Inner-Sphere Activation, Outer-Sphere Catalysis: Theoretical Study on the Mechanism of Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones Using Iron(II) PNNP Eneamido Complexes

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Chromium(III) Complexes Containing Bidentate PN and Tridentate P-NH-P and P-NH-P' Ligands

Chromium(III) complexes bearing bidentate {NH2(CH2)2PPh2: PN, (S,S)-[NH2(CHPh)2PPh2]: P'N} and tridentate [Ph2P(CH2)2N(H)(CH2)2PPh2: P-NH-P, (S,S)-(iPr)2PCH2CH2N(H)CH(Ph)CH(Ph)PPh2: P-NH-P'] ligands have been synthesized using a mechanochemical approach. The complexes {cis-[Cr(PN)Cl2]Cl (1), cis-[Cr(P'N)Cl2]Cl (2), mer-Cr(P-NH-P)Cl3 (3), and mer-Cr(P-NH-P')Cl3 (4)} were obtained in high yield (95-97%) via the grinding of the respective ligands andthe solid Cr(III) ion precursor [CrCl3(THF)3] with the aid of a pestle and mortar, followed by recrystallization in acetonitrile. The isolated complexes are high spin. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of 2 revealed a cationic chromium complex with two P'N ligands in a cis configuration with P' trans to P' with chloride as the counteranion. The X-ray study of 4 shows a neutral Cr(III) complex with the P-NH-P' ligand in a mer configuration. The difference in molecular structures and bulkiness of the ligands influence the electronic, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of the complexes as exhibited by the bathochromic shifts in the electronic absorption peaks of the complexes and the relative increase in the magnetic moment of 3 (4.19 μβ) and 4 (4.15 μβ) above the spin only value (3.88 μβ) for a d3 electronic configuration. Complexes 1-4 were found to be inactive in the hydrogenation of an aldimine [(E)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-N-phenylmethanimine] under a variety of activating conditions. The addition of magnesium and trimethylsilyl chloride in THF did cause hydrogenation at room temperature, but this occurred even in the absence of the chromium complex. The hydrogen in the amine product came from the THF solvent in this novel reaction, as determined by deuterium incorporation into the product when deuterated THF was used.

High-throughput ab initio reaction mechanism exploration in the cloud with automated multi-reference validation

Quantum chemical calculations on atomistic systems have evolved into a standard approach to studying molecular matter. These calculations often involve a significant amount of manual input and expertise, although most of this effort could be automated, which would alleviate the need for expertise in software and hardware accessibility. Here, we present the AutoRXN workflow, an automated workflow for exploratory high-throughput electronic structure calculations of molecular systems, in which (i) density functional theory methods are exploited to deliver minimum and transition-state structures and corresponding energies and properties, (ii) coupled cluster calculations are then launched for optimized structures to provide more accurate energy and property estimates, and (iii) multi-reference diagnostics are evaluated to back check the coupled cluster results and subject them to automated multi-configurational calculations for potential multi-configurational cases. All calculations are carried out in a cloud environment and support massive computational campaigns. Key features of all components of the AutoRXN workflow are autonomy, stability, and minimum operator interference. We highlight the AutoRXN workflow with the example of an autonomous reaction mechanism exploration of the mode of action of a homogeneous catalyst for the asymmetric reduction of ketones.

Confinement Effects in Well-Defined Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Selective CO2 Hydrogenation: A Review

Decarbonization has become an urgent affair to restrain global warming. CO₂ hydrogenation coupled with H₂ derived from water electrolysis is considered a promising route to mitigate the negative impact of carbon emission and also promote the application of hydrogen. It is of great significance to develop catalysts with excellent performance and large-scale implementation. In the past decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely involved in the rational design of catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation due to their high surface areas, tunable porosities, well-ordered pore structures, and diversities in metals and functional groups. Confinement effects in MOFs or MOF-derived materials have been reported to promote the stability of CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts, such as molecular complexes of immobilization effect, active sites in size effect, stabilization in the encapsulation effect, and electron transfer and interfacial catalysis in the synergistic effect. This review attempts to summarize the progress of MOF-based CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts up to now, and demonstrate the synthetic strategies, unique features, and enhancement mechanisms compared with traditionally supported catalysts. Great emphasis will be placed on various confinement effects in CO₂ hydrogenation. The challenges and opportunities in precise design, synthesis, and applications of MOF-confined catalysis for CO₂ hydrogenation are also summarized.

Asymmetric hydrogenation catalyzed by first-row transition metal complexes

This review focuses on asymmetric direct and transfer hydrogenation with first-row transition metal complexes. The reaction mechanisms and the models of enantiomeric induction were summarized and emphasized.

