Efficient oxidative coupling of 2,6-disubstituted phenol catalyzed by a dicopper(II) complex

Unsymmetrical Imidazopyrimidine-Based Ligand and Bimetallic Complexes

With bimetallic catalysts becoming increasingly important, the development of electronically and structurally diverse binucleating ligands is desired. This work describes the synthesis of unsymmetric ligand 2,7-di(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine (dpip) that is achieved in four steps on a multigram scale in an overall 54% yield. The ability of dpip to act as a scaffold for the formation of bimetallic complexes is demonstrated with the one-step syntheses of the dicopper complex [Cu2(dpip)(μ-OH)(CF3COO)3] (4), the dipalladium complex [Pd2(dpip)(μ-OH)(CF3COO)2](CF3COO)·CF3COOH (5), and the dimeric dinickel complex [Ni4(dpip)2(μ-Cl)4Cl2MeOH6][2Cl] (6) in good yields (79-92%). All bimetallic complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallography, which revealed metal-metal distances between 3.4821(9) and 4.106(2) Å. Additionally, quantum chemical calculations were conducted on complex 4 and an analogous 1,8-naphthyridine-based dicopper complex to investigate the differences between the imidazopyrimidine motif reported here and the widely used 1,8-naphthyridine motif. Natural bonding orbital (NBO) and Mayer bond order (MBO) analyses validated the ability of dpip to coordinate metals more strongly. Finally, NBO calculations quantified the differences in the binding energy between the two pockets of the unsymmetrical dpip ligand.

Monometallic and Multimetallic Zinc Complexes of 2,7-Bis(2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine

A series of zinc complexes of 2,7-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine (BPNP) has been synthesised and characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction and solution state NMR spectroscopic studies. Reactions of BPNP with zinc acetate and zinc chloride were found to give mononuclear complexes of the form [Zn(BPNP)X2] (X = OAc, Cl), whereas reactions with zinc triflate led to a mixture of products. Several of these were identified crystallographically as [Zn(BPNP-H)(H2O)4](OTf)3 and [Zn(BPNP-H)(NCMe)(OTf)2]OTf, in which protonation of one pyridyl group occurred, and the dimeric species [Zn2(BPNP)4(μ-H2O)2](OTf)4. A trimetallic complex [Zn3(μ2-BPNP)(μ2-OAc)3(OAc)2(μ3-OH)] was also isolated from reactions involving zinc acetate, and demonstrates the ability of BPNP to coordinate two zinc atoms in the adjacent binding pockets.

Green Chemistry Meets Asymmetric Organocatalysis: A Critical Overview on Catalysts Synthesis

Can green chemistry be the right reading key to let organocatalyst design take a step forward towards sustainable catalysis? What if the intriguing chemistry promoted by more engineered organocatalysts was carried on by using renewable and naturally occurring molecular scaffolds, or at least synthetic catalysts more respectful towards the principles of green chemistry? Within the frame of these questions, this Review will tackle the most commonly occurring organic chiral catalysts from the perspective of their synthesis rather than their employment in chemical methodologies or processes. A classification of the catalyst scaffolds based on their E factor will be provided, and the global E factor (EG factor) will be proposed as a new green chemistry metric to consider, also, the synthetic route to the catalyst within a given organocatalytic process.

Total Synthesis of Pyrolaside B: Phenol Trimerization through Sequenced Oxidative C-C and C-O Coupling

A facile method to oxidatively trimerize phenols using a catalytic aerobic copper system is described. The mechanism of this transformation was probed, yielding insight that enabled cross-coupling trimerizations. With this method, the natural product pyrolaside B was synthesized for the first time. The key strategy used for this novel synthesis is the facile one-step construction of a spiroketal trimer intermediate, which can be selectively reduced to give the natural product framework without recourse to stepwise Ullmann- and Suzuki-type couplings. As a result, pyrolaside B can be obtained expeditiously in five steps and 16 % overall yield. Three other analogues were synthesized, thus highlighting the utility of the method, which provides new accessibility to this area of chemical space. A novel xanthene was also synthesized through controlled Lewis acid promoted rearrangement of a spiroketal trimer.

Synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,8-naphthyridine-based ligands for the assembly of tri-and tetra-nuclear copper(ii) complexes

Exploring copper(ii) coordination from a new unsymmetrical naphthyridine-based ligand leads to the preparation of tetranuclear and trinuclear complexes. During the complexation, one imine group is oxidized to an amide group.

