Oxidative N-dealkylation in cobalt-bispidine-H2O2 systems

Pathways of the Extremely Reactive Iron(IV)-oxido complexes with Tetradentate Bispidine Ligands

The nonheme iron(IV)-oxido complex trans-N3-[(L1 )FeIV =O(Cl)]+ , where L1 is a derivative of the tetradentate bispidine 2,4-di(pyridine-2-yl)-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-1-one, is known to have an S=1 electronic ground state and to be an extremely reactive oxidant for oxygen atom transfer (OAT) and hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) processes. Here we show that, in spite of this ferryl oxidant having the "wrong" spin ground state, it is the most reactive nonheme iron model system known so far and of a similar order of reactivity as nonheme iron enzymes (C-H abstraction of cyclohexane, -90 °C (propionitrile), t1/2 =3.5 sec). Discussed are spectroscopic and kinetic data, supported by a DFT-based theoretical analysis, which indicate that substrate oxidation is significantly faster than self-decay processes due to an intramolecular demethylation pathway and formation of an oxido-bridged diiron(III) intermediate. It is also shown that the iron(III)-chlorido-hydroxido/cyclohexyl radical intermediate, resulting from C-H abstraction, selectively produces chlorocyclohexane in a rebound process. However, the life-time of the intermediate is so long that other reaction channels (known as cage escape) become important, and much of the C-H abstraction therefore is unproductive. In bulk reactions at ambient temperature and at longer time scales, there is formation of significant amounts of oxidation product - selectively of chlorocyclohexane - and it is shown that this originates from oxidation of the oxido-bridged diiron(III) resting state.

Oxidative C-N bond cleavage of (2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based tetradentate supporting ligands in ternary cobalt(ii)-carboxylate complexes

Three mononuclear cobalt(ii)-carboxylate complexes, [(TPA)Co^II(benzilate)]⁺ (1), [(TPA)Co^II(benzoate)]⁺ (2) and [(iso-BPMEN)Co^II(benzoate)]⁺ (3), of N4 ligands (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine and iso-BPMEN = N¹,N¹-dimethyl-N²,N²-bis((pyridin-2-yl)methyl)ethane-1,2-diamine) were isolated to investigate their reactivity toward dioxygen. Monodentate (η¹) binding of the carboxylates to the metal centre favours the five-coordinate cobalt(ii) complexes (1-3) for dioxygen activation. Complex 1 slowly reacts with dioxygen to enable the oxidative decarboxylation of the coordinated α-hydroxy acid (benzilate). Prolonged exposure of the reaction solution of 2 to dioxygen results in the formation of [(DPA)Co^III(picolinate)(benzoate)]⁺ (4) and [Co^III(BPCA)₂]⁺ (5) (DPA = di(2-picolyl)amine and HBPCA = bis(2-pyridylcarbonyl)amide), whereas only [(DPEA)Co^III(picolinate)(benzoate)]⁺ (6) (DPEA = N¹,N¹-dimethyl-N²-(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)-ethane-1,2-diamine) is isolated from the final oxidised solution of 3. The modified ligand DPA (or DPEA) is formed via the oxidative C-N bond cleavage of the supporting ligands. Further oxidation of the -CH₂- moiety to -C([double bond, length as m-dash]O)- takes place in the transformation of DPA to HBPCA on the cobalt(ii) centre. Labelling experiments with ¹⁸O₂ confirm the incorporation of oxygen atoms from molecular oxygen into the oxidised products. Mixed labelling studies with ¹⁶O₂ and H₂O¹⁸ strongly support the involvement of water in the C-N bond cleavage pathway. A comparison of the dioxygen reactivity of the cobalt complexes (1-3) with those of several other five-coordinate mononuclear complexes [(TPA)Co^II(X)]^+/2+ (X = Cl, CH₃CN, acetate, benzoylformate, salicylate and phenylpyruvate) establishes the role of the carboxylate co-ligands in the activation of dioxygen and subsequent oxidative cleavage of the supporting ligands by a metal-oxygen oxidant.

