Nitrogen oxyanion reduction by Co(ii) augmented by a proton responsive ligand: recruiting multiple metals

Reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide and generation of reactive chalcogen species by mononuclear Fe(II) and Zn(II) complexes of thiolate and selenolate

Comparative reactivity of a series of new Zn(II) and Fe(II) compounds, [(Py2ald)M(ER)] (E = S, R = Ph: M = Zn, 1aZn; M = Fe, 1aFe; E = S, R = 2,6-Me2-C6H3: M = Zn, 1bZn; M = Fe, 1bFe; E = Se, R = Ph: M = Zn, 2Zn; M = Fe, 2Fe), and [(Py2ald)M]22+ (M = Zn, 5Zn; M = Fe, 5Fe) is presented. Compound 1aZn could react with nitrite (NO2-) to produce [(Py2ald)Zn(ONO)] (3Zn), which, upon treatment with thiols and PhSeH (proton source), could regenerate either 1aZn/5Zn and 2Zn respectively, along with the production of nitric oxide (NO) where the yield of NO increases in the order tBuSH ≪ PhCH2SH < PhSH < PhSeH. In contrast to this, 1aFe, 2Fe and 5Fe could affect the direct reduction of NO2- in the absence of protons to generate NO and [{(Py2ald)(ONO)Fe}2-μ2-O] (8Fe). Moreover, 8Fe could regenerate 5Fe and 1aFe/2Fe upon treatment with 4 and 6 equiv. of PhEH (E = S/Se), respectively, along with the generation of NO. Finally, a comparative study of the mononuclear Zn(II) and Fe(II) compounds for the transfer of the coordinated thiolate/selenolate and the generation and transfer of reactive sulfur/selenium species (RES-, E = Se, S) to a series of organic substrates has been provided.

Recent Developments in Reactions and Catalysis of Protic Pyrazole Complexes

Protic pyrazoles (N-unsubstituted pyrazoles) have been versatile ligands in various fields, such as materials chemistry and homogeneous catalysis, owing to their proton-responsive nature. This review provides an overview of the reactivities of protic pyrazole complexes. The coordination chemistry of pincer-type 2,6-bis(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridines is first surveyed as a class of compounds for which significant advances have made in the last decade. The stoichiometric reactivities of protic pyrazole complexes with inorganic nitrogenous compounds are then described, which possibly relates to the inorganic nitrogen cycle in nature. The last part of this article is devoted to outlining the catalytic application of protic pyrazole complexes, emphasizing the mechanistic aspect. The role of the NH group in the protic pyrazole ligand and resulting metal-ligand cooperation in these transformations are discussed.

Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogen Oxyanions with a Redox-Active Cobalt Macrocycle Complex

The cobalt complex, [Co(CR)Br₂]⁺, where CR is the redox-active macrocycle 2,12-dimethyl-3,7,11,17-tetraazabicyclo-[11.3.1]-heptadeca-1(17),2,11,13,15-pentaene, has been investigated for the electrocatalytic reduction of aqueous NO₂^- and NO₃^-. At neutral pH, the bromide ligands are hydrolyzed, providing [Co(CR)(OH₂)(OH)]²⁺ as the major species in aqueous solution. In the presence of nitrite, [Co(CR)(NO₂)₂]⁺ is formed as the major species in solution and is a precursor to the electrocatalytic reduction of NO₂^-, which is selectively converted to ammonium with high Faradaic efficiency. There is evidence for both homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalysis. Although similar NO₃^- binding is not observed, electrocatalytic reduction to ammonium also occurs, albeit with a lower Faradaic efficiency. In this case, NO₂^- is generated as an intermediate product of NO₃^- reduction.

NO Generation from the Cross-Talks between Ene-diol Antioxidants and Nitrite at Metal Sites

The one-electron reduction of nitrite (NO₂^-) to nitric oxide (NO) and ene-diol oxidation are two important biochemical transformations. Employing mononuclear cobalt-nitrite complexes with Co^III and Co^II oxidation states, [(Bz₃Tren)Co^III(nitrite)₂](ClO₄) (1) and [(Bz₃Tren)Co^II(nitrite)](ClO₄) (2), this report illustrates NO release coupled to stepwise oxidation of ene-diol antioxidants such as l-ascorbic acid (AH₂) and catechol. Analysis of the AH₂ end-product reveals that the reaction with complex 1 affords dehydroascorbic acid. Intriguingly, a controlled oxidation of AH₂ with complex 2 results in a [Co^II]-bound ascorbyl radical-anion (8). Finally, NO release with the concomitant generation of metal-bound 3,5-di-tert-butyl-semiquinone radical anion from the reactions of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-catechol and [(Bz₃Tren)M^II(nitrite)](ClO₄) (2, M = Co; 4, M = Zn) provides mechanistic insights into the cross-talk between nitrite and ene-diols at the metal sites.