A Highly Efficient Aromatic Amine Ligand/Copper(I) Chloride Catalyst System for the Synthesis of Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)

Highly active catalyst systems for polymerizing 2,6-dimethylphenol were studied by using aromatic amine ligands and copper(I) chloride. The aromatic amine ligands employed were pyridine, 1-methylimidazole, 2-aminopyridine, 3-aminopyridine, and 4-aminopyridine. A mixture of chloroform and methanol (9:1, v/v) was used as a polymerization solvent. All experiments were performed with oxygen uptake measurement apparatus, while the reaction rate for each aromatic amine ligand-Cu catalyst system and the amount of by-product, 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethyl-4,4'diphenoquinone (DPQ), were measured to determine the efficiency of the catalyst systems. The 4-aminopyridine/Cu (I) catalyst system was found to be extremely efficient in poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE) synthesis; it had the fastest reaction rate of 6.98 × 10^-4 mol/L·s and the lowest DPQ production. The relatively high basicity of 4-aminopyridne and the less steric hindrance arising from a coordination of Cu and 4-aminopyridine in this catalyst are responsible for the fast polymerization rate. When 2-aminoprydine (an isomer of 4-aminopyridine) was used as a ligand, however, no polymerization occurred probably due to steric hindrance.

A dual-functional heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst for the green one-pot synthesis of biphenols

A green one-pot synthesis of biphenols using O₂ and H₂ was achieved using a magadiite-supported Ru nanoparticle catalyst.

Novel iminopyridine derivatives: ligands for preparation of Fe(ii) and Cu(ii) dinuclear complexes

A series of imino- and amino-pyridine ligands based on dihydrobenzofurobenzofuran (BFBF) and methanodibenzodioxocine (DBDOC) backbones have been synthesized. These ligands form exclusively dinuclear complexes with metals such as iron(II) and copper(II). The structures for complexes 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, and 24 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The complexes show large distances for the metal nuclei and different geometries depending on the nature of the metal. An octahedral geometry was observed for the iron(II) complexes, while copper(II) complex 24 showed a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The iron(II) complexes showed activity as catalysts in the cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides, obtaining moderate yields of cyclic carbonates.

Synthesis of 2,2′-biphenols through direct C(sp2)–H hydroxylation of [1,1′-biphenyl]-2-ols

A novel synthesis of diversely substituted 2,2′-biphenols through Pd(ii)-catalyzed,^tBuOOH-oxidized, and hydroxyl-directed C(sp²)–H hydroxylation of [1,1′-biphenyl]-2-ols has been developed.

Copper-catalyzed divergent oxidative pathways of 2-naphthol derivatives: ortho-naphthoquinones versus 2-BINOLs

Divergent reaction pathways of 2-naphthol derivatives to either ortho-naphthoquinones or BINOLs have been achieved using two different Cu(ii) catalyst systems.

Selective C-C coupling reaction of dimethylphenol to tetramethyldiphenoquinone using molecular oxygen catalyzed by Cu complexes immobilized in nanospaces of structurally-ordered materials

Two high-performance Cu catalysts were successfully developed by immobilization of Cu ions in the nanospaces of poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimer and magadiite for the selective C–C coupling of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) to 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyldiphenoquinone (DPQ) with O₂ as a green oxidant. The PPI dendrimer encapsulated Cu ions in the internal nanovoids to form adjacent Cu species, which exhibited significantly high catalytic activity for the regioselective coupling reaction of DMP compared to previously reported enzyme and metal complex catalysts. The magadiite-immobilized Cu complex acted as a selective heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidative C–C coupling of DMP to DPQ. This heterogeneous catalyst was recoverable from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, reusable without loss of efficiency, and applicable to a continuous flow reactor system. Detailed characterization using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), electronic spin resonance (ESR), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopies and the reaction mechanism investigation revealed that the high catalytic performances of these Cu catalysts were ascribed to the adjacent Cu species generated within the nanospaces of the PPI dendrimer and magadiite.

Selective oxidative homo- and cross-coupling of phenols with aerobic catalysts

Simple catalysts that use atom-economical oxygen as the terminal oxidant to accomplish selective ortho-ortho, ortho-para, or para-para homo-couplings of phenols are described. In addition, chromium salen catalysts have been discovered as uniquely effective in the cross-coupling of different phenols with high chemo- and regioselectivity.

Molecular Cu(II)-O-Cu(II) complexes: still waters run deep

Research on O2 activation at ligated Cu(I) is fueled by its biological relevance and the quest for efficient oxidation catalysts. A rarely observed reaction is the formation of a Cu(II) -O-Cu(II) species, which is more special than it appears at first sight: a single oxo ligand between two Cu(II) centers experiences considerable electron density, and this makes the corresponding complexes reactive and difficult to access. Hence, only a small number of these compounds have been synthesized and characterized unequivocally to date, and as biological relevance was not apparent, they remained unappreciated. However, recently they moved into the spotlight, when Cu(II) -O-Cu(II) cores were proposed as the active species in the challenging oxidation of methane to methanol at the surface of a Cu-grafted zeolite and in the active center of the copper enzyme particulate methane monooxygenase. This Minireview provides an overview of these systems with a special focus on their reactivity and spectroscopic features.