Insertion of Dioxygen into a Platinum−Hydride Bond to Form a Novel Dialkylhydroperoxo Pt(IV) Complex

Insertion of Molecular Oxygen into a Gold(III)-Hydride Bond

The use of molecular oxygen as an oxidant in chemical synthesis has significant environmental and economic benefits, and it is widely used as such in large-scale industrial processes. However, its adoption in highly selective homogeneous catalytic transformations, particularly to produce oxygenated organics, has been hindered by our limited understanding of the mechanisms by which O2 reacts with transition metals. Of particular relevance are the mechanisms of the reactions of oxygen with late transition metal hydrides as these metal centers are better poised to release oxygenated products. Homogeneous catalysis with gold complexes has markedly increased, and herein we report the synthesis and full characterization of a rare AuIII-H, supported by a diphosphine pincer ligand (tBuPCP = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene). [(tBuPCP)AuIII-H]+ was found to cleanly react with molecular oxygen to yield a stable AuIII-OOH complex that was also fully characterized. Extensive kinetic studies on the reaction via variable temperature NMR spectroscopy have been completed, and the results are consistent with an autoaccelerating radical chain mechanism. The observed kinetic behavior exhibits similarities to that of previously reported PdII-H and PtIV-H reactions with O2 but is not fully consistent with any known O2 insertion mechanism. As such, this study contributes to the nascent fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of aerobic oxidation of late metal hydrides.

Oxygen transfer reactivity mediated by nickel perfluoroalkyl complexes using molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant

Nickel perfluoroethyl and perfluoropropyl complexes supported by naphthyridine-type ligands show drastically different aerobic reactivity from their trifluoromethyl analogs resulting in facile oxygen transfer to perfluoroalkyl groups or oxygenation of external organic substrates (phosphines, sulfides, alkenes and alcohols) using O₂ or air as a terminal oxidant. Such mild aerobic oxygenation occurs through the formation of spectroscopically detected transient high-valent Ni^III and structurally characterized mixed-valent Ni^II-Ni^IV intermediates and radical intermediates, resembling O₂ activation reported for some Pd dialkyl complexes. This reactivity is in contrast with the aerobic oxidation of naphthyridine-based Ni(CF₃)₂ complexes resulting in the formation of a stable Ni^III product, which is attributed to the effect of greater steric congestion imposed by longer perfluoroalkyl chains.

Hydrogen peroxide production from oxygen and formic acid by homogeneous Ir-Ni catalyst

Hydrogen peroxide was directly produced from oxygen and formic acid, catalysed by a hetero-dinuclear Ir-Ni complex with two adjacent sites, at ambient temperature. Synergistic catalysis derived from the hetero-dinuclear Ir and Ni centres was demonstrated by comparing its activity to those of the component mononuclear Ir and Ni complexes. A reaction intermediate of Ir-hydrido was detected by UV-vis, ESI-TOF-MS, and 1H NMR spectroscopies. It was revealed that the Ir moiety serves as an active species of Ir-hydrido, reacting with oxygen to afford an Ir-hydroperoxide species through O2 insertion, which is the rate-determining step for H2O2 production. Meanwhile, the Ni moiety promotes H2O2 formation by activating solvents as proton sources. We also found that H2O2 production is strongly affected by the solvent dielectric constants (DE); the highest H2O2 concentration was obtained in ethylene glycol with a moderate DE. The catalytic mechanism of H2O2 production by the Ir-Ni complex was discussed, based on kinetic analysis, isotope labelling experiments, and theoretical DFT calculations.

Hydroperoxo double hydrogen bonding: stabilization of hydroperoxo complexes exemplified by triphenylsilicon and triphenylgermanium hydroperoxides

Triphenylsilicon and germanium hydroperoxo complexes were characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis revealing hydroperoxo double hydrogen bonding.

