Selecting Double Bond Positions with a Single Cation-Responsive Iridium Olefin Isomerization Catalyst

Structural Design of Single-Atom Catalysts for Enhancing Petrochemical Catalytic Reaction Process

Petroleum, as the "lifeblood" of industrial development, is the important energy source and raw material. The selective transformation of petroleum into high-end chemicals is of great significance, but still exists enormous challenges. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) with 100% atom utilization and homogeneous active sites, promise a broad application in petrochemical processes. Herein, the research systematically summarizes the recent research progress of SACs in petrochemical catalytic reaction, proposes the role of structural design of SACs in enhancing catalytic performance, elucidates the catalytic reaction mechanisms of SACs in the conversion of petrochemical processes, and reveals the high activity origins of SACs at the atomic scale. Finally, the key challenges are summarized and an outlook on the design, identification of active sites, and the appropriate application of artificial intelligence technology is provided for achieving scale-up application of SACs in petrochemical process.

Chromium-Catalyzed Alkene Isomerization with Switchable Selectivity

We report a single additive-responsive chromium-catalyzed system for selectively producing either of two different internal alkene isomers. The chromium catalyst, in the presence of HBpin/LiOtBu, enables the isomerization of alkenes over multiple carbon atoms to give the most thermodynamically stable isomers. The same catalyst allows for the selective isomerization of terminal alkenes over one carbon atom without an additive, exhibiting efficient and controllable alkene transposition selectivity.

Regulating Access to Active Sites via Hydrogen Bonding and Cation-Dipole Interactions: A Dual Cofactor Approach to Switchable Catalysis

Hydrogen bonding networks are ubiquitous in biological systems and play a key role in controlling the conformational dynamics and allosteric interactions of enzymes. Yet in small organometallic catalysts, hydrogen bonding rarely controls ligand binding to the metal center. In this work, a hydrogen bonding network within a well-defined organometallic catalyst works in concert with cation-dipole interactions to gate substrate access to the active site. An ammine ligand acts as one cofactor, templating a hydrogen bonding network within a pendent crown ether and preventing the binding of strong donor ligands, such as nitriles, to the nickel center. Sodium ions are the second cofactor, disrupting hydrogen bonding to enable switchable ligand substitution reactions. Thermodynamic analyses provide insight into the energetic requirements of the different supramolecular interactions that enable substrate gating. The dual cofactor approach enables switchable catalytic hydroamination of crotononitrile. Systematic comparisons of catalysts with varying structural features provide support for the critical role of the dual cofactors in achieving on/off catalysis with substrates containing strongly donating functional groups that might otherwise interfere with switchable catalysts.

Tunable and Switchable Catalysis Enabled by Cation-Controlled Gating with Crown Ether Ligands