Organic synthesis with the most abundant transition metal–iron: from rust to multitasking catalysts

The promising aspects of iron in synthetic chemistry are being explored for three-four decades as a green and eco-friendly alternative to late transition metals. This present review unveils these rich iron-chemistry towards different transformations.

The origin of different driving forces between O–H/N–H functional groups in metal ligand cooperation: mechanistic insight into Mn(i) catalysed transfer hydrogenation

The origin of different catalytic activity between two structurally similar Lewis basic bifunctional catalysts.

Polymer-Anchored Bifunctional Pincer Catalysts for Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation and Related Reactions

A series of polymer-supported cooperative PC(sp³ )P pincer catalysts was synthesized and characterized. Their catalytic activity in the acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols and the transfer hydrogenation of aldehydes with formic acid as a hydrogen source was investigated. This comparative study, examining homogeneous and polymer-tethered species, proved that carefully designing a link between the support and the catalytic moiety, which takes into consideration the mechanism underlying the target transformation, might lead to superior heterogeneous catalysis.

Evaluating Transition Metal Barrier Heights with the Latest Density Functional Theory Exchange-Correlation Functionals: The MOBH35 Benchmark Database

A new database of transition metal reaction barrier heights (MOBH35) is presented. Benchmark energies (forward and reverse barriers and reaction energy) are calculated using DLPNO-CCSD(T) extrapolated to the complete basis set limit using a Weizmann-1-like scheme. Using these benchmark energies, the performance of a wide selection of density functional theory (DFT) exchange-correlation functionals, including the latest from the Martin, Truhlar, and Head-Gordon groups, is evaluated. It was found, using the def2-TZVPP basis set, that the ωB97M-V (MAD 1.7 kcal/mol), ωB97M-D3BJ (MAD 1.9 kcal/mol), ωB97X-V (MAD 2.0 kcal/mol), and revTPSS0-D4 (MAD 2.2 kcal/mol) hybrid functionals are recommended. The double-hybrid functionals B2K-PLYP (MAD 1.7 kcal/mol) and revDOD-PBEP86-D4 (MAD 1.8 kcal/mol) also performed well, but this has to be balanced by their increased computational cost.

Development and mechanistic investigation of the manganese(iii) salen-catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols

Manganese(iii) salen has been developed as a new catalytic motif for alcohol dehydrogenation and the mechanism has been elucidated.

The first example of a manganese(iii) catalyst for the acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols is presented. N,N′-Bis(salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminomanganese(iii) chloride (2) has been shown to catalyze the direct synthesis of imines from a variety of alcohols and amines with the liberation of hydrogen gas. The mechanism has been investigated experimentally with labelled substrates and theoretically with DFT calculations. The results indicate a metal–ligand bifunctional pathway in which both imine groups in the salen ligand are first reduced to form a manganese(iii) amido complex as the catalytically active species. Dehydrogenation of the alcohol then takes place by a stepwise outer-sphere hydrogen transfer generating a manganese(iii) salan hydride from which hydrogen gas is released.

Zinc Oxide-Catalyzed Dehydrogenation of Primary Alcohols into Carboxylic Acids

Zinc oxide has been developed as a catalyst for the dehydrogenation of primary alcohols into carboxylic acids and hydrogen gas. The reaction is performed in mesitylene solution in the presence of potassium hydroxide, followed by workup with hydrochloric acid. The transformation can be applied to both benzylic and aliphatic primary alcohols and the catalytically active species was shown to be a homogeneous compound by a hot filtration test. Dialkylzinc and strongly basic zinc salts also catalyze the dehydrogenation with similar results. The mechanism is believed to involve the formation of a zinc alkoxide which degrades into the aldehyde and a zinc hydride. The latter reacts with the alcohol to form hydrogen gas and regenerate the zinc alkoxide. The degradation of a zinc alkoxide into the aldehyde upon heating was confirmed experimentally. The aldehyde can then undergo a Cannizzaro reaction or a Tishchenko reaction, which in the presence of hydroxide leads to the carboxylic acid.

Homogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions – From a mechanistic point of view

Homogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactions represent not only one of the most synthetically important chemical transformations, but also a promising way to renewably utilize the hydrogen energy. In order to rationally design efficient homogeneous catalysts for hydrogenations/dehydrogenations, it is of fundamental importance to understand their reaction mechanisms in detail. With this aim in mind, we herein provide a brief overview of the mechanistic understanding and related catalyst design strategies. Hydrogenations and dehydrogenations represent the reverse process of each other, and involve the activation/release of H2 and the insertion/elimination of hydride as major steps. The mechanisms discussed in this chapter include the cooperation (bifunctional) mechanism and the non-cooperation mechanisms. Non-cooperation mechanisms usually involve single-site transition metal (TM) catalysts or transition metal hydride (TM-H) catalysts. Cooperation mechanisms usually operate in the state-of-the-art bifunctional catalysts, including Lewis-base/transition-metal (LB-TM) catalysts, Lewis-acid/transition-metal (LA-TM) catalysts, Lewis-acid/Lewis-base (LA-LB; the so-called frustrated Lewis pairs - FLPs) catalysts, newly developed ambiphilic catalysts, and bimetallic transition-metal/transition-metal (TM-TM) catalysts. The influence of the ligands, the electronic structure of the metal, and proton shuttle on the reaction mechanism are also discussed to improve the understanding of the factors that can govern mechanistic preferences. The content presented in this chapter should both inspire experimental and theoretical chemists concerned with homogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions, and provide valuable information for future catalyst design.

Mechanisms of the H2- and transfer hydrogenation of polar bonds catalyzed by iron group hydrides

This Perspective describes the mechanism-based development of iron-group catalysts for the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones and imines.

Frustration across the periodic table: heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen by metal complexes

This perspective examines frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) in the context of heterolytic cleavage of H2 by transition metal complexes, with an emphasis on molecular complexes bearing an intramolecular Lewis base. FLPs have traditionally been associated with main group compounds, yet many reactions of transition metal complexes support a broader classification of FLPs that includes certain types of transition metal complexes with reactivity resembling main group-based FLPs. This article surveys transition metal complexes that heterolytically cleave H2, which vary in the degree that the Lewis pairs within these systems interact. Many of the examples include complexes bearing a pendant amine functioning as the base with the metal functioning as the hydride acceptor. Consideration of transition metal compounds in the context of FLPs can inspire new innovations and improvements in transition metal catalysis.This article is part of the themed issue 'Frustrated Lewis pair chemistry'.

Exploring the Gas-Phase Activation and Reactivity of a Ruthenium Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyst by Experiment and Theory in Concert

This study elucidates structures, activation barriers, and the gas-phase reactivity of cationic ruthenium transfer hydrogenation catalysts of the structural type [(η⁶-cym)RuX(pympyr)]⁺. In these complexes, the central ruthenium(+II) ion is coordinated to an η⁶-bound p-cymene (η⁶-cym), a bidentate 2-R-4-(2-pyridinyl)pyrimidine ligand (pympyr) with R = NH₂ or N(CH₃)₂, and an anion X = I^-, Br^-, Cl^-, or CF₃SO₃^-. We present infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IR-MPD) spectra of precursors (before HCl loss) and of activated complexes (after HCl loss), which elucidates C-H activation as the key step in the activation mechanism. A resonant two-color IR-MPD scheme serves to record several otherwise "dark" bands and enhances the validity of spectral assignments. We show that collision-induced dissociation (CID)-derived activation energies of the [(η⁶-cym)RuX(pympyr)]⁺ (R = N(CH₃)₂) complexes depend crucially on the anion X. The obtained activation energies for the HX loss correlate well with quantum chemical activation barriers and are in line with the HSAB concept. We further elucidate the reaction of the activated complexes with D₂ under single-collision conditions. Quantum mechanical simulations substantiate that the resulting species represent analogues for hydrido intermediates formed after abstraction of H⁺ and H^- from isopropanol, as postulated for the catalytic cycle of transfer hydrogenation by us before.

Aqueous biphasic iron-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones

For the first time, an iron(ii) catalyst is used in the biphasic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones to enantioenriched alcohols employing water and potassium formate as the proton and hydride source, respectively.

Optimum bifunctionality in a 2-(2-pyridyl-2-ol)-1,10-phenanthroline based ruthenium complex for transfer hydrogenation of ketones and nitriles: impact of the number of 2-hydroxypyridine fragments

A rare example of a highly active bifunctional Ru(ii) catalyst containing only one 2-hydroxypyridine (2-HP) unit is presented which exhibited exceptionally high catalytic activity in transfer hydrogenation of ketones and nitriles.