Experimental and Computational Investigation of the Aerobic Oxidation of a Late Transition Metal-Hydride

The rational development of homogeneous catalytic systems for selective aerobic oxidations of organics has been hampered by the limited available knowledge of how oxygen reacts with important organometallic intermediates. Recently, several mechanisms for oxygen insertion into late transition metal-hydride bonds have been described. Contributing to this nascent understanding of how oxygen reacts with metal-hydrides, a detailed mechanistic study of the reaction of oxygen with the Ir^III hydride complex (^dmPhebox)Ir(OAc)(H) (1) in the presence of acetic acid, which proceeds to form the Ir^III complex (^dmPhebox)Ir(OAc)₂(OH₂) (2), is described. The evidence supports a multifaceted mechanism wherein a small amount of an initially formed metal hydroperoxide proceeds to generate a metal-oxyl species that then initiates a radical chain reaction to rapidly convert the remaining Ir^III-H. Insight into the initiation step was gained through kinetic and mechanistic studies of the radical chain inhibition by BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). Computational studies were employed to contribute to a further understanding of initiation and propagation in this system.

A Bridging Peroxide Complex of Platinum(IV)

The photolysis of the allylplatinum(IV) complex [PtBr(C₃H₅)(4-MeC₆H₄)₂(bipy)], 1, bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, in air yielded [{PtBr(4-MeC₆H₄)₂(bipy)}₂(μ-O₂)], 2, the first diplatinum(IV) complex containing a single bridging peroxide ligand. The PtO-OPt bond distance in 2 is 1.481(3) Å. Complex 2 is thought to be formed by homolysis of the allyl-platinum bond of 1, followed by reaction of the platinum(III) intermediate [PtBr(4-MeC₆H₄)₂(bipy)] with oxygen.

Homogeneous Functionalization of Methane

One of the remaining "grand challenges" in chemistry is the development of a next generation, less expensive, cleaner process that can allow the vast reserves of methane from natural gas to augment or replace oil as the source of fuels and chemicals. Homogeneous (gas/liquid) systems that convert methane to functionalized products with emphasis on reports after 1995 are reviewed. Gas/solid, bioinorganic, biological, and reaction systems that do not specifically involve methane functionalization are excluded. The various reports are grouped under the main element involved in the direct reactions with methane. Central to the review is classification of the various reports into 12 categories based on both practical considerations and the mechanisms of the elementary reactions with methane. Practical considerations are based on whether or not the system reported can directly or indirectly utilize O₂ as the only net coreactant based only on thermodynamic potentials. Mechanistic classifications are based on whether the elementary reactions with methane proceed by chain or nonchain reactions and with stoichiometric reagents or catalytic species. The nonchain reactions are further classified as CH activation (CHA) or CH oxidation (CHO). The bases for these various classifications are defined. In particular, CHA reactions are defined as elementary reactions with methane that result in a discrete methyl intermediate where the formal oxidation state (FOS) on the carbon remains unchanged at -IV relative to that in methane. In contrast, CHO reactions are defined as elementary reactions with methane where the carbon atom of the product is oxidized and has a FOS less negative than -IV. This review reveals that the bulk of the work in the field is relatively evenly distributed across most of the various areas classified. However, a few areas are only marginally examined, or not examined at all. This review also shows that, while significant scientific progress has been made, greater advances, particularly in developing systems that can utilize O₂, will be required to develop a practical process that can replace the current energy and capital intensive natural gas conversion process. We believe that this classification scheme will provide the reader with a rapid way to identify systems of interest while providing a deeper appreciation and understanding, both practical and fundamental, of the extensive literature on methane functionalization. The hope is that this could accelerate progress toward meeting this "grand challenge."

The first palladium(iv) aryldiazenido complex: relevance for C–C coupling

The first observed and characterized palladium(iv) aryldiazenido complex.

