Visible light-induced palladium-carbon bond weakening in catalytically relevant T-shaped complexes.

Triggering one-electron redox processes during palladium catalysis holds the potential to unlock new reaction mechanisms and synthetic methods not previously accessible in the typical two-electron reaction manifolds that dominate palladium catalysis. We report that T-shaped organopalladium(ii) complexes coordinated by a bulky monophosphine, a class of organometallic intermediate featured in a range of contemporary catalytic reactions, undergo blue light-promoted bond weakening leading to mild and efficient homolytic cleavage of strong Pd(ii)-C(sp3) bonds under ambient conditions. The origin of light-triggered radical formation in these systems, which lack an obvious ligand-based chromophore (i.e., π-systems), was investigated using a combination of DFT calculations, photoactinometry, and transient absorption spectroscopy. The available data suggest T-shaped organopalladium(ii) complexes manifest unusual blue light-accessible Pd-to-C(sp3) transition. The quantum efficiency and excited state lifetime of this process were unexpectedly superior compared to a prototypical (α-diimine)Pd(ii) complex featuring a low-lying, ligand-centered LUMO (π*). These results suggest coordinatively-unsaturated organopalladium(ii) compounds, catalysts in myriad catalytic processes, have untapped potential for one-electron reactivity under visible light excitation.

Thin-Film Organic Heteroepitaxy.

Incorporating crystalline organic semiconductors into electronic devices requires understanding of heteroepitaxy given the ubiquity of heterojunctions in these devices. However, while rules for commensurate epitaxy of covalent or ionic inorganic material systems are known to be dictated by lattice matching constraints, rules for heteroepitaxy of molecular systems are still being written. Here, it is found that lattice matching alone is insufficient to achieve heteroepitaxy in molecular systems, owing to weak intermolecular forces that describe molecular crystals. It is found that, in addition, the lattice matched plane also must be the lowest energy surface of the adcrystal to achieve one-to-one commensurate molecular heteroepitaxy over a large area. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates the lattice matched interface to be of higher electronic quality than a disordered interface of the same materials.

Ligand switchable site selectivity in C-H alkenylation of thiophenes by turnover-limiting step control.

The origin of switchable site selectivity during Pd-catalysed C-H alkenylation of heteroarenes has been examined through More O'Ferrall-Jencks, isotope effect, and DFT computational analyses, which indicate substitution of ionic thioether for pyridine dative ligands induces a change from selectivity-determining C-H cleavage to C-C bond formation, respectively.

Aryl Amination Using Soluble Weak Base Enabled by a Water-Assisted Mechanism.

The amination of aryl halides has become one of the most commonly practiced C-N bond-forming reactions in pharmaceutical and laboratory syntheses. The widespread use of strong or poorly soluble inorganic bases for amine activation nevertheless complicates the compatibility of this important reaction class with sensitive substrates as well as applications in flow and automated synthesis, to name a few. We report a palladium-catalyzed C-N coupling using Et3N as a weak, soluble base, which allows a broad substrate scope that includes bromo- and chloro(hetero)arenes, primary anilines, secondary amines, and amide type nucleophiles together with tolerance for a range of base-sensitive functional groups. Mechanistic data have established a unique pathway for these reactions in which water serves multiple beneficial roles. In particular, ionization of a neutral catalytic intermediate via halide displacement by H2O generates, after proton loss, a coordinatively unsaturated Pd-OH species that can bind amine substrate triggering intramolecular N-H heterolysis. This water-assisted pathway operates efficiently with even weak terminal bases, such as Et3N. The use of a simple, commercially available ligand, PAd3, is key to this water-assisted mechanism by promoting coordinative unsaturation in catalytic intermediates responsible for the heterolytic activation of strong element-hydrogen bonds, which enables broad compatibility of carbon-heteroatom cross-coupling reactions with sensitive substrates and functionality.

Base-Assisted C-H Bond Cleavage in Cross-Coupling: Recent Insights into Mechanism, Speciation, and Cooperativity.

