Mechanistic Investigations of the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Enamides with Neutral Bis(phosphine) Cobalt Precatalysts.

The mechanism of the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral enamides by well-defined, neutral bis(phosphine) cobalt(0) and cobalt(II) precatalysts has been explored using(R,R)-iPrDuPhos ((R,R)-iPrDuPhos = (+)-1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-diisopropylphospholano]benzene) as a representative chiral bis(phosphine) ligand. A series of (R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co(enamide) (enamide = methyl-2-acetamidoacrylate (MAA), methyl(Z)-α-acetamidocinnamate (MAC), and methyl(Z)-acetamido(4-fluorophenyl)acrylate (4FMAC)) complexes (1-MAA, 1-MAC, and 1-4FMAC), as well as a dinuclear cobalt tetrahydride, [(R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co]2(µ2-H)3(H) (2), were independently synthesized, characterized, and evaluated in both stoichiometric and catalytic hydrogenation reactions. Characterization of (R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co(enamide) complexes by X-ray diffraction established the formation of the pro-(R) diastereomers in contrast to the (S)-alkane products obtained from the catalytic reaction. In situ monitoring of the cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation reactions by UV-visible and freeze-quench electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies revealed (R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co(enamide) complexes as the catalyst resting state for all the three enamides studied. Variable time normalization analysis kinetic studies of the cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation reactions in methanol established a rate law that is first order in (R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co(enamide) and H2 but independent of the enamide concentration. Deuterium-labeling studies, including measurement of an H2/D2 kinetic isotope effect and catalytic hydrogenations with HD, established an irreversible H2 addition step to the bound enamide. Density functional theory calculations support that this step is both rate and selectivity determining. Calculations, as well as HD-labeling studies, provide evidence for two-electron redox cycling involving cobalt(0) and cobalt(II) intermediates during the catalytic cycle. Taken together, these experiments support an unsaturated pathway for the [(R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co]-catalyzed hydrogenation of prochiral enamides.

Effects of Zn2+ and Ga3+ doping on the quantum yield of cluster-derived InP quantum dots.

As the commercial display market grows, the demand for low-toxicity, highly emissive, and size-tunable semiconducting nanoparticles has increased. Indium phosphide quantum dots represent a promising solution to these challenges; unfortunately, they typically suffer from low inherent emissivity resulting from charge carrier trapping. Strategies to improve the emissive characteristics of indium phosphide often involve zinc incorporation into or onto the core itself and the fabrication of core/shell heterostructures. InP clusters are high fidelity platforms for studying processes such as cation exchange and surface doping with exogenous ions since these clusters are used as single-source precursors for quantum dot synthesis. Here, we examined the incorporation of zinc and gallium ions in InP clusters and the use of the resultant doped clusters as single-source precursors to emissive heterostructured nanoparticles. Zinc ions were observed to readily react with InP clusters, resulting in partial cation exchange, whereas gallium resisted cluster incorporation. Zinc-doped clusters effectively converted to emissive nanoparticles, with quantum yields strongly correlated with zinc content. On the other hand, gallium-doped clusters failed to demonstrate improvements in quantum dot emission. These results indicate stark differences in the mechanisms associated with aliovalent and isovalent doping and provide insight into the use of doped clusters to make emissive quantum dots.

Effects of Surface Chemistry on the Photophysics of Colloidal InP Nanocrystals.

Indium phosphide (InP) semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) provide a promising alternative to traditional heavy-metal-based luminescent materials for lighting and display technologies, and implementation of InP NCs in consumer products is rapidly increasing. As-synthesized InP NCs typically have very low photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY), however. Although empirical methods have led to NCs with near-unity PLQYs, a fundamental understanding of how specific synthetic and post-synthetic protocols can alter the electronic landscape of InP NCs is still lacking. Here, we have studied a series of homologous InP NCs prepared from InP clusters using a combination of room-temperature and low-temperature time-resolved spectroscopies to elucidate how specific charge-carrier trapping processes are affected when various surface modifications are performed. The data allow identification of large PLQY increases that occur specifically through elimination of surface electron traps and provide a rationale for understanding the microscopic origins of this trap suppression in terms of elimination of undercoordinated surface In3+ ions. Despite essentially complete elimination of surface electron trapping when surface In3+ is addressed, hole trapping still exists. This hole trapping is shown to be partially suppressed by even very thin shell growth, attributable to elimination of undercoordinated surface phosphides. We also observe signatures of bright-dark excitonic splitting in InP NCs with only submonolayer surface coverage of select additives (divalent Lewis acids or fluoride anions)-signatures that have only been previously observed in thick-shelled InP NCs. Together, these synthetic and spectroscopic results improve our understanding of relationships between specific InP NC surface chemistries and the resulting NC photophysics.

Synthesis of In37P20(O2CR)51 Clusters and Their Conversion to InP Quantum Dots.

This text presents a method for the synthesis of In37P20(O2C14H27)51 clusters and their conversion to indium phosphide quantum dots. The In37P20(O2CR)51 clusters have been observed as intermediates in the synthesis of InP quantum dots from molecular precursors (In(O2CR)3, HO2CR, and P(SiMe3)3) and may be isolated as a pure reagent for subsequent study and use as a single-source precursor. These clusters readily convert to crystalline and relatively monodisperse samples of quasi-spherical InP quantum dots when subjected to thermolysis conditions in the absence of additional precursors above 200 °C. The optical properties, morphology, and structure of both the clusters and quantum dots are confirmed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. The molecular symmetry of the clusters is additionally confirmed by solution-phase 31P NMR spectroscopy. This protocol demonstrates the preparation and isolation of atomically-precise InP clusters, and their reliable and scalable conversion to InP QDs.

Syntheses and Catalytic Hydrogenation Performance of Cationic Bis(phosphine) Cobalt(I) Diene and Arene Compounds.

Chloride abstraction from [(R,R)-(iPr DuPhos)Co(µ-Cl)]2 with NaBArF 4 (BArF 4 =B[(3,5-(CF3 )2 )C6 H3 ]4 ) in the presence of dienes, such as 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD) or norbornadiene (NBD), yielded long sought-after cationic bis(phosphine) cobalt complexes, [(R,R)-(iPr DuPhos)Co(η2 ,η2 -diene)][BArF 4 ]. The COD complex proved substitutionally labile undergoing diene substitution with tetrahydrofuran, NBD, or arenes. The resulting 18-electron, cationic cobalt(I) arene complexes, as well as the [(R,R)-(iPr DuPhos)Co(diene)][BArF 4 ] derivatives, proved to be highly active and enantioselective precatalysts for asymmetric alkene hydrogenation. A cobalt-substrate complex, [(R,R)-(iPr DuPhos)Co(MAA)][BArF 4 ] (MAA=methyl 2-acetamidoacrylate) was crystallographically characterized as the opposite diastereomer to that expected for productive hydrogenation demonstrating a Curtin-Hammett kinetic regime similar to rhodium catalysis.

Carboxylate Anchors Act as Exciton Reporters in 1.3 nm Indium Phosphide Nanoclusters.

Developing interfacial probes of ligand-nanocluster interactions is crucial for understanding and tailoring the optoelectronic properties of these emerging nanomaterials. Using transient IR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that ligand vibrational modes of oleate-capped 1.3 nm InP nanoclusters report on the photogenerated exciton. The exciton induces an intensity change in the asymmetric carboxylate stretching mode by 57% while generating no appreciable shift in frequency. Thus, the observed difference signal is attributed to an exciton-induced change in the dipole magnitude of the asymmetric carboxylate stretching mode. Additionally, the transient IR data reveal that the infrared dipole change is dependent on the geometry of the ligand bound to the nanocluster. The experimental results are interpreted using TDDFT calculations, which identify how the spatial dependence of an exciton-induced electron density shift affects the vibrational motion of the carboxylate anchors. More broadly, this work demonstrates transient IR spectroscopy as a useful method for characterizing ligand-nanocluster coupling interactions.