Characterization of Platinum and Iridium Oxyhydrate Surface Layers from Platinum and Iridium Foils

Platinum and iridium polycrystalline foils were oxidized electrochemically through anodization to create thin platinum and iridium hydrous oxide layers, which were analyzed through laboratory photoelectron spectroscopy during heating and time series (temperature-programmed spectroscopy). The films contain oxygen in the form of bound oxides, water, and hydroxides and were investigated by depth profiling with high-energy photoelectron spectroscopy. The Pt films are unstable and begin to degrade immediately after removal from the electrolyte to form core-shell structures with a metallic inner core and a hydrous oxide outer shell almost devoid of Pt. However, evidence was found for metastable intermediate states of degradation; therefore, it may be possible to manufacture PtOx phases with increased stability. Heating the film to even 100 °C causes accelerated degradation, which shows that stoichiometric oxides such as PtO2 or PtO are not the active species in the electrolyte. The Ir films exhibit increased stability and higher surface Ir content, and gentle heating at low temperatures leads to a decrease in defect density. Although both layers are based on noble metals, their surface structures are markedly different. The complexity of such hydrous oxide systems is discussed in detail with the goal of identifying the film composition more precisely.

Electronic structure and reactivity of nickel(i) pincer complexes: their aerobic transformation to peroxo species and site selective C-H oxygenation

The study is aimed at a deeper understanding of the electronic structure of the T-shaped nickel(i) complex [LigiPr(iso)Ni] (1b), bearing the iso-PyrrMeBox (bis(oxazolinylmethylidene)pyrrolidinido) pincer ligand, and its CO adduct [LigiPr(iso)Ni(CO)] (2b) as well as to provide insight into the mechanism of autoxidation of the different nickel peroxo species of this ligand type. CO was found to react reversibly with complex 1b resulting in the corresponding CO adduct 2b. The EPR data as well as the results of DFT modeling revealed significant differences in the electronic structure of 1b and 2b. Reaction of [LigPh(iso)Ni] and [LigiPr(iso)Ni] (1a and b) with dioxygen yielded the 1,2-μ-peroxo complexes [Lig(iso)NiO]23a and b which reacted with hydrogen peroxide to give the hydroperoxo complexes [Lig(iso)NiOOH] 5a and b. Thermal aerobic decomposition of the peroxo species 3a and 5a in the presence of O2 led to a C-H activation of the ligand at the benzylic position of the oxazoline ring forming diastereomeric cyclic peroxo complexes 6 and 6'. For the 1,2-μ-peroxo complex 3b the autoxidation of the pincer in the absence of O2 occurred at the tertiary C-H bond of the iPr-group and led to a selective formation of the terminal hydroxo complex [LigiPr(iso)NiOH] 7b and the cyclic alkoxy complex 8 in equimolar quantities, while the corresponding cyclic peroxo species 9 was formed along with 7b in the presence of oxygen. Whether or not O-O bond cleavage occurred in the generation of 9 was established upon performing labeling experiments which indicate that the transformation does not involve an initial O-O bond cleaving step. Based on these observations and a series of stoichiometric transformations a tentative proposal for the processes involved in the anaerobic and aerobic decomposition of 3b has been put forward. Finally, the nickel(ii) methyl complex [LigPh(iso)NiMe] 14 reacted with O2 to give the methylperoxo complex [LigPh(iso)NiOOMe] 15 which slowly converted to a mixture of near equal amounts of the formato and the hydroxo complexes, [LigPh(iso)NiOOCH] 16 and [LigPh(iso)NiOH] 7a, along with half an equivalent of methanol. The formato complex 16 itself decomposed at elevated temperatures to CO2, dihydrogen as well as the nickel(i) species 1a.

Mechanistic examination of aerobic Pt oxidation: insertion of molecular oxygen into Pt–H bonds through a radical chain mechanism

DFT calculations were performed in an effort to evaluate the mechanism of O₂ insertion into the Pt–H bond of Tp^Me2Pt^IVMe₂H catalyzed by AIBN or light.