This review analyzes recent mechanistic studies that have provided new insights into how the structure of a metal complex influences the rate and selectivity of base-assisted C-H cleavage. Partitioning a broader mechanistic continuum into classes delimited by the polarization between catalyst and substrate during C-H cleavage is postulated as a method to identify catalysts favoring electrophilic or nucleophilic reactivity patterns, which may be predictive based on structural features of the metal complex (i.e., oxidation state, d-electron count, charge). Multi-metallic cooperativity and polynuclear speciation also provide new avenues to affect energy barriers for C-H cleavage and site selectivity beyond the limitations of single metal catalysts. An improved understanding of mechanistic nuances and structure-activity relationships on this important bond activation step carries important implications for efficiency and controllable site selectivity in non-directed C-H functionalization.

Oligothiophene Synthesis by a General C-H Activation Mechanism: Electrophilic Concerted Metalation-Deprotonation (eCMD).

Oxidative C-H/C-H coupling is a promising synthetic route for the streamlined construction of conjugated organic materials for optoelectronic applications. Broader adoption of these methods is nevertheless hindered by the need for catalysts that excel in forging core semiconductor motifs, such as ubiquitous oligothiophenes, with high efficiency in the absence of metal reagents. We report a (thioether)Pd-catalyzed oxidative coupling method for the rapid assembly of both privileged oligothiophenes and challenging hindered cases, even at low catalyst loading under Ag- and Cu-free conditions. A combined experimental and computational mechanistic study was undertaken to understand how a simple thioether ligand, MeS(CH2)3SO3Na, leads to such potent reactivity toward electron-rich substrates. The consensus from these data is that a concerted, base-assisted C-H cleavage transition state is operative, but thioether coordination to Pd is associated with decreased synchronicity (bond formation exceeding bond breaking) versus the "standard" concerted metalation-deprotonation (CMD) model that was formalized by Fagnou in direct arylation reaction. Enhanced positive charge build-up on the substrate results from this perturbation, which rationalizes experimental trends strongly favoring π-basic sites. The term electrophilic CMD (eCMD) is introduced to distinguish this mechanism from the standard model, even though both mechanisms locate in a broad concerted continuum. More O'Ferrall-Jencks analysis further suggests eCMD should be a general mechanism manifested by many metal complexes. A preliminary classification of complexes into those favoring eCMD or standard CMD is proposed, which should be informative for studies toward tunable catalyst-controlled reactivity.

A Diverted Aerobic Heck Reaction Enables Selective 1,3-Diene and 1,3,5-Triene Synthesis through C-C Bond Scission.

Substituted 1,3-dienes are valuable synthetic intermediates used in myriad catalytic transformations, yet modern catalytic methods for their preparation in a highly modular fashion using simple precursors are relatively few. We report here an aerobic boron Heck reaction with cyclobutene that forms exclusively linear 1-aryl-1,3-dienes using (hetero)arylboronic acids, or 1,3,5-trienes using alkenylboronic acids, rather than typical Heck products (i.e., substituted cyclobutenes). Experimental and computational mechanistic data support a pericyclic mechanism for C-C bond cleavage that enables the cycloalkene to circumvent established limitations associated with diene reagents in Heck-type reactions.

Electron-Rich Metal Cations Enable Synthesis of High Molecular Weight, Linear Functional Polyethylenes.

Group 10 metal catalysts have shown much promise for the copolymerization of nonpolar with polar alkenes to directly generate functional materials, but access to high copolymer molecular weights nevertheless remains a key challenge toward practical applications in this field. In the context of identifying new strategies for molecular weight control, we report a series of highly polarized P(V)-P(III) chelating ligands that manifest unique space filling and electrostatic effects within the coordination sphere of single component Pd polymerization catalysts and exert important influences on (co)polymer molecular weights. Single component, cationic phosphonic diamide-phosphine (PDAP) Pd catalysts are competent to generate linear, functional polyethylenes with Mw up to ca. 2 × 105 g mol-1, significantly higher than prototypical catalysts in this field, and with polar content up to ca. 9 mol %. Functional groups are positioned by these catalysts almost exclusively along the main chain, not at chain ends or ends of branches, which mimics the microstructures of commercial linear low-density polyethylenes. Spectroscopic, X-ray crystallographic, and computational data indicate PDAP coordination to Pd manifests cationic yet electron-rich active species, which may correlate to their complementary catalytic properties versus privileged catalysts such as electrophilic α-diimine (Brookhart-type) or neutral phosphine-sulfonato (Drent-type) complexes. Though steric blocking within the catalyst coordination sphere has long been a reliable strategy for catalyst molecular weight control, data from this study suggest electronic control should be considered as a complementary concept less prone to suppression of comonomer enchainment