Enhanced catalytic performance derived from coordination-driven structural switching between homometallic complexes and heterometallic polymeric materials

A bifunctional ligand 4,4-dimethyl-1-(pyridin-4-yl)pentane-1,3-dione (HL) able to provide two distinct coordination sites, i.e. anionic β-diketonate (after deprotonation) and neutral pyridine, has been used in the synthesis of Ag(I), Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes that then have been applied as metalloligands for the construction of new heterometallic polymeric materials. The ambidentate nature of L- enables switching between different modes of coordination within mononuclear complexes or their conversion into polymeric species in a fully controllable way. The coordination-driven processes can be triggered by various stimuli, i.e. a metal salt addition or acid-base equilibria, and presents an efficient strategy for the generation of metallosupramolecular materials. As a consequence of self-assembly, new multimetallic coordination aggregates have been synthesized and characterized in depth in solution (¹H NMR, ESI-MS) as well as in the solid state (XPS, SEM-EDS, FTIR, pXRD, TGA). Furthermore, the Pd-based assemblies have been found to be efficient catalyst precursors in the Heck cross-coupling reaction, demonstrating a direct impact of compositional and morphological differences on their catalytic activity.

Pd(II) Complexes with Pyridine Ligands: Substituent Effects on the NMR Data, Crystal Structures, and Catalytic Activity

A wide range of functionalized pyridine ligands have been employed to synthesize a variety of Pd(II) complexes of the general formulas [PdL₄](NO₃)₂ and [PdL₂Y₂], where L = 4-X-py and Y = Cl^– or NO₃^–. Their structures have been unambiguously established via analytical and spectroscopic methods in solution (NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry) as well as in the solid state (X-ray diffraction). This in-depth characterization has shown that the functionalization of ligand molecules with groups of either electron-withdrawing or -donating nature (EWG and EDG) results in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the desired coordination compounds. Downfield shifts of signals in the ¹H NMR spectra were observed upon coordination within and across the complex families, clearly indicating the relationship between NMR chemical shifts and the ligand basicity as estimated from pK_a values. A detailed crystallographic study has revealed the operation of a variety of weak interactions, which may be factors explaining aspects of the solution chemistry of the complexes. The Pd(II) complexes have been found to be efficient and versatile precatalysts in Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions within a scope of structurally distinct substrates, and factors have been identified that have contributed to efficiency improvement in both processes.

A wide range of pyridine derivatives have been employed to synthesize a variety of di- and tetrasubstituted Pd(II) complexes of square-planar geometry. This in-depth characterization has shown that the functionalization of ligand molecules with groups of either electron-withdrawing or -donating nature results in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the coordination compounds. Moreover, the complexes have been found to be of practical utility as efficient precatalysts for both Suzuki−Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions.

Charge Neutral [Cu2L2] and [Pd2L2] Metallocycles: Self-Assembly, Aggregation, and Catalysis

A range of morphologically distinct metallosupramolecular Cu(II) and Pd(II) complexes has been constructed, based on the tritopic ligand 1,1',1″-(benzene-1,3,5-triyl)tris(4,4-dimethylpentane-1,3-dione) (H₃L). By control of the reaction conditions, it is possible to generate distinct coordination assemblies possessing either macrocyclic or polymeric structures and more importantly distinct activity in catalysis of the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling.