)/(4)THF were crystallographically characterized. Monomeric ion pairs are found in the former, whereas the latter has a polymeric structure because of a network of K···O((CO)) interactions. Protonation of K(+)(18-crown-6)[CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)](-)·½THF gives the hydride CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)H, which could not be isolated, but was characterized in solution; a pK(a) of 27.2(4) was determined in MeCN. A thermochemical analysis provides the Cr-H bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) for CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)H in MeCN solution as 47.3(6) kcal mol(-1). This value is exceptionally low for a transition metal hydride, and implies that the reaction 2 [Cr-H] → 2 [Cr(•)] + H(2) is exergonic (ΔG = -9.0(8) kcal mol(-1)). This analysis explains the experimental observation that generated solutions of the hydride produce CpCr(CO)(2)(IMe)(•) (typically on the time scale of days). By contrast, CpCr(CO)(2)(PCy(3))H has a higher Cr-H BDFE (52.9(4) kcal mol(-1)), is more stable with respect to H(2) loss, and is isolable.

Trends in ground-state entropies for transition metal based hydrogen atom transfer reactions

Reported herein are thermochemical studies of hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions involving transition metal H-atom donors M(II)LH and oxyl radicals. [Fe(II)(H(2)bip)(3)](2+), [Fe(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+), [Co(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+), and Ru(II)(acac)(2)(py-imH) [H(2)bip = 2,2'-bi-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine, H(2)bim = 2,2'-bi-imidazoline, acac = 2,4-pentandionato, py-imH = 2-(2'-pyridyl)imidazole)] each react with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinoxyl) or (t)Bu(3)PhO(*) (2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenoxyl) to give the deprotonated, oxidized metal complex M(III)L and TEMPOH or (t)Bu(3)PhOH. Solution equilibrium measurements for the reaction of [Co(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+) with TEMPO show a large, negative ground-state entropy for hydrogen atom transfer, -41 +/- 2 cal mol(-1) K(-1). This is even more negative than the DeltaS(o)(HAT) = -30 +/- 2 cal mol(-1) K(-1) for the two iron complexes and the DeltaS(o)(HAT) for Ru(II)(acac)(2)(py-imH) + TEMPO, 4.9 +/- 1.1 cal mol(-1) K(-1), as reported earlier. Calorimetric measurements quantitatively confirm the enthalpy of reaction for [Fe(II)(H(2)bip)(3)](2+) + TEMPO, thus also confirming DeltaS(o)(HAT). Calorimetry on TEMPOH + (t)Bu(3)PhO(*) gives DeltaH(o)(HAT) = -11.2 +/- 0.5 kcal mol(-1) which matches the enthalpy predicted from the difference in literature solution BDEs. A brief evaluation of the literature thermochemistry of TEMPOH and (t)Bu(3)PhOH supports the common assumption that DeltaS(o)(HAT) approximately 0 for HAT reactions of organic and small gas-phase molecules. However, this assumption does not hold for transition metal based HAT reactions. The trend in magnitude of |DeltaS(o)(HAT)| for reactions with TEMPO, Ru(II)(acac)(2)(py-imH) << [Fe(II)(H(2)bip)(3)](2+) = [Fe(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+) < [Co(II)(H(2)bim)(3)](2+), is surprisingly well predicted by the trends for electron transfer half-reaction entropies, DeltaS(o)(ET), in aprotic solvents. This is because both DeltaS(o)(ET) and DeltaS(o)(HAT) have substantial contributions from vibrational entropy, which varies significantly with the metal center involved. The close connection between DeltaS(o)(HAT) and DeltaS(o)(ET) provides an important link between these two fields and provides a starting point from which to predict which HAT systems will have important ground-state entropy effects.