An element through the looking glass: exploring the Au-C, Au-H and Au-O energy landscape

Gold, the archetypal "noble metal", used to be considered of little interest in catalysis. It is now clear that this was a misconception, and a multitude of gold-catalysed transformations has been reported. However, one consequence of the long-held view of gold as inert metal is that its organometallic chemistry contains many "unknowns", and catalytic cycles devised to explain gold's reactivity draw largely on analogies with other transition metals. How realistic are such mechanistic assumptions? In the last few years a number of key compound classes have been discovered that can provide some answers. This Perspective attempts to summarise these developments, with particular emphasis on recently discovered gold(iii) complexes with bonds to hydrogen, oxygen, alkenes and CO ligands.

Oxygen Reduction with a Bifunctional Iridium Dihydride Complex

The iridium dihydride [Ir(H)2 (HPNP)](+) (PNP=N(CH2 CH2 PtBu2 )2 ) reacts with O2 to give the unusual, square-planar iridium(III) hydroxide [Ir(OH)(PNP)](+) and water. Regeneration of the dihydride with H2 closes a quasi-catalytic synthetic oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) cycle that can be run several times. Experimental and computational examinations are in agreement with an oxygenation mechanism via rate-limiting O2 coordination followed by H-transfer at a single metal site, facilitated by the cooperating pincer ligand. Hence, the four electrons required for the ORR are stored within the two covalent MH bonds of a mononuclear metal complex.

Reactivity of Gold Hydrides: O2 Insertion into the Au-H Bond

Dioxygen reacts with the gold(I) hydride (IPr)AuH under insertion to give the hydroperoxide (IPr)AuOOH, a long-postulated reaction in gold catalysis and the first demonstration of O₂ activation by Au–H in a well-defined system. Subsequent condensation gave the peroxide (IPr)Au–OO–Au(IPr) (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene). The reaction kinetics are reported, as well as the reactivity of Au(I) hydrides with radical scavengers.

Reactions of late transition metal complexes with molecular oxygen

Limited natural resources, high energy consumption, economic considerations, and environmental concerns demand that we develop new technologies for the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels. New methods that combine the selective activation of C-H bonds of hydrocarbons with oxidation by a green oxidant such as molecular oxygen would represent huge advances toward this goal. The spectacular selectivity of transition metals in cleaving C-H bonds offers the potential for the direct use of hydrocarbons in the production of value-added organics such as alcohols. However, the use of oxygen, which is abundant, environmentally benign, and inexpensive (particularly from air), has proven challenging, and more expensive and less green oxidants are often employed in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. Advances in the use of oxygen as an oxidant in transition-metal-catalyzed transformations of hydrocarbons will require a better understanding of how oxygen reacts with transition metal alkyl and hydride complexes. For alkane oxidations, researchers will need to comprehend and predict how metals that have shown particularly high activity and selectivity in C-H bond activation (e.g. Pt, Pd, Rh, Ir) will react with oxygen. In this Account, we present our studies of reactions of late metal alkyls and hydrides with molecular oxygen, emphasizing the mechanistic insights that have emerged from this work. Our studies have unraveled some of the general mechanistic features of how molecular oxygen inserts into late metal hydride and alkyl bonds along with a nascent understanding of the scope and limitations of these reactions. We present examples of the formation of metal hydroperoxide species M-OOH by insertion of dioxygen into Pt(IV)-H and Pd(II)-H bonds and show evidence that these reactions proceed by radical chain and hydrogen abstraction pathways, respectively. Comparisons with recent reports of insertion of oxygen into other Pd(II)-H complexes, and also into Ir(III)-H and Rh(III)-H complexes, point to potentially general mechanisms for this type of reaction. Additionally, we observed oxygen-promoted C-H and H-H reductive elimination reactions from five-coordinate Ir(III) alkyl hydride and dihydride complexes, respectively. Further, when Pd(II)Me(2) and Pt(II)Me(2) complexes were exposed to oxygen, insertion processes generated M-OOMe complexes. Mechanistic studies for these reactions are consistent with radical chain homolytic substitution pathways involving five-coordinate M(III) intermediates. Due to the remarkable ability of Pt(II) and Pd(II) to activate the C-H bonds of hydrocarbons (RH) and form M-R species, this reactivity is especially exciting for the development of partial alkane-oxidation processes that utilize molecular oxygen. Our understanding of how late transition metal alkyls and hydrides react with molecular oxygen is growing rapidly and will soon approach our knowledge of how other small molecules such as olefins and carbon monoxide react with these species. Just as advances in understanding olefin and CO insertion reactions have shaped important industrial processes, key insight into oxygen insertion should lead to significant gains in sustainable commercial selective oxidation catalysis.

