Catalytic Activity of Molybdenum Complexes Bearing PNP-Type Pincer Ligand toward Ammonia Formation

We newly designed and prepared a novel molybdenum complex bearing a 4-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand, based on the bond dissociation free energies (BDFEs) of the N-H bonds in molybdenum-imide complexes bearing various substituted pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligands. The complex worked as an excellent catalyst toward ammonia formation from the reaction of an atmospheric pressure of dinitrogen with samarium diiodide as a reductant and water as a proton source under ambient reaction conditions, where up to 3580 equivalents of ammonia were formed based on the molybdenum atom of the catalyst. The catalytic activity was significantly improved by one order of magnitude larger than that observed when using the complex before modification.

Design, synthesis and reactivity of dimolybdenum complex bearing quaterphenylene-bridged pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand

Dimolybdenum complexes bearing 3,3'''-(1,1':3',1'':3'',1'''-quaterphenylene)-bridged pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand are designed and prepared according to DFT calculations on the cleavage step of dinitrogen-bridged dimolybdenum complexes bearing polyphenylene-bridged pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligands. The dimolybdenum complexes are found to work as effective catalysts toward ammonia formation from dinitrogen with samarium diiodide as a reductant and water as a proton source under ambient reaction conditions.

Coordination Structure of Samarium Diiodide in a Tetrahydrofuran-Water Mixture

Chemoselective reductive conversion of organic and inorganic compounds has been developed by the combination of samarium(II) diiodide (SmI₂) and water. Despite the extensive previous studies to elucidate the role of water in the reactivity of SmI₂, the direct structural data of the reactive Sm²⁺-water complexes, SmI₂(H₂O)_n, in an organic solvent-water mixture have not been reported experimentally so far. Herein, we performed the structure analysis of the Sm²⁺-water complex in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the presence of water by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy using high-energy X-rays (Sm K-edge, 46.8 keV). The analysis revealed the dissociation of the Sm²⁺-I bonds in the presence of ≥ eight equivalents of water in the THF-water mixture. The origin of the peak shift in the UV/visible absorption spectra after the addition of water into SmI₂/THF solution was proposed based on electron transitions simulated with time-dependent density-functional-theory calculations using optimized structures in THF or water. The obtained structural information provides the fundamental insights for elucidating the reactivity and chemoselectivity in the Sm²⁺-water complex system.

Direct synthesis of cyanate anion from dinitrogen catalysed by molybdenum complexes bearing pincer-type ligand

Dinitrogen is an abundant and promising material for valuable organonitrogen compounds containing carbon-nitrogen bonds. Direct synthetic methods for preparing organonitrogen compounds from dinitrogen as a starting reagent under mild reaction conditions give insight into the sustainable production of valuable organonitrogen compounds with reduced fossil fuel consumption. Here we report the catalytic reaction for the formation of cyanate anion (NCO^-) from dinitrogen under ambient reaction conditions. A molybdenum-carbamate complex bearing a pyridine-based 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)pyridine (PNP)-pincer ligand is synthesized from the reaction of a molybdenum-nitride complex with phenyl chloroformate. The conversion between the molybdenum-carbamate complex and the molybdenum-nitride complex under ambient reaction conditions is achieved. The use of samarium diiodide (SmI₂) as a reductant promotes the formation of NCO^- from the molybdenum-carbamate complex as a key step. As a result, we demonstrate a synthetic cycle for NCO^- from dinitrogen mediated by the molybdenum-PNP complexes in two steps. Based on this synthetic cycle, we achieve the catalytic synthesis of NCO^- from dinitrogen under ambient reaction conditions.

Effect of Propargylic Substituents on Enantioselectivity and Reactivity in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Propargylic Substitution Reactions: A DFT Study

We recently proposed a transition-state model for asymmetric propargylic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohols catalyzed by optically active thiolate-bridged diruthenium complexes [Chem. - Asian J.2021, 16, 3760-3766]. In the present study, we further examined the effects of propargylic substituents on both enantioselectivity and reactivity in the propargylic substitution reactions via ωB97X-D-level density functional theory (DFT) calculations. When the propargylic alcohol bears a methyl group at the propargylic position, we obtained results that contrast with the result of our previous study on propargylic alcohols without methyl groups. This result indicates that methyl group substitution at the propargylic position reverses the stereoselectivity. Substitution of a trifluoromethyl group for a methyl group was suggested to result in higher enantioselectivity. The obtained results are consistent with the experimental study on enantioselective propargylic phosphinylation reactions reported by our group.