ConspectusCatalysis has become an essential tool in science and technology, impacting the discovery of pharmaceuticals, the manufacture of commodity chemicals and plastics, the production of fuels, and much more. In most cases, a particular catalyst is optimized to mediate a particular reaction, continually producing a desired product at a given rate. There is enormous opportunity in developing catalysts that are dynamic, capable of responding to a change in the environment to alter structure and function. Controlled catalysis, in which the activity or selectivity of a catalytic reaction can be adjusted through an external stimulus, offers opportunities for innovation in catalysis. Catalyst discovery could be simplified if a single thoughtfully designed complex could work synergistically with additives to optimize performance rather than trying a multitude of different metal/ligand combinations. Temporal control could be gained to facilitate the execution of multiple reactions in the same flask, for example, by activating one catalyst and deactivating another to avoid incompatibilities. Selectivity switching could enable copolymer synthesis with well-defined chemical and material properties. These applications might sound futuristic for synthetic catalysts, but in nature, such a degree of controlled catalysis is commonplace. For example, allosteric interactions and/or feedback loops modulate enzymatic activity to enable complex small-molecule synthesis and sequence-defined polymerization reactions in complex mixtures containing many catalytic sites. In many cases, regulation is achieved by "gating" substrate access to the active site. Fundamental advances in catalyst design are needed to better understand the factors that enable controlled catalysis in the arena of synthetic chemistry, particularly in achieving substrate gating outside of macromolecular environments. In this Account, the development of design principles for achieving cation-controlled catalysis is described. The guiding hypothesis was that gating substrate access to a catalyst site could be achieved by controlling the dynamics of a hemilabile ligand through secondary Lewis acid/base and/or cation-dipole interactions. To enforce such interactions, catalysts sitting at the interface of organometallic catalysis and supramolecular chemistry were designed. A macrocyclic crown ether was incorporated into a robust organometallic pincer ligand, and these "pincer-crown ether" ligands have been explored in catalysis. Complementary studies of controlled catalysis and detailed mechanistic analysis guided the development of iridium, nickel, and palladium pincer-crown ether catalysts capable of substrate gating. Toggling the gate between open and closed states leads to switchable catalysis, where cation addition/removal changes the turnover frequency or the product selectivity. Varying the degree of gating leads to tunable catalysis, where the activity can be tuned based on the identity and amount of salt added. Research has focused on reactions of alkenes, particularly isomerization reactions, which has in turn led to design principles for cation-controlled catalysts.

Solvato-Controlled Assembly and Structural Transformation of Emissive Poly-NHC-Based Organometallic Cages and Their Applications in Amino Acid Sensing and Fluorescence Imaging

Stimuli-induced structural transformation of supramolecular cages has drawn increasing attention because of their sensitive feature to external variations as model systems to simulate biological processes. However, combining structural transformation and useful functions has remained a difficult task. This study reports the solvato-controlled self-assembly of two unique topologies with different emission characteristics, a water-soluble Ag₈ L₄ cage (A) and an Ag₄ L₂ cage (B), produced from the same sulfonate-pendant tetraphenylethene (TPE) bridged tetrakis-(1,2,4-triazolium) ligand. Both cages show interesting solvent-responsive reversible structural transformation, and the change of fluorescence signals can efficiently track the process. Additionally, water-soluble cage A exhibits unique properties in thermochromism, thiol amino acid sensing, and subcellular imaging in aqueous media.

B(C6 F5 )3 -Catalyzed E-Selective Isomerization of Alkenes

Herein, we report the B(C₆ F₅ )₃ -catalyzed E-selective isomerization of alkenes. The transition-metal-free method is applicable across a diverse array of readily accessible substrates, giving access to a broad range of synthetically useful products containing versatile stereodefined internal alkenes. The reaction mechanism was investigated by using synthetic and computational methods.

Switching between Hydrogenation and Olefin Transposition Catalysis via Silencing NH Cooperativity in Mn(I) Pincer Complexes

While Mn-catalyzed (de)hydrogenation of carbonyl derivatives has been well established, the reactivity of Mn hydrides with olefins remains very rare. Herein, we report a Mn(I) pincer complex that effectively promotes site-controlled transposition of olefins. This reactivity is shown to emerge once the N–H functionality within the Mn/NH bifunctional complex is suppressed by alkylation. While detrimental for carbonyl (de)hydrogenation, such masking of the cooperative N–H functionality allows for the highly efficient conversion of a wide range of allylarenes to higher-value 1-propenybenzenes in near-quantitative yield with excellent stereoselectivities. The reactivity toward a single positional isomerization was also retained for long-chain alkenes, resulting in the highly regioselective formation of 2-alkenes, which are less thermodynamically stable compared to other possible isomerization products. The detailed mechanistic analysis of the reaction between the activated Mn catalyst and olefins points to catalysis operating via a metal–alkyl mechanism—one of the three conventional transposition mechanisms previously unknown in Mn complexes.