Bent and Linear {CoNO}8 Entities: Structure and Bonding in a Prototypic Class of Nitrosyls

Among the isoelectronic ligands CN^-, CO, and NO⁺, an oblique bonding to the metal is well-established for the nitrosyl ligand, with M-N-O angles down to ≈120°. In the last decades, the nitrosyl community got into the habit of addressing a bent-bonded nitrosyl ligand as ¹NO^-. Thus, because various redox forms of a nitrosyl ligand seem to exist, the ligand is considered to be "noninnocent" because of the obvious ambiguity of an oxidation state (OS) assignment of the ligand and metal. Among the bent-bonded species, the low-spin {CoNO}⁸ class is prototypic. From this class, some 20 new nitrosyl compounds, the X-ray structure determinations of which comply with strict quality criteria, were analyzed with respect to the OS issue. As a result, the effective OS method shows a low-spin d⁸ Co^I-NO⁺ couple instead of a negative OS of the ligand at the BP86/def2-TZVP (+D3, +CPCM with infinite permittivity) level of theory. The same holds for some new members of the linear subclass of {CoNO}⁸ compounds. For all compounds, a largely invariable "real" charge of ≈ -0.3 e was obtained from population analyses. All of these electron-rich d⁸ species strive to manage Pauli repulsion between the metal electrons and the lone pair at the nitrosyl's nitrogen atom, with the bending of the CoNO unit as the most frequent escape.

A proton-responsive ligand becomes a dimetal linker for multisubstrate assembly via nitrate deoxygenation

A bidentate pyrazolylpyridine ligand (HL) was installed on divalent nickel to give [(HL)2Ni(NO3)]NO3. This compound reacts with a bis-silylated heterocycle, 1,4-bis-(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-diaza-2,5-cyclohexadiene (TMS2Pz) to simultaneously reduce one of the nitrate ligands and deprotonate one of the HL ligands, giving octahedral (HL)(L-)Ni(NO3). The mononitrate species formed is then further reacted with TMS2Pz to doubly deoxygenate nitrate and form [(L-)Ni(NO)]2, dimeric via bridging pyrazolate with bent nitrosyl ligands, representing a two-electron reduction of coordinated nitrate. Independent synthesis of a dimeric species [(L-)Ni(Br)]2 is reported and effectively assembles two metals with better atom economy.

Back donation, intramolecular electron transfer and N-O bond scission targeting nitrogen oxyanion reduction: how can a metal complex assist?

A density functional theory exploration studies a range of ancillary coordinated ligands accompanying nitrogen oxyanions with the goal of promoting back donation towards varied nitrogen oxidation states. Evaluation of a suite of Ru and Rh metal complexes reveals minimum back donation to the κ¹-nitrogen oxyanion ligand, even upon one-electron reduction. This reveals some surprising consequences of reduction, including redox activity at pyridine and nitrogen oxyanion dissociation. Bidentate nitrate was therefore considered, where ancillary ligands enforce geometries that maximize M-NO_x orbital overlap. This strategy is successful and leads to full electron transfer in several cases to form a pyramidal radical NO₃^2- ligand. The impact of ancillary ligand on degree of nitrate reduction is probed by comparing the powerful o-donor tris-carbene borate (TCB) to a milder donor, tris-pyrazolyl borate (Tp). This reveals that with the milder Tp donor, nitrate reduction is only seen upon addition of a Lewis base. Protonation of neutral and anionic (TCB)Ru(κ²-NO₃) at both terminal and internal oxygens reveals exergonic N-O bond cleavage for the reduced species, with one electron coming from Ru, yielding a Ru^III hydroxide product. Comparison of H⁺ to Na⁺ electrophile shows weaker progress towards N-O bond scission. Finally, calculations on (TCB)Fe(κ²-NO₃) and [(TCB)Fe(κ²-NO₃)]^- show that electron transfer to nitrate is possible even with an earth abundant 3d metal.