Catalytic Reduction of Dinitrogen into Ammonia and Hydrazine by Using Chromium Complexes Bearing PCP-Type Pincer Ligands

A series of chromium-halide, -nitride, and -dinitrogen complexes bearing carbene- and phosphine-based PCP-type pincer ligands has been newly prepared, and some of them are found to work as effective catalysts to reduce dinitrogen under atmospheric pressure, whereby up to 11.60 equiv. of ammonia and 2.52 equiv. of hydrazine (16.6 equiv. of fixed N atom) are produced based on the chromium atom. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful example of chromium-catalyzed conversion of dinitrogen to ammonia and hydrazine under mild reaction conditions.

Synthesis and Reactivity of Cobalt-Dinitrogen Complexes Bearing Anionic PCP-Type Pincer Ligands toward Catalytic Silylamine Formation from Dinitrogen

A series of cobalt(I)-dinitrogen complexes bearing anionic 4-substituted benzene-based PCP-type pincer ligands are synthesized and characterized. These complexes work as highly efficient catalysts for the formation of silylamine from dinitrogen under ambient reaction conditions to produce up to 371 equiv of silylamine based on the cobalt atom of the catalyst.

Reactivity of molybdenum-nitride complex bearing pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand toward carbon-centered electrophiles

A molybdenum-nitride complex bearing a pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand derived from dinitrogen is reacted with various kinds of carbon-centered electrophiles to functionalize the nitride ligand in the molybdenum complex. Methylation with MeOTf and acylation with diphenylacetyl chloride of the nitride complex afford the corresponding imide complexes via a carbon-nitrogen bond formation. In the case of reactions with phenylisocyanate and diphenylketene, the PNP ligand works as a non-innocent ligand to form the corresponding ureate and acylimide complexes, respectively. These newly synthesized complexes are characterized by X-ray analysis. As a further transformation of the prepared imide complexes, hydrolysis of the molybdenum-acylimide complex proceeds to give the corresponding amide as an organonitrogen compound together with the corresponding molybdenum-oxo complex. This result indicates that the nitrogen molecule is converted into organic amide mediated by the molybdenum-nitride complex.

Enantioselectivity in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Propargylic Substitution Reactions of Propargylic Alcohols with Acetone: A DFT Study

The enantioselectivity in the propargylic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohols with acetone catalyzed by optically active thiolate-bridged diruthenium complexes was examined via ωB97X-D level DFT calculations. Some structures with intramolecular dispersion interactions between ligands were found for the ruthenium-allenylidene complex, which is the key intermediate in the catalytic reaction, and it was determined that the structure corresponding to the X-ray crystal structure, which had provided the transition state model for the enantioselectivity in previous studies, was not the most stable among the obtained structures. Then, a variety of transition-state structures for the nucleophilic attack of prop-1-ene-2-ol, which is the enol isomer of acetone, on the γ-carbon of the ruthenium-allenylidene complex were explored. Among the transition-state structures with lower energies, the number of structures leading to the major (R) product was found to be larger than that of structures leading to the minor (S) product, providing enantioselectivity in terms of probability distributions. The introduction of a phenyl group in the thiolate ligand was suggested to increase the selectivity. Thus, we propose the novel transition state model for the asymmetric catalytic reaction system.

