Bimetallic complexes that merge metallocene and pincer-metal building blocks: synthesis, stereochemistry and catalytic reactivity

This perspective is to illustrate the synthesis and applications of bimetallic complexes by merging a metallocene and a (cyclopentadienyl/aryl) pincer metal complex. Four possible ways to merge metallocene and pincer-metal motifs are reported and representative examples are discussed in more detail. These bimetallic complexes have been employed in some important catalytic reactions such as cross-coupling, transfer hydrogenation or synthesis of ammonia. The metallocene fragment may tune the electronic properties of the pincer ligand, due to its redox reversible properties. Also, the presence of two metals in a single complex allows their electronic communication, which proved beneficial for, e.g., the catalytic activity of some species. The presence of the metallocene fragment provides an excellent opportunity to develop chiral catalysts, because the metallocene merger generally renders the two faces of the pincer-metal catalytic site diastereotopic. Besides, an extra chiral functionality may be added to the bimetallic species by using pincer motifs that are planar chiral, e.g. by using the different substituents of pincer ligand "arms" or non-symmetrical arene groupings. Post-functionalization of pre-formed pincer-metal complexes, via η⁶-coordination with an areneophile such as [CpRu]⁺ and [Cp*Ru]⁺ presents a striking strategy to obtain diastereomeric metallocene-pincer type derivatives, that actually involve half-sandwich metallocenes. This approach offers the possibility to create diastereomerically pure derivatives by using the chiral TRISPHAT anion. The authors hope that this report of the synthetic, physico-chemical properties and remarkable catalytic activities of metallocene-based pincer-metal complexes will inspire other researchers to continue exploring this realm.

Composition- and Condition-Dependent Kinetics of Homogeneous Ester Hydrogenation by a Mn-Based Catalyst

The reaction medium and conditions are the key parameters defining the efficiency and performance of a homogeneous catalyst. In the state-of-the-art molecular descriptions of catalytic systems by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the reaction medium is commonly reduced to an infinitely diluted ideal solution model. In this work, we carry out a detailed operando computational modeling analysis of the condition dependencies and nonideal solution effects on the mechanism and kinetics of a model ester hydrogenation reaction by a homogeneous Mn(I)-P,N catalyst. By combining DFT calculations, COSMO-RS solvent model, and the microkinetic modeling approach, the kinetic behavior of the multicomponent homogeneous catalyst system under realistic reaction conditions was investigated in detail. The effects of the reaction medium and its dynamic evolution in the course of the reaction were analyzed by comparing the results obtained for the model methyl acetate hydrogenation reaction in a THF solution and under solvent-free neat reaction conditions. The dynamic representations of the reaction medium give rise to strongly nonlinear effects in the kinetic models. The nonideal representation of the reaction medium results in pronounced condition dependencies of the computed energetics of the elementary reaction steps and the computed kinetic profiles but affects only slightly such experimentally accessible kinetic descriptors as the apparent activation energy and the degree of rate control.

Planar-Chiral P and N-bridged Diferrocenes

We describe the synthesis of planar-chiral diferrocene compounds 4, 7 and 12, intended as key precursors for a new family of asymmetric catalyst ligands with less complex structures than their popular equivalents. In contrast to conventional 1,2-disubstituted ferrocenes containing center-chiral and planar-chiral elements, these compounds are purely planar-chiral due to the absence of α-substiuted ethyl groups. The title compounds 4, 7 and 12 were obtained from known precursors in 87%, 59% and 60% yields, respectively.

Crystal structure of bis-{(S)-1-[2-(di-phenyl-phosphan-yl)ferrocen-yl]-(R)-eth-yl}ammonium bromide di-chloro-methane monosolvate

During the synthesis of an FeBr2 complex with the PNP ligand (R,R,SFc,SFc)-[Fe2(C5H5)2(C38H35NP2)] (1), single crystals of the di-chloro-methane monosolvate of the Br- salt of the protonated ligand 1H+ were obtained serendipitously, i.e. [Fe2(C5H5)2(C38H36NP2)]Br·CH2Cl2. The crystal structure of 1H·Br·CH2Cl2 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The mean bond lengths in the ferrocene units are Fe-C = 2.049 (3) Å and C-C = 1.422 (4) Å within the cyclo-penta-dienyl rings. The mean C-N bond length is 1.523 (4) Å. The inter-planar angle between the two connected cyclo-penta-dienyl rings is 49.2 (2)°. One ferrocene moiety adopts a staggered conformation, whereas the other is between staggered and eclipsed. The Br- ions and the CH2Cl2 mol-ecules are located in channels extending along <100>. One ammonium H atom forms a hydrogen bond with the Br- ion [H⋯Br = 2.32 (4) Å and C-H⋯Br = 172 (3)°]. The second ammonium H atom is not involved in hydrogen bonding.