Taking Too Many Precautions in Making a Catalyst Is Never a Loss of Time: A Lesson We Learned at Our Own Expense

A Supramolecular Palladium Catalyst Displaying Substrate Selectivity by Remote Control

Inspired by enzymes such as cytochrome P-450, the study of the reactivity of metalloporphyrins continues to attract major interest in the field of homogeneous catalysis. However, little is known about benefitting from the substrate-recognition properties of porphyrins containing additional, catalytically relevant active sites. Herein, such an approach is introduced by using supramolecular ligands derived from metalloporphyrins customized with rigid, palladium-coordinating nitrile groups. According to different studies (NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, XRD, control experiments), the supramolecular ligands are able to accommodate pyridine derivatives as substrates inside the porphyrin pocket while the reactivity occurs at the peripheral side. By simply tuning a remote metal center, different binding events result in different catalyst reactivity, and this enzyme-like feature leads to high degrees of substrate selectivity in representative palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura reactions.

Unexpected isomerism in "[Pd(2,9-dimethylphenanthroline)X2]" (X = Cl, Br, I) complexes: a neutral and an ionic form exist

Complexes of composition "[Pd(2,9-dimethylphenanthroline)X(2)]" (X = Cl, Br, I) have long been known and they are used as precursors for the synthesis of other derivatives or as catalysts. In the previous literature, they have invariably been described as neutral square planar complexes, but we have found that a second ionic isomer also exists, having composition [Pd(Neoc)(2)X](2)[Pd(2)X(6)], and that the formation of this isomer occurs under a wider range of conditions than that of the neutral one. Retrospectively, the ionic isomer had surely been obtained in most previous reports even if formation of the neutral one was claimed.

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Palladium Dicarbene Complexes Bearing Labile Co-Ligands

Dicarbene complexes [Pd(OAc)2(diNHC)] (2), [Pd(O2CCF3)2(diNHC)] (3), and [Pd(CNCH3)2(diNHC)](SO3CF3)2 (4) bearing labile acetato, fluoroacetato, and acetonitrile co-ligands have been synthesized via metathesis reaction of the respective precursor [PdBr2(diNHC)] (1) with Ag-salts. All complexes are stable towards air and moisture and have been fully characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. Notably and in comparison to diphosphine analogues, they resist ligand disproportionation in solution. Their molecular structures have also been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. A preliminary catalytic study showed low activity in the hydroamination reaction, but revealed an interesting co-ligand influence.

Non-trivial behavior of palladium(II) acetate

Reaction of activated palladium metal with a HNO3/acetic acid mixture produces both orange Pd3(OAc)6, 1, and purple Pd3(OAc)5(NO2), 2. Compound has a trinuclear structure derived from that of the well-known triangular complex 1 in which one acetate group has been replaced by a nitrite group which is bonded to one palladium atom by the nitrogen atom and to another Pd atom using one of the oxygen atoms. Highly pure 1 can be made by continuous removal of the nitric oxides from the reaction mixture using a flow of N2. 1H NMR spectra of solutions of 1 in CDCl3 and C6D6 show several signals of various intensities when a small amount of water is present in the deuterated solvents but only one signal when the solvents are thoroughly dried. These results are consistent with the occurrence of one or more hydrolysis processes when the solvents contain water and suggest that hypotheses about various [Pd(OAc)2]n aggregates that have previously been brought forward in the literature to explain the complexity of the spectrum of 1 are unnecessary, especially for nonpolar solvents. Compound 2 does not hydrolyze, and in wet or dried solvents shows a 1H NMR spectrum that consists of five equal-intensity signals due to the five nonequivalent acetate groups.