Controlled Selectivity through Reversible Inhibition of the Catalyst: Stereodivergent Semihydrogenation of Alkynes

Catalytic semihydrogenation of internal alkynes using H₂ is an attractive atom-economical route to various alkenes, and its stereocontrol has received widespread attention, both in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyses. Herein, a novel strategy is introduced, whereby a poisoning catalytic thiol is employed as a reversible inhibitor of a ruthenium catalyst, resulting in a controllable H₂-based semihydrogenation of internal alkynes. Both (E)- and (Z)-alkenes were obtained efficiently and highly selectively, under very mild conditions, using a single homogeneous acridine-based ruthenium pincer catalyst. Mechanistic studies indicate that the (Z)-alkene is the reaction intermediate leading to the (E)-alkene and that the addition of a catalytic amount of bidentate thiol impedes the Z/E isomerization step by forming stable ruthenium thiol(ate) complexes, while still allowing the main hydrogenation reaction to proceed. Thus, the absence or presence of catalytic thiol controls the stereoselectivity of this alkyne semihydrogenation, affording either the (E)-isomer as the final product or halting the reaction at the (Z)-intermediate. The developed system, which is also applied to the controllable isomerization of a terminal alkene, demonstrates how metal catalysis with switchable selectivity can be achieved by reversible inhibition of the catalyst with a simple auxiliary additive.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Migration Isomerization of Dienes

A cobalt-catalyzed multipositional isomerization of conjugated dienes has been reported for the first time using an 8-oxazoline iminoquinoline ligand. This reaction is operationally simple and atom-economical using readily available starting materials with an E/Z mixture to access disubstituted 1,3-dienes with excellent yields and good E,E stereoselectivity. The mechanism via alkene insertion of cobalt hydride species and β-H elimination of a π-allyl cobalt intermediate is proposed on the basis of deuterium labeling and control experiments and density functional theory calculations.

A guide to secondary coordination sphere editing

This tutorial review showcases recent (2015-2021) work describing ligand construction as it relates to the design of secondary coordination spheres (SCSs). Metalloenzymes, for example, utilize SCSs to stabilize reactive substrates, shuttle small molecules, and alter redox properties, promoting functional activity. In the realm of biomimetic chemistry, specific incorporation of SCS residues (e.g., Brønsted or Lewis acid/bases, crown ethers, redox groups etc.) has been shown to be equally critical to function. This contribution illustrates how fundamental advances in organic and inorganic chemistry have been used for the construction of such SCSs. These imaginative contributions have driven exciting findings in many transformations relevant to clean fuel generation, including small molecule (e.g., H⁺, N₂, CO₂, NO_x, O₂) reduction. In most cases, these reactions occur cooperatively, where both metal and ligand are requisite for substrate activation.

Application of Polysaccharide-Based Chiral High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Columns for the Separation of Regio-, E/Z-, and Enantio-Isomeric Mixtures of Allylic Compounds

Daicel Chiralpak IA, IB, and IC, which are the polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase (CSP) columns for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were applied in the separation of the non-enantiomeric isomeric mixtures obtained by the various allylation reactions and were highly effective in separating the regio- and (E)/(Z)-isomers in the allylation products. Due to the close structural similarity of the isomeric allylic compounds in the reaction mixtures, separations of the isomers are laborious and could not be accomplished by the conventional methods such as silica gel column chromatography, silica gel HPLC, preparative GPC, distillation, and so forth. This study has shown potential advantages of using the polysaccharide-based CSP columns in the separation of not only enantiomeric but also non-enantiomeric isomeric mixtures.