Ruthenium- and Copper-Catalyzed Propargylic Substitution Reactions of Propargylic Alcohol Derivatives with Hydrazones

Ruthenium- and copper-catalyzed propargylic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohol derivatives with N-monosubstituted hydrazones as ambident nucleophiles are achieved in which N-monosubstituted hydrazones exhibit impressive different reactivities depending on different catalytic systems, behaving as carbon-centered nucleophiles to give the corresponding propargylic alkylated products in ruthenium catalysis, or as nitrogen-centered nucleophiles to afford the corresponding propargylic aminated products in copper catalysis. DFT calculations were carried out to investigate the detailed reaction pathways of these two systems. Further transformation of propargylic substituted products affords the corresponding multisubstituted pyrazoles as cyclization products in good to high yields.

Ruthenium- and Copper-Catalyzed Propargylic Substitution Reactions of Propargylic Alcohol Derivatives with Hydrazones

Invited for the cover of this issue are Ken Sakata, Yoshiaki Nishibayashi, and co-workers at The University of Tokyo and Toho University. The image depicts the propargylic substitution reaction of a propargylic alcohol with an N-monosubstituted hydrazone, where the nucleophilicity of the hydrazone is controlled by the choice of catalytic system. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202103287.

Cooperative Photoredox- and Nickel-Catalyzed Alkylative Cyclization Reactions of Alkynes with 4-Alkyl-1,4-dihydropyridines

Cooperative photoredox- and nickel-catalyzed alkylative cyclization reactions of iodoalkynes with 4-alkyl-1,4-dihydropyridines as alkylation reagents under visible light irradiation have been achieved to afford the corresponding alkylated cyclopentylidenes in good to high yields. Introduction of substituents at the propargylic position of iodoalkynes has led to the stereoselective formation of E-isomers. The present reaction system provides a novel synthetic method for alkylative cyclization reactions of both terminal and internal alkynes with cooperative photoredox and nickel catalysis.

Manganese-Catalyzed Ammonia Oxidation into Dinitrogen under Chemical or Electrochemical Conditions*

Earth-abundant metal-catalyzed oxidative conversion of ammonia into dinitrogen is a promising process to utilize ammonia as a transportation fuel. Herein, we report the manganese-catalyzed ammonia oxidation under chemical or electrochemical conditions using a manganese complex bearing (1S,2S)-N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine. Under chemical conditions using oxidant, up to 17.1 equivalents of N₂ per catalyst are generated. Also, mechanistic studies by stoichiometric reactions reveal that a nucleophilic attack of ammonia on manganese nitrogenous species occurs to form a nitrogen-nitrogen bond leading to dinitrogen. Moreover, we conduct density functional theory (DFT) calculations to confirm the plausible reaction mechanism. In addition, this reaction system is applicable under electrochemical conditions. The catalytic reaction proceeds with 96 % faradaic efficiency (FE) in bulk electrolysis to give up to 6.56 equivalents of N₂ per catalyst.

Ammonia Formation Catalyzed by a Dinitrogen-Bridged Dirhenium Complex Bearing PNP-Pincer Ligands under Mild Reaction Conditions*

A series of rhenium complexes bearing a pyridine-based PNP-type pincer ligand are synthesized from rhenium phosphine complexes as precursors. A dinitrogen-bridged dirhenium complex bearing the PNP-type pincer ligands catalytically converts dinitrogen into ammonia during the reaction with KC₈ as a reductant and [HPCy₃ ]BAr^F ₄ (Cy=cyclohexyl, Ar^F =3,5-(CF₃ )₂ C₆ H₃ ) as a proton source at -78 °C to afford 8.4 equiv of ammonia based on the rhenium atom of the catalyst. The rhenium-dinitrogen complex also catalyzes silylation of dinitrogen in the reaction with KC₈ as a reductant and Me₃ SiCl as a silylating reagent under ambient reaction conditions to afford 11.7 equiv of tris(trimethylsilyl)amine based on the rhenium atom of the catalyst. These results demonstrate the first successful example of catalytic nitrogen fixation under mild reaction conditions using rhenium-dinitrogen complexes as catalysts.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Propargylic Phosphinylation of Propargylic Alcohols with Phosphine Oxides

The development of transition metal-catalyzed enantioselective propargylic substitution reactions has gained much progress in recent years, however, no successful example with phosphorus-centered nucleophiles has yet been reported until now. Herein, we report the first successful example of ruthenium-catalyzed enantioselective propargylic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohols with diarylphosphine oxides as phosphorus-centered nucleophiles. This synthetic approach provides a new method to prepare chiral phosphorus-containing organic compounds.

