Aminophobanes: hydrolytic stability, tautomerism and application in Cr-catalysed ethene oligomerisation

The Backbone of Success of P,N-Hybrid Ligands: Some Recent Developments

Organophosphorus ligands are an invaluable family of compounds that continue to underpin important roles in disciplines such as coordination chemistry and catalysis. Their success can routinely be traced back to facile tuneability thus enabling a high degree of control over, for example, electronic and steric properties. Diphosphines, phosphorus compounds bearing two separated PIII donor atoms, are also highly valued and impart their own unique features, for example excellent chelating properties upon metal complexation. In many classical ligands of this type, the backbone connectivity has been based on all carbon spacers only but there is growing interest in embedding other donor atoms such as additional nitrogen (-NH-, -NR-) sites. This review will collate some important examples of ligands in this field, illustrate their role as ligands in coordination chemistry and highlight some of their reactivities and applications. It will be shown that incorporation of a nitrogen-based group can impart unusual reactivities and important catalytic applications.

Single- and double-bridged PNP ligands in chromium-catalysed ethylene oligomerisation

Chromium catalysts with diazaphospholane ligands have shown good activities and selectivities for ethylene tri- and tetramerisation. Oligomerisations with a doubly N-bridged cyclodiphosphazane result in a Schulz–Flory distribution of α-olefins.

Evaluation of P-bridged biaryl phosphine ligands in palladium-catalysed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

A family of biaryl phosphacyclic ligands derived from phobane and phosphatrioxa-adamantane frameworks is described. The rigid biaryl phosphacycles are efficient for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl bromides and chlorides. In particular, coupling reactions of the challenging sterically hindered and heterocyclic substrates were viable at room temperature.

Ethylene oligomerisation chromium catalysts with unsymmetrical PCNP ligands

Chromium(iii) complexes of chelating diphosphines, with PNP or PCNCP backbones, are excellent catalysts for ethylene tetra- and/or trimerisations. A missing link within this ligand series are unsymmetric chelating diphosphines based on a PCNP scaffold. New bidentate PCNP ligands of the type Ph₂PCH₂N(R)PPh₂ (R = 1-naphthyl or 5-quinoline groups, 2a-d) have been synthesised and shown to be extremely effective ligands for ethylene tri-/tetramerisations. Three representative tetracarbonyl Cr⁰ complexes bearing a single PN(R)P (5), PCN(R)P (6), or PCN(R)CP (7) diphosphine (R = 1-naphthyl) have been prepared from Cr(CO)₄(η⁴-nbd) (nbd = norbornadiene). Furthermore we report a single crystal X-ray diffraction study of these compounds and discuss their structural parameters.

Computer-assisted catalyst development via automated modelling of conformationally complex molecules: application to diphosphinoamine ligands

Simulation of conformationally complicated molecules requires multiple levels of theory to obtain accurate thermodynamics, requiring significant researcher time to implement. We automate this workflow using all open-source code (XTBDFT) and apply it toward a practical challenge: diphosphinoamine (PNP) ligands used for ethylene tetramerization catalysis may isomerize (with deleterious effects) to iminobisphosphines (PPNs), and a computational method to evaluate PNP ligand candidates would save significant experimental effort. We use XTBDFT to calculate the thermodynamic stability of a wide range of conformationally complex PNP ligands against isomeriation to PPN (ΔG_PPN), and establish a strong correlation between ΔG_PPN and catalyst performance. Finally, we apply our method to screen novel PNP candidates, saving significant time by ruling out candidates with non-trivial synthetic routes and poor expected catalytic performance.

Isotopic labelling in ethylene oligomerization: addressing the issue of 1-octene vs. 1-hexene selectivity

The selectivity-determining mechanistic steps of ethylene tetramerization and trimerization are evaluated in light of isotopic labeling experiments. A mechanism based upon a shared chromacycloheptane intermediate rather than the C-C coupling of chromacyclopentanes or Cr speciation into independent trimerization and tetramerization catalysts is consistent with the data, including observed upper limits on 1-octene selectivity.

From alternating to selective distributions in chromium-catalysed ethylene oligomerisation with asymmetric BIMA ligands

The oligomerisation of ethylene with chromium-based catalysts containing asymmetric BIMA (bis(benzimidazole)methylamine) ligands produces linear alpha olefins (LAOs) that follow an alternating distribution.

Methylaluminoxane-Free Chromium Catalytic System for Ethylene Tetramerization

Ethylene tetramerization catalyst systems comprising a Cr(III) complex containing PNP ligands and methylaluminoxane (MAO) are useful for the production of 1-octene. However, a concern with these systems is the use of expensive MAO in excess. Herein, we report a catalytic system that avoids the use of MAO. Metathesis of CrCl3(THF)3 and [(CH3CN)4Ag]+[B(C6F5)4]- afforded [L4CrIIICl2]+[B(C6F5)4]- (L = CH3CN or tetrahydrofuran (THF)), which was converted to [(PNP)CrCl2L2]+[B(C6F5)4]-, where PNP is iPrN(PPh2)2 (1) or [CH3(CH2)16]2CHN(PPh2)2 (2). The molecular structures of [(THF)4CrIIICl2]+[B(C6F5)4]- and [1-CrCl2(THF)2]+[B(C6F5)4]- were unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallography. The cationic (PNP)CrIII complexes paired with [B(C6F5)4]- anions, that is, [(PNP)CrCl2(CH3CN)2]+[B(C6F5)4]-, exhibited high activity in chlorobenzene when activated with common trialkylaluminum species (Me3Al, Et3Al, and iBu3Al). The activities and selectivity were comparable to those of the original MAO-based Sasol system (1-CrCl3/MAO). When activated with Et3Al or iBu3Al, the Cr complex, [2-CrCl2(CH3CN)2]+[B(C6F5)4]-, which bears long alkyl chains, showed high activity in the more desirable methylcyclohexane solvent (89 kg/g-Cr/h) and much higher activity in cyclohexene (168 kg/g-Cr/h). Other advantages of the [2-CrCl2(CH3CN)2]+[B(C6F5)4]-/Et3Al system in cyclohexene were negligible catalyst deactivation, formation of only a negligible amount of polyethylene side product (0.3%), and formation of fewer unwanted side products above C10. The [B(C6F5)4]- anion is compatible with trialkylaluminum species once it is not paired with a trityl cation. Hence, [(PNP)CrCl2(CH3CN)2]+[B(C6F5)4]-/Et3Al exhibited a significantly higher activity than that of a previously reported system composed of [Ph3C]+[B(C6F5)4]-, that is, 1/CrCl3(THF)3/[Ph3C]+[B(C6F5)4]-/Et3Al.

Catalytic applications of small bite-angle diphosphorus ligands with single-atom linkers

Diphosphorus ligands connected by a single atom (R₂PEPR₂; E = CR₂, CCR₂and NR) give chelating ligands with very small bite-angles as well as enable access to other properties such as bridging modes and hemilability. ThisPerspectivereviews the properties of diphosphorus ligands featuring a single-atom linker and their applications in catalysis, including transformations of alkenes and transfer hydrogenation and hydrogen-borrowing reactions.