Desymmetrizing Isomerization of Alkene via Thiazolinyl Iminoquinoline Cobalt Catalysis

We report a cobalt-catalyzed desymmetrizing isomerization of exo-cyclic alkenes to generate chiral 1-methylcyclohexene derivatives with good yields and enantioselectivities. A novel chiral thiazolinyl iminoquinoline ligand and its cobalt complex were designed and synthesized to control the establishment of tertiary or quaternary carbon centers at a remote position. This protocol is operationally simple, and a model for the stereochemical outcome has been proposed.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Desymmetric Isomerization of Exocyclic Olefins

Chiral cyclic olefins, 1-methylcyclohexenes, are versatile building blocks for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and natural products. Despite the prevalence of these structural motifs, the development of efficient synthetic methods remains an unmet challenge. Herein we report a novel desymmetric isomerization of exocyclic olefins using a series of newly designed chiral cobalt catalysts, which enables a straightforward construction of chiral 1-methylcyclohexenes with diversified functionalities. The synthetic utility of this methodology is highlighted by a concise and enantioselective synthesis of a natural product, β-bisabolene. The versatility of the reaction products is further demonstrated by multifarious derivatizations.

Azopyridine-based chiral oxazolines with rare-earth metals for photoswitchable catalysis

An azopyridine-based oxazoline was developed for utilizing azo group coordination and isomerization as a photoswitchable ligand. The ligand coordinated to rare-earth metal (RE) catalyst underwent efficient E/Z photoisomerization, suggesting tri- and bidentate coordination switching. The photoisomerization of the ligand enabled modulation of the enantioselectivity of an RE-catalyzed aminal forming reaction.

Stereoselective tandem iridium-catalyzed alkene isomerization-cope rearrangement of ω-diene epoxides: efficient access to acyclic 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds

The Cope rearrangement of 2,3-divinyloxiranes, a rare example of epoxide C-C bond cleavage, results in 4,5-dihydrooxepines which are amenable to hydrolysis, furnishing 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds containing two contiguous stereocenters at the 3- and 4-positions. We employ an Ir-based alkene isomerization catalyst to form the reactive 2,3-divinyloxirane in situ with complete regio- and stereocontrol, which translates into excellent control over the stereochemistry of the resulting oxepines and ultimately to an attractive strategy towards 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds.

New horizons for catalysis disclosed by supramolecular chemistry

The adoption of a supramolecular approach in catalysis promises to address a number of unmet challenges, ranging from activity (unlocking of novel reaction pathways) to selectivity (alteration of the innate selectivity of a reaction, e.g. selective functionalization of C-H bonds) and regulation (switch ON/OFF, sequential catalysis, etc.). Supramolecular tools such as reversible association and recognition, pre-organization of reactants and stabilization of transition states upon binding offer a unique chance to achieve the above goals disclosing new horizons whose potential is being increasingly recognized and used, sometimes reaching the degree of ripeness for practical use. This review summarizes the main developments that have opened such new frontiers, with the aim of providing a guide to researchers approaching the field. We focus on artificial supramolecular catalysts of defined stoichiometry which, under homogeneous conditions, unlock outcomes that are highly difficult if not impossible to attain otherwise, namely unnatural reactivity or selectivity and catalysis regulation. The different strategies recently explored in supramolecular catalysis are concisely presented, and, for each one, a single or very few examples is/are described (mainly last 10 years, with only milestone older works discussed). The subject is divided into four sections in light of the key design principle: (i) nanoconfinement of reactants, (ii) recognition-driven catalysis, (iii) catalysis regulation by molecular machines and (iv) processive catalysis.

Multiwavelets applied to metal-ligand interactions: Energies free from basis set errors

Transition metal-catalyzed reactions invariably include steps where ligands associate or dissociate. In order to obtain reliable energies for such reactions, sufficiently large basis sets need to be employed. In this paper, we have used high-precision multiwavelet calculations to compute the metal-ligand association energies for 27 transition metal complexes with common ligands, such as H₂, CO, olefins, and solvent molecules. By comparing our multiwavelet results to a variety of frequently used Gaussian-type basis sets, we show that counterpoise corrections, which are widely employed to correct for basis set superposition errors, often lead to underbinding. Additionally, counterpoise corrections are difficult to employ when the association step also involves a chemical transformation. Multiwavelets, which can be conveniently applied to all types of reactions, provide a promising alternative for computing electronic interaction energies free from any basis set errors.