Comprehensive insights into synthetic nitrogen fixation assisted by molecular catalysts under ambient or mild conditions

N2 is fixed as NH3 industrially by the Haber-Bosch process under harsh conditions, whereas biological nitrogen fixation is achieved under ambient conditions, which has prompted development of alternative methods to fix N2 catalyzed by transition metal molecular complexes. Since the early 21st century, catalytic conversion of N2 into NH3 under ambient conditions has been achieved by using molecular catalysts, and now H2O has been utilized as a proton source with turnover frequencies reaching the values found for biological nitrogen fixation. In this review, recent advances in the development of molecular catalysts for synthetic N2 fixation under ambient or mild conditions are summarized, and potential directions for future research are also discussed.

Catalytic conversion of nitrogen molecule into ammonia using molybdenum complexes under ambient reaction conditions

Nitrogen fixation using homogeneous transition metal complexes under mild reaction conditions is a challenging topic in the field of chemistry. Several successful examples of the catalytic conversion of nitrogen molecule into ammonia using various transition metal complexes in the presence of reductants and proton sources have been reported so far, together with detailed investigations on the reaction mechanism. Among these, only molybdenum complexes have been shown to serve as effective catalysts under ambient reaction conditions, in stark contrast with other transition metal-catalysed reactions that proceed at low reaction temperature such as -78 °C. In this feature article, we classify the molybdenum-catalysed reactions into four types: reactions via the Schrock cycle, reactions via dinuclear reaction systems, reactions via direct cleavage of the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond of dinitrogen, and reactions via the Chatt-type cycle. We describe these catalytic systems focusing on the catalytic activity and mechanistic investigations. We hope that the present feature article provides useful information to develop more efficient nitrogen fixation systems under mild reaction conditions.

Synthesis of 1,2,4-azadiphosphole derivatives based on vanadium-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition reactions of azobenzenes with phosphaalkynes

A new synthetic method is described to construct 1,2,4-azadiphosphole derivatives based on vanadium-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition reactions. Reactions of azobenzenes as nitrogen sources with phosphaalkynes as phosphorous counterparts in the presence of VCl₂(thf)₂ as a catalyst afford the corresponding 1,2,4-azadiphospholes.

Vanadium-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition reactions opened a new access to phosphorous-heterocycles.

Structural characterization of molybdenum–dinitrogen complex as key species toward ammonia formation by dispersive XAFS spectroscopy

Dispersive XAFS (DXAFS) was used for the structural characterization of a hardly-isolatable molybdenum–dinitrogen complex bearing a PNP-type pincer ligand.

Preparation and reactivity of molybdenum complexes bearing pyrrole-based PNP-type pincer ligand

Molybdenum complexes bearing an anionic pyrrole-based PNP-type pincer ligand have been prepared and have been found to work as catalysts for the conversion of N₂ into NH₃ under ambient conditions.

Catalytic reduction of dinitrogen to tris(trimethylsilyl)amine using rhodium complexes with a pyrrole-based PNP-type pincer ligand

Rhodium complexes bearing an anionic pyrrole-based PNP-type pincer ligand are synthesised and found to work as effective catalysts for the transformation of molecular dinitrogen into tris(trimethylsilyl)amine under mild reaction conditions. This is the first successful example of rhodium-catalysed dinitrogen reduction under mild reaction conditions.

A Practical Synthesis of Ammonia from Nitrogen Gas, Samarium Diiodide and Water Catalyzed by a Molybdenum–PCP Pincer Complex

A practical method for ammonia synthesis is described. The reaction of atmospheric pressure of nitrogen gas with samarium diiodide as a reducing reagent and water as a proton source in the presence of a catalytic amount of a molybdenum trichloride complex bearing a PCP [1,3-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzimidazol-2-ylidene]-type pincer ligand occurs under ambient conditions to afford ammonium sulfate after treatment with sulfuric acid.