Conversion of InP Clusters to Quantum Dots.

Understanding and deconvoluting the different mechanisms involved in the synthesis of nanomaterials is necessary to make uniform materials with desirable function. In this study, in situ spectroscopic methods were used to study exchange reactions at the surface of indium phosphide clusters, revealing that the cluster surface lacks significant dynamics on the NMR time-scale at room temperature. The exchange of surface carboxylate ligands can be induced at elevated temperatures and with the addition of carboxylic acid and indium carboxylate. These studies suggest that carboxylate may be a key ingredient in promoting cluster dissolution to larger nanostructures. Toward this end, the evolution of InP clusters was examined by in situ UV-vis spectroscopy, revealing cluster dissolution and renucleation that is dramatically dependent on the concentration of carboxylate. In addition to the concentration of exogenous ligands, the rate of particle growth and final product distribution were dependent on temperature and initial cluster concentration. These results, taken together, suggest a mechanism of cluster evolution involving cluster dissociation to form multiple reactive monomer species that renucleate and grow to larger nanomaterials. Nonproductive monomer degradation is observed in the lower temperature regime (<200 °C), suggesting a critical temperature threshold for efficient cluster to quantum dot conversion.

Conversion Reactions of Atomically Precise Semiconductor Clusters.

Clusters are unique molecular species that can be viewed as a bridge between phases of matter and thus between disciplines of chemistry. The structural and compositional complexity observed in cluster chemistry serves as an inspiration to the material science community and motivates our search for new phases of matter. Moreover, the formation of kinetically persistent cluster molecules as intermediates in the nucleation of crystals makes these materials of great interest for determining and controlling mechanisms of crystal growth. Our lab developed a keen interest in clusters insofar as they relate to the nucleation of nanoscale semiconductors and the modeling of postsynthetic reaction chemistry of colloidal materials. In particular, our discovery of a structurally unique In37P20X51 (X = carboxylate) cluster en route to InP quantum dots has catalyzed our interest in all aspects of cluster conversion, including the use of clusters as precursors to larger nanoscale colloids and as platforms for examining postsynthetic reaction chemistry. This Account is presented in four parts. First, we introduce cluster chemistry in a historical context with a focus on main group, metallic, and semiconductor clusters. We put forward the concept of rational, mechanism-driven design of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals as the primary motivation for the studies we have undertaken. Second, we describe the role of clusters as intermediates both in the synthesis of well-known material phases and in the discovery of unprecedented nanomaterial structures. The primary distinction between these two approaches is one of kinetics; in the case of well-known phases, we are often operating under high-temperature thermolysis conditions, whereas for materials discovery, we are discovering strategies to template the growth of kinetic phases as dictated by the starting cluster structure. Third, we describe reactions of clusters as model systems for their larger nanomaterial progeny with a primary focus on cation exchange. In the case of InP, cation exchange in larger nanostructures has been challenging due to the covalent nature of the crystal lattice. However, in the higher energy, strained cluster intermediates, cation exchange can be accomplished even at room temperature. This opens opportunities for accessing doped and alloyed nanomaterials using postsynthetically modified clusters as single-source precursors. Finally, we present surface chemistry of clusters as the gateway to subsequent chemistry and reactivity, and as an integral component of cluster structure and stability. Taken as a whole, we hope to make a compelling case for using clusters as a platform for mechanistic investigation and materials discovery.

Deterministic Positioning of Colloidal Quantum Dots on Silicon Nitride Nanobeam Cavities.

Engineering an array of precisely located cavity-coupled active media poses a major experimental challenge in the field of hybrid integrated photonics. We deterministically position solution-processed colloidal quantum dots (QDs) on high quality (Q)-factor silicon nitride nanobeam cavities and demonstrate light-matter coupling. By lithographically defining a window on top of an encapsulated cavity that is cladded in a polymer resist, and spin coating the QD solution, we can precisely control the placement of the QDs, which subsequently couple to the cavity. We show rudimentary control of the number of QDs coupled to the cavity by modifying the size of the window. Furthermore, we demonstrate Purcell enhancement and saturable photoluminescence in this QD-cavity platform. Finally, we deterministically position QDs on a photonic molecule and observe QD-coupled cavity supermodes. Our results pave the way for precisely controlling the number of QDs coupled to a cavity by engineering the window size, the QD dimension, and the solution chemistry and will allow advanced studies in cavity enhanced single photon emission, ultralow power nonlinear optics, and quantum many-body simulations with interacting photons.

Cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of enamides enabled by single-electron reduction.

Identifying catalyst activation modes that exploit one-electron chemistry and overcome associated deactivation pathways will be transformative for developing first-row transition metal catalysts with performance equal or, ideally, superior to precious metals. Here we describe a zinc-activation method compatible with high-throughput reaction discovery that identified scores of cobalt-phosphine combinations for the asymmetric hydrogenation of functionalized alkenes. An optimized catalyst prepared from (R,R)-Ph-BPE {Ph-BPE, 1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-diphenylphospholano]ethane} and cobalt chloride [CoCl2·6H2O] exhibited high activity and enantioselectivity in protic media and enabled the asymmetric synthesis of the epilepsy medication levetiracetam at 200-gram scale with 0.08 mole % catalyst loading. Stoichiometric studies established that the cobalt (II) catalyst precursor (R,R)-Ph-BPECoCl2 underwent ligand displacement by methanol, and zinc promoted facile one-electron reduction to cobalt (I), which more stably bound the phosphine.

Main-Group-Semiconductor Cluster Molecules as Synthetic Intermediates to Nanostructures.

Main-group-semiconductor clusters are attractive atomically precise precursors for materials design. In particular, magic-sized clusters, those with elevated thermodynamic stability relative to other clusters of similar size, have been implicated as important intermediates in the synthesis of semiconductor nanostructures. A survey of the literature on the intermediacy of clusters in nanomaterial synthesis reveals two predominant mechanistic trends: monomer-driven growth and cluster assembly. In this Forum Article, we compare and contrast the systems in which these mechanisms are operative and attempt to extract the emerging design principles governing these transformations. Additionally, we highlight the gaps in our understanding of this emerging area of science and provide a roadmap for future reaction development.

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Alkene Hydrogenation of α,ß-Unsaturated Esters: High-Throughput Experimentation-Enabled Reaction Discovery, Optimization, and Mechanistic Elucidation.

A highly active and enantioselective phosphine-nickel catalyst for the asymmetric hydrogenation of α,ß-unsaturated esters has been discovered. The coordination chemistry and catalytic behavior of nickel halide, acetate, and mixed halide-acetate with chiral bidentate phosphines have been explored and deuterium labeling studies, the method of continuous variation, nonlinear studies, and kinetic measurements have provided mechanistic understanding. Activation of molecular hydrogen by a trimeric (Me-DuPhos)3Ni3(OAc)5I complex was established as turnover limiting followed by rapid conjugate addition of a nickel hydride and nonselective protonation to release the substrate. In addition to reaction discovery and optimization, the previously unreported utility high-throughput experimentation for mechanistic elucidation is also described.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Minimally Functionalized Alkenes: Isotopic Labeling Provides Insight into the Origin of Stereoselectivity and Alkene Insertion Preferences.

The asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic alkenes lacking coordinating functionality with a C1-symmetric bis(imino)pyridine cobalt catalyst is described and has been applied to the synthesis of important substructures found in natural products and biologically active compounds. High activities and enantioselectivities were observed with substituted benzo-fused five-, six-, and seven-membered alkenes. The stereochemical outcome was dependent on both the ring size and exo/endo disposition. Deuterium labeling experiments support rapid and reversible 2,1-insertion that is unproductive for generating alkane product but accounts for the unusual isotopic distribution in deuterated alkanes. Analysis of the stereochemical outcome of the hydrogenated products coupled with isotopic labeling, stoichiometric, and kinetic studies established 1,2-alkene insertion as both turnover limiting and enantiodetermining with no evidence for erosion of cobalt alkyl stereochemistry by competing ß-hydrogen elimination processes. A stereochemical model accounting for the preferred antipodes of the alkanes is proposed and relies on the subtle influence of the achiral aryl imine substituent on the cobalt catalyst.

Bis(phosphine)cobalt dialkyl complexes for directed catalytic alkene hydrogenation.

Planar, low-spin cobalt(II) dialkyl complexes bearing bidentate phosphine ligands, (P-P)Co(CH2SiMe3)2, are active for the hydrogenation of geminal and 1,2-disubstituted alkenes. Hydrogenation of more hindered internal and endocyclic trisubstituted alkenes was achieved through hydroxyl group activation, an approach that also enables directed hydrogenations to yield contrasteric isomers of cyclic alkanes.

Cobalt precursors for high-throughput discovery of base metal asymmetric alkene hydrogenation catalysts.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of alkenes is one of the most widely used methods for the preparation of single enantiomer compounds, especially in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. For more than four decades, precious metal complexes containing rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium have been predominantly used as catalysts. Here, we report rapid evaluation of libraries of chiral phosphine ligands with a set of simple cobalt precursors. From these studies, base metal precatalysts have been discovered for the hydrogenation of functionalized and unfunctionalized olefins with high enantiomeric excesses, demonstrating the potential utility of more earth-abundant metals in asymmetric hydrogenation.

Mechanistic studies of ethylene hydrophenylation catalyzed by bipyridyl Pt(II) complexes.

Cationic platinum(II) complexes [((t)bpy)Pt(Ph)(L)](+) [(t)bpy =4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridyl; L = THF, NC(5)F(5), or NCMe] catalyze the hydrophenylation of ethylene to generate ethylbenzene and isomers of diethylbenzene. Using ethylene as the limiting reagent, an 89% yield of alkyl arene products is achieved after 4 h at 120 °C. Catalyst efficiency for ethylene hydrophenylation is diminished only slightly under aerobic conditions. Mechanistic studies support a reaction pathway that involves ethylene coordination to Pt(II), insertion of ethylene into the Pt-phenyl bond, and subsequent metal-mediated benzene C-H activation. Studies of stoichiometric benzene (C(6)H(6) or C(6)D(6)) C-H/C-D activation by [((t)bpy)Pt(Ph-d(n))(THF)](+) (n = 0 or 5) indicate a k(H)/k(D) = 1.4(1), while comparative rates of ethylene hydrophenylation using C(6)H(6) and C(6)D(6) reveal k(H)/k(D) = 1.8(4) for the overall catalytic reaction. DFT calculations suggest that the transition state for benzene C-H activation is the highest energy species along the catalytic cycle. In CD(2)Cl(2), [((t)bpy)Pt(Ph)(THF)][BAr'(4)] [Ar' = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl] reacts with ethylene to generate [((t)bpy)Pt(CH(2)CH(2)Ph)(η(2)-C(2)H(4))][BAr'(4)] with k(obs) = 1.05(4) × 10(-3) s(-1) (23 °C, [C(2)H(4)] = 0.10(1) M). In the catalytic hydrophenylation of ethylene, substantial amounts of diethylbenzenes are produced, and experimental studies suggest that the selectivity for the monoalkylated arene is diminished due to a second aromatic C-H activation competing with ethylbenzene dissociation.