Exploiting metal-ligand bifunctional reactions in the design of iron asymmetric hydrogenation catalysts

This is an Account of our development of iron-based catalysts for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) and asymmetric pressure hydrogenation (AH) of ketones and imines. These chemical processes provide enantiopure alcohols and amines for use in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, fragrance, and other fine chemical industries. Fundamental principles of bifunctional reactivity obtained by studies of ruthenium catalysts by Noyori's group and our own with tetradentate ligands with tertiary phosphine and secondary amine donor groups were applied to improve the performance of these first iron(II) catalysts. In particular the correct positioning of a bifunctional H-Fe-NH unit in an iron hydride amine complex leads to exceptional catalyst activity because of the low energy barrier of dihydrogen transfer to the polar bond of the substrate. In addition the ligand structure with this NH group along with an asymmetric array of aryl groups orients the incoming substrate by hydrogen-bonding, and steric interactions provide the hydrogenated product in high enantioselectivity for several classes of substrates. Enantiomerically pure diamines or diphenylphosphino-amine compounds are used as the source of the asymmetry in the tetradentate ligands formed by the condensation of the amines with dialkyl- or diaryl-phosphinoaldehydes, a synthesis that is templated by Fe(II). The commercially available ortho-diphenylphosphinobenzaldehyde was used in the initial studies, but then diaryl-phosphinoacetaldehydes were found to produce much more effective ligands for iron(II). Once the mechanism of catalysis became clearer, the iron-templated synthesis of (S,S)-PAr2CH2CH2NHCHPhCHPhNH2 ligand precursors was developed to specifically introduce a secondary amine in the precatalyst structures. The reaction of a precatalyst with strong base yields a key iron-amido complex that reacts with isopropanol (in ATH) or dihydrogen (in AH) to generate an iron hydride with the Fe-H bond parallel to the secondary amine N-H. In the AH reactions, the correct acidity of the intermediate iron-dihydrogen complex and correct basicity of the amide are important factors for the heterolytic splitting of the dihydrogen to generate the H-Fe-N-H unit; the acidity of dihydrogen complexes including those found in hydrogenases can be estimated by a simple additive ligand acidity constant method. The placement of the hydridic-protonic Fe-H···HN interaction in the asymmetric catalyst structure influences the enantioinduction. The sense of enantioinduction is predictable from the structure of the H-Fe-N-H-containing catalyst interacting with the ketone in the same way as related H-Ru-N-H-containing catalysts. The modular construction of the catalysts permits large variations in order to produce alcohol or amine products with enantiomeric excess in the 90-100% range in several cases.

Transfer hydrogenation of unsaturated bonds in the absence of base additives catalyzed by a cobalt-based heterogeneous catalyst

A novel non-noble Co@C–N system for catalytic transfer hydrogenation reactions is developed. The heterogeneous Co@C–N catalysts are highly active and selective in the hydrogenation of a variety of unsaturated bonds with isopropanol in the absence of base additives.

Exploring the decomposition pathways of iron asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalysts

An iron ATH catalyst is slowly transformed into an inactive, achiral iron complex under catalytic conditions.

Unusual non-bifunctional mechanism for Co-PNP complex catalyzed transfer hydrogenation governed by the electronic configuration of metal center

The unusual non-bifunctional mechanism for Co^II-PNP catalyzed transfer hydrogenation is revealed to be governed by the electronic configuration of the metal center, which is different from traditional bifunctional catalysts.

Alcohol-assisted base-free hydrogenation of acetophenone catalyzed by OsH(NHCMe2CMe2NH2)(PPh3)2

The hydrido–amido complex OsH(NHCMe2CMe2NH2)(PPh3)2 (1) catalyzes the base-free hydrogenation of ketones in benzene. Kinetic studies using acetophenone revealed that the system has an induction period, after which the rate of the reaction increases. A constant rate was observed when a critical amount of the product alcohol was added, indicating that the reaction is autocatalytic in 1-phenylethanol. Varying the initial conditions showed that the reaction rate is dependent on hydrogen and catalyst concentration and independent of ketone concentration. Above the critical concentrations of 1-phenylethanol, the reaction rate is independent of alcohol concentration. The rate law for pressures up to 5 atm was found to be rate = d[alcohol]/dt = −d[ketone]/dt = k[Os][H2], with k = 30 mol L−1 s−1 at 293 K and the temperature dependence provided energy of activation parameters. Therefore, the heterolytic splitting of dihydrogen is rate determining under these conditions. Only small kinetic isotope effects were measured in contrast with the analogous ruthenium system. Complex 1 reacts with the product alcohol 1-phenylethanol and is partially converted into the dihydride complex trans-OsH2(NH2CMe2CMe2NH2)(PPh3)2 and acetophenone; with excess alcohol, an osmium alkoxide is observed at low temperature. As expected from these results, 1 is a ketone transfer hydrogenation catalyst in isopropanol.