Coligand modulated oxidative O-demethylation of a methyl ether appended tetradentate N-ligand in Co(ii) complexes

Two Co(ii) complexes of the formula CoL^OMeX₂ (X = Cl^- (1a); X = I^- (1b)), where L^OMe is 2-methoxy-N,N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl) aniline, were synthesized and their structure, spectra and reactivity were studied. Upon oxidation of 1a and 1b, the ligand L^OMe undergoes demethylation at the metal centre resulting in the formation of Co(iii) complexes with modified phenoxide ligands. This is the very first example of oxidative O-demethylation reported at a Co(ii) centre. The oxidative behaviour exhibits a striking dependence on the nature of coligands coordinated to the metal centre. The Co(ii) complex 1a with stronger chloro coligands requires a strong oxidising agent like t-BuOOH for oxidative demethylation and the subsequent formation of a mononuclear Co(iii) complex with a demethylated ligand, CoL^O-Cl₂ (2). On the other hand, complex 1b with weaker iodo coligands undergoes oxidation in the presence of the weak oxidant O₂ to form a dihydroxo bridged binuclear Co(iii) complex [Co₂(L^O-)₂(OH)₂]²⁺ (3) with modified phenoxide ligands. The oxidation of 1b to 3 is monitored and the intermediate Co(ii) iodo aqua complex [CoL^OMeI(H₂O)]⁺ and Co(ii) diaqua complex [CoL^OMe(H₂O)₂]²⁺ are isolated and characterised.

Bispidines for radiopharmaceuticals

Radiometal based radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy require selective ligands (bifunctional chelators, BFCs) that form metal complexes, which are inert against trans-chelation under physiological conditions, linked to a biological vector, directing them to the targeted tissue. Bispidine ligands with a very rigid backbone and widely variable donor sets are reviewed as an ideal class of BFCs, and recent applications are discussed.

Keto-Enol Tautomerization Triggers an Electrophilic Aldehyde Deformylation Reaction by a Nonheme Manganese(III)-Peroxo Complex

Oxygen atom transfer by high-valent enzymatic intermediates remains an enigma in chemical catalysis. In particular, manganese is an important first-row metal involved in key biochemical processes, including the biosynthesis of molecular oxygen (through the photosystem II complex) and biodegradation of toxic superoxide to hydrogen peroxide by superoxide dismutase. Biomimetic models of these biological systems have been developed to gain understanding on the structure and properties of short-lived intermediates but also with the aim to create environmentally benign oxidants. In this work, we report a combined spectroscopy, kinetics and computational study on aldehyde deformylation by two side-on manganese(III)-peroxo complexes with bispidine ligands. Both manganese(III)-peroxo complexes are characterized by UV-vis and mass spectrometry techniques, and their reactivity patterns with aldehydes was investigated. We find a novel mechanism for the reaction that is initiated by a hydrogen atom abstraction reaction, which enables a keto-enol tautomerization in the substrate. This is an essential step in the mechanism that makes an electrophilic attack on the olefin bond possible as the attack on the aldehyde carbonyl is too high in energy. Kinetics studies determine a large kinetic isotope effect for the replacement of the transferring hydrogen atom by deuterium, while replacing the transferring hydrogen atom by a methyl group makes the substrate inactive and hence confirm the hypothesized mechanism. Our new mechanism is confirmed with density functional theory modeling on the full mechanism and rationalized through valence bond and thermochemical cycles. Our unprecedented new mechanism may have relevance to biological and biomimetic chemistry processes in general and gives insight into the reactivity patterns of metal-peroxo and metal-hydroperoxo intermediates in general.