Hydrogen atom transfer reactions of a ruthenium imidazole complex: hydrogen tunneling and the applicability of the Marcus cross relation

The reaction of Ru(II)(acac)2(py-imH) (Ru(II)imH) with TEMPO(*) (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) in MeCN quantitatively gives Ru(III)(acac)2(py-im) (Ru(III)im) and the hydroxylamine TEMPO-H by transfer of H(*) (H(+) + e(-)) (acac = 2,4-pentanedionato, py-imH = 2-(2'-pyridyl)imidazole). Kinetic measurements of this reaction by UV-vis stopped-flow techniques indicate a bimolecular rate constant k(3H) = 1400 +/- 100 M(-1) s(-1) at 298 K. The reaction proceeds via a concerted hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanism, as shown by ruling out the stepwise pathways of initial proton or electron transfer due to their very unfavorable thermochemistry (Delta G(o)). Deuterium transfer from Ru(II)(acac)2(py-imD) (Ru(II)imD) to TEMPO(*) is surprisingly much slower at k(3D) = 60 +/- 7 M(-1) s(-1), with k(3H)/k(3D) = 23 +/- 3 at 298 K. Temperature-dependent measurements of this deuterium kinetic isotope effect (KIE) show a large difference between the apparent activation energies, E(a3D) - E(a3H) = 1.9 +/- 0.8 kcal mol(-1). The large k(3H)/k(3D) and DeltaE(a) values appear to be greater than the semiclassical limits and thus suggest a tunneling mechanism. The self-exchange HAT reaction between Ru(II)imH and Ru(III)im, measured by (1)H NMR line broadening, occurs with k(4H) = (3.2 +/- 0.3) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) at 298 K and k(4H)/k(4D) = 1.5 +/- 0.2. Despite the small KIE, tunneling is suggested by the ratio of Arrhenius pre-exponential factors, log(A(4H)/A(4D)) = -0.5 +/- 0.3. These data provide a test of the applicability of the Marcus cross relation for H and D transfers, over a range of temperatures, for a reaction that involves substantial tunneling. The cross relation calculates rate constants for Ru(II)imH(D) + TEMPO(*) that are greater than those observed: k(3H,calc)/k(3H) = 31 +/- 4 and k(3D,calc)/k(3D) = 140 +/- 20 at 298 K. In these rate constants and in the activation parameters, there is a better agreement with the Marcus cross relation for H than for D transfer, despite the greater prevalence of tunneling for H. The cross relation does not explicitly include tunneling, so close agreement should not be expected. In light of these results, the strengths and weaknesses of applying the cross relation to HAT reactions are discussed.

Large ground-state entropy changes for hydrogen atom transfer reactions of iron complexes

Reported herein are the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions of two closely related dicationic iron tris(alpha-diimine) complexes. FeII(H2bip) (iron(II) tris[2,2'-bi-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine]diperchlorate) and FeII(H2bim) (iron(II) tris[2,2'-bi-2-imidazoline]diperchlorate) both transfer H* to TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinoxyl) to yield the hydroxylamine, TEMPO-H, and the respective deprotonated iron(III) species, FeIII(Hbip) or FeIII(Hbim). The ground-state thermodynamic parameters in MeCN were determined for both systems using both static and kinetic measurements. For FeII(H2bip) + TEMPO, DeltaG degrees = -0.3 +/- 0.2 kcal mol-1, DeltaH degrees = -9.4 +/- 0.6 kcal mol-1, and DeltaS degrees = -30 +/- 2 cal mol-1 K-1. For FeII(H2bim) + TEMPO, DeltaG degrees = 5.0 +/- 0.2 kcal mol-1, DeltaH degrees = -4.1 +/- 0.9 kcal mol-1, and DeltaS degrees = -30 +/- 3 cal mol-1 K-1. The large entropy changes for these reactions, |TDeltaS degrees | = 9 kcal mol-1 at 298 K, are exceptions to the traditional assumption that DeltaS degrees approximately 0 for simple HAT reactions. Various studies indicate that hydrogen bonding, solvent effects, ion pairing, and iron spin equilibria do not make major contributions to the observed DeltaS degrees HAT. Instead, this effect arises primarily from changes in vibrational entropy upon oxidation of the iron center. Measurement of the electron-transfer half-reaction entropy, |DeltaS degrees Fe(H2bim)/ET| = 29 +/- 3 cal mol-1 K-1, is consistent with a vibrational origin. This conclusion is supported by UHF/6-31G* calculations on the simplified reaction [FeII(H2N=CHCH=NH2)2(H2bim)]2+...ONH2 left arrow over right arrow [FeII(H2N=CHCH=NH2)2(Hbim)]2+...HONH2. The discovery that DeltaS degrees HAT can deviate significantly from zero has important implications on the study of HAT and proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) reactions. For instance, these results indicate that free energies, rather than enthalpies, should be used to estimate the driving force for HAT when transition-metal centers are involved.