Methylrhenium Trioxide Revisited: Mechanisms for Nonredox Oxygen Insertion in an M−CH3 Bond

Oxygen transfer in electrophilic epoxidation probed by 17O NMR: differentiating between oxidants and role of spectator metal oxo

Peroxide compounds are used both in laboratory and industrial processes for the electrophilic epoxidation of olefins. Using NMR-spectroscopy, we investigate why certain peroxides engage in this type of reaction while others require activation by metal catalysts, e.g. methyltrioxorhenium (MTO). More precisely, an analysis of ¹⁷O NMR chemical shift and quadrupolar coupling parameters provides insights into the relative energy of specific frontier molecular orbitals relevant for reactivity. For organic peroxides or H₂O₂ a large deshielding is indicative of an energetically high-lying lone-pair on oxygen in combination with a low-lying σ*(O-O) orbital. This feature is particularly pronounced in species that engage in electrophilic epoxidation, such as peracids or dimethyldioxirane (DMDO), and much less pronounced in unreactive peroxides such as H₂O₂ and ROOH, which can however be activated by transition-metal catalysts. In fact, for the proposed active peroxo species in MTO-catalyzed electrophilic epoxidation with H₂O₂ an analysis of the ¹⁷O NMR chemical shift highlights specific π- and δ-type orbital interactions between the so-called metal spectator oxo and the peroxo moieties that raise the energy of the high-lying lone-pair on oxygen, thus increasing the reactivity of the peroxo species.

Oxidative functionalization of C–H compounds induced by the extremely efficient osmium catalysts (a review)

In recent years, osmium complexes have found applications not only in thecis-hydroxylation of olefins but also very efficient in the oxygenation of C–H compounds (saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons and alcohols) by hydrogen peroxide as well as organic peroxides.

p-Tolylimido rhenium(v) complexes with phenolate-based ligands: synthesis, X-ray studies and catalytic activity in oxidation with tert-butylhydroperoxide

The reactions of mer-[Re(p-NTol)X₃(PPh₃)₂] with phenolate-based ligands gave 16 new rhenium(v) complexes. Only a few of them exhibited high catalytic activity.

Oxy-functionalization of Group 9 and 10 transition metal methyl ligands: use of pyridine-based hemi-labile ligands

Hemi-labile ligands (HLLs) are intriguing candidates for catalysts since they may facilitate bond activation and bond formation through facile ligand dissociation/association.

Computational Hammett analysis of redox based oxy-insertion by Pt(II) complexes

A computational Hammett analysis of oxy-insertion into platinum-aryl bonds is performed. Modeled transformations involve the two-step conversion of [((X)bpy)Pt(R)(OY)](+) (R = p- or m-X-C(6)H(4); Y = 4- or 3-X-pyridine; (X)bpy = 4,4'- or 5,5'-X-bpy; X = NO(2), H, OMe, NMe(2)) proceeding through a Pt-oxo intermediate to form aryloxide [((X)bpy)Pt(OR)(Y)](+), which contrasts a one-step non-redox (Baeyer-Villiger) oxy-insertion. A structural connection is proposed between redox and non-redox transition states, linked to, among other parameters, oxidant identity. The electronic impact of the catalytic components is compared to previous Hammett studies on OMBV transformations. The Hammett sensitivity for aryl migration is diminished for the migrating group (R) and leaving group (Y), components as compared to OMBV transitions, while the bipyridine supporting ligand (L(n)) has an increased impact. The Hammett impact of R, Y and L(n) upon the aryl migration transition state is small in a global sense, ca. 5 kcal mol(-1); therefore, we conclude that the metal and oxidant are the most important factors in controlling oxy-insertion kinetics for these late metal systems. These results also point to a possible mechanistic advantage for redox over non-redox functionalization of hydrocarbons to alcohols.