Redox chemistry, acid reactivity, and hydrogenation reactions of two-electron mixed valence diiridium and dirhodium complexes

The syntheses and reaction chemistry of two electron mixed-valence diphosphazane-bridged dirhodium and diiridium complexes M(2)(0,II)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(2)Cl(2) [M = Rh (1), Ir (2); tfepma = MeN[P(OCH(2)CF(3))(2)](2), CN(t)Bu = tert-butyl isocyanide] are described. 1 and 2 undergo addition and two-electron oxidation and reduction chemistries. In the presence of CN(t)Bu, the addition product with the stoichiometry M(2)(0,II)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(3)Cl(2) [M = Rh (3), Ir (3)] is generated; in the presence of 1 equiv of CN(t)Bu and 2 equiv of bis(pentamethyl-cyclopentadienyl)cobalt(II), 1 and 2 are reduced to furnish M(2)(0,0)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(3) [M = Rh (5), Ir (6)], which feature both four- and five-coordinate M(0) centers. Complexes 1, 2, 5, and 6 all possess coordinatively unsaturated square planar M(0) centers that are reactive: (1) 2 reacts with PhICl(2) to produce Ir(2)(II,II)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(2)Cl(4) (7); (2) protonation of 2 with HX yields Ir(2)(II,II)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(2)Cl(2)HX [X = Cl(-) (8), OTs(-) (9)]; (3) protonation of 5 with HOTs produces [Rh(2)(I,I)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(3)(μ-H)](OTs); and (4) the reversible hydrogenation of 2 proceeds smoothly, furnishing the cis-dihydride complex Ir(2)(II,II)(tfepma)(2)(CN(t)Bu)(2)(H)(2)Cl(2) (11). Substitution of tfepma in 2 with bis(diphenylphsophino)methane (dppm) yields the orthometalated complex Ir(2)(II,II)(dppm)(PPh(o-C(6)H(4))CH(2)PPh(2))(CN(t)Bu)(2)Cl(2)H (12). The X-ray crystal structures of 11 compounds are presented and discussed, and spectroscopic characterization by multinuclear and variable temperature NMR provides details about solution structures and in some cases the formation of isomeric products. The electronic spectra of the new complexes are also described briefly, with absorption and emission features derived from the bimetallic core.

Insertion of molecular oxygen into a palladium(II) methyl bond: a radical chain mechanism involving palladium(III) intermediates

The reaction of (bipy)PdMe(2) (1) (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) with molecular oxygen results in the formation of the palladium(II) methylperoxide complex (bipy)PdMe(OOMe) (2). The identity of the product 2 has been confirmed by independent synthesis. Results of kinetic studies of this unprecedented oxygen insertion reaction into a palladium alkyl bond support the involvement of a radical chain mechanism. Reproducible rates, attained in the presence of the radical initiator 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN), reveal that the reaction is overall first-order (one-half-order in both [1] and [AIBN], and zero-order in [O(2)]). The unusual rate law (half-order in [1]) implies that the reaction proceeds by a mechanism that differs significantly from those for organic autoxidations and for the recently reported examples of insertion of O(2) into Pd(II) hydride bonds. The mechanism for the autoxidation of 1 is more closely related to that found for the autoxidation of main group and early transition metal alkyl complexes. Notably, the chain propagation is proposed to proceed via a stepwise associative homolytic substitution at the Pd center of 1 with formation of a pentacoordinate Pd(III) intermediate.