Oxidative N-Dealkylation of Tertiary Amines with Tetraethylammonium Periodate Catalyzed by Metal Complexes

The oxidative N-dealkylation of tertiary amines, N,N-dimethylaniline and N,N-diethylaniline, catalyzed by some sterically hindered FeIII complexes and tetraethylammonium periodate as oxidant gave the corresponding N-dealkylated and mono-oxygenated products in good yields. The presence of electronegative atoms on the catalyst complexes influenced the product yield. The presence of H-atom abstractor 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol did not influence product formation, thereby suggesting that the reaction proceeded predominantly via a one-electron transfer mechanism rather than via hydrogen abstraction. Tetraethylammonium periodate favoured oxygen transfer to the substrate.

Oxidation of Cobalt(II) Bispidine Complexes with Dioxygen

Bispidine (3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) ligands, derivatives of diazaadamantane, possess a very rigid backbone and have a high degree of pre-organization for cis-octahedral coordination geometries. Despite their rigidity, they exert a flexible coordination sphere, resulting in stable complexes with a variety of metal ions in various oxidation states. Due to the known high III/II redox potentials of their cobalt complexes, the CoII bispidine complexes are generally resistant to oxidation by dioxygen. Discussed in the present study are various CoII bispidine complexes with tetra- and pentadentate bispidines, with one of these complexes shown to be unstable under aerobic conditions. The decay process has been identified as an oxidative elimination of the 2-methylene pyridine substituent at one of the tertiary amine donors, resulting in picolinate, which is found coordinated to a CoIII product, where the dealkylated N-donor remains unprotonated. The mechanism of this interesting reaction has been studied, and details of the resulting structure of the product complex are discussed.

Substituted tetraphenyl porphyrin catalyzed oxidative N-dealkylation of tertiary amine using molecular oxygen

Oxidative N-dealkylation of NN-dimethylaniline catalyzed by substituted tetraaryl porphyrin complexes of iron and manganese with molecular oxygen, gave a mixture of dealkylated, monooxygenated and dimerised compounds as products. Presence of substituents on the catalyst effects nature and yield of products formed. One electron transfer route [E T) predominated over H-atom abstraction [HAT] in most of the reactions.

Unraveling the origins of catalyst degradation in non-heme iron-based alkane oxidation

A series of iron(ii) complexes with tetradentate and pentadentate pyridyl amine ligands has been used for the oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide. Ligand degradation is observed under oxidising conditions via oxidative N-dealkylation.

Anilinic N-oxides support cytochrome P450-mediated N-dealkylation through hydrogen-atom transfer

The mechanism of N-dealkylation mediated by cytochrome P450 (P450) has long been studied and argued as either a single electron transfer (SET) or a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from the amine to the oxidant of the P450, the reputed iron-oxene. In our study, tertiary anilinic N-oxides were used as oxygen surrogates to directly generate a P450-mediated oxidant that is capable of N-dealkylating the dimethylaniline derived from oxygen donation. These surrogates were employed to probe the generated reactive oxygen species and the subsequent mechanism of N-dealkylation to distinguish between the HAT and SET mechanisms. In addition to the expected N-demethylation of the product aniline, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-N,N-dimethylaniline N-oxide (PFDMAO) was found to be capable of N-dealkylating both N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) and N-cyclopropyl-N-methylaniline (CPMA). Rate comparisons of the N-demethylation of DMA supported by PFDMAO show a 27-fold faster rate than when supported by N,N-dimethylaniline N-oxide (DMAO). Whereas intermolecular kinetic isotope effects were masked, intramolecular measurements showed values reflective of those seen previously in DMAO- and the native NADPH/O(2)-supported systems (2.33 and 2.8 for the N-demethylation of PFDMA and DMA from the PFDMAO system, respectively). PFDMAO-supported N-dealkylation of CPMA led to the ring-intact product N-cyclopropylaniline (CPA), similar to that seen with the native system. The formation of CPA argues against a SET mechanism in favor of a P450-like HAT mechanism. We suggest that the similarity of KIEs, in addition to the formation of the ring-intact CPA, argues for a similar mechanism of Compound I (Cpd I) formation followed by HAT for N-dealkylation by the native and N-oxide-supported systems and demonstrate the ability of the N-oxide-generated oxidant to act as an accurate mimic of the native P450 oxidant.