C-H Bond Activation by Iridium(III) and Iridium(IV) Oxo Complexes.

Oxidation of an iridium(III) oxo precursor enabled the structural, spectroscopic, and quantum-chemical characterization of the first well-defined iridium(IV) oxo complex. Side-by-side examination of the proton-coupled electron transfer thermochemistry revealed similar driving forces for the isostructural oxo complexes in two redox states due to compensating contributions from H+ and e- transfer. However, C-H activation of dihydroanthracene revealed significant hydrogen tunneling for the distinctly more basic iridium(III) oxo complex. Our findings complement the growing body of data that relate tunneling to ground state properties as predictors for the selectivity of C-H bond activation.

Nitrogen Atom Transfer Catalysis by Metallonitrene C-H Insertion: Photocatalytic Amidation of Aldehydes.

C-H amination and amidation by catalytic nitrene transfer are well-established and typically proceed via electrophilic attack of nitrenoid intermediates. In contrast, the insertion of (formal) terminal nitride ligands into C-H bonds is much less developed and catalytic nitrogen atom transfer remains unknown. We here report the synthesis of a formal terminal nitride complex of palladium. Photocrystallographic, magnetic, and computational characterization support the assignment as an authentic metallonitrene (Pd-N) with a diradical nitrogen ligand that is singly bonded to PdII . Despite the subvalent nitrene character, selective C-H insertion with aldehydes follows nucleophilic selectivity. Transamidation of the benzamide product is enabled by reaction with N3 SiMe3 . Based on these results, a photocatalytic protocol for aldehyde C-H trimethylsilylamidation was developed that exhibits inverted, nucleophilic selectivity as compared to typical nitrene transfer catalysis. This first example of catalytic C-H nitrogen atom transfer offers facile access to primary amides after deprotection.

A platinum(II) metallonitrene with a triplet ground state.

Metallonitrenes (M-N) are complexes with a subvalent atomic nitrogen ligand that have been proposed as key reactive intermediates in nitrogen atom transfer reactions. However, in contrast to the common classes of nitride complexes (M≡N) and organic nitrenes (R-N), structurally and spectroscopically well defined 'authentic' metallonitrenes with a monovalent atomic nitrogen ligand remain elusive. Here we report that the photolysis of a platinum(II) pincer azide complex enabled the crystallographic, spectroscopic, magnetic and computational characterization of a metallonitrene that is best described as a singly bonded atomic nitrogen diradical ligand bound to platinum(II). The photoproduct exhibits selective C-H, B-H and B-C nitrogen atom insertion reactivity. Despite the subvalent metallonitrene character, mechanistic analysis for aldehyde C-H amidation shows nucleophilic reactivity of the N-diradical ligand. Ambiphilic reactivity of the metallonitrene is indicated by reactions with CO and PMe3 to form isocyanate and phosphoraneiminato platinum(II) complexes, respectively.

Coligand role in the NHC nickel catalyzed C-F bond activation: investigations on the insertion of bis(NHC) nickel into the C-F bond of hexafluorobenzene.

The reaction of [Ni(Mes2Im)2] (1) (Mes2Im = 1,3-dimesityl-imidazolin-2-ylidene) with polyfluorinated arenes as well as mechanistic investigations concerning the insertion of 1 and [Ni(iPr2Im)2] (1ipr) (iPr2Im = 1,3-diisopropyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene) into the C-F bond of C6F6 is reported. The reaction of 1 with different fluoroaromatics leads to formation of the nickel fluoroaryl fluoride complexes trans-[Ni(Mes2Im)2(F)(ArF)] (ArF = 4-CF3-C6F4 2, C6F5 3, 2,3,5,6-C6F4N 4, 2,3,5,6-C6F4H 5, 2,3,5-C6F3H2 6, 3,5-C6F2H3 7) in fair to good yields with the exception of the formation of the pentafluorophenyl complex 3 (less than 20%). Radical species and other diamagnetic side products were detected for the reaction of 1 with C6F6, in line with a radical pathway for the C-F bond activation step using 1. The difluoride complex trans-[Ni(Mes2Im)2(F)2] (9), the bis(aryl) complex trans-[Ni(Mes2Im)2(C6F5)2] (15), the structurally characterized nickel(i) complex trans-[NiI(Mes2Im)2(C6F5)] (11) and the metal radical trans-[NiI(Mes2Im)2(F)] (12) were identified. Complex 11, and related [NiI(Mes2Im)2(2,3,5,6-C6F4H)] (13) and [NiI(Mes2Im)2(2,3,5-C6F3H2)] (14), were synthesized independently by reaction of trans-[Ni(Mes2Im)2(F)(ArF)] with PhSiH3. Simple electron transfer from 1 to C6F6 was excluded, as the redox potentials of the reaction partners do not match and [Ni(Mes2Im)2]+, which was prepared independently, was not detected. DFT calculations were performed on the insertion of [Ni(iPr2Im)2] (1ipr) and [Ni(Mes2Im)2] (1) into the C-F bond of C6F6. For 1ipr, concerted and NHC-assisted pathways were identified as having the lowest kinetic barriers, whereas for 1, a radical mechanism with fluoride abstraction and an NHC-assisted pathway are both associated with almost the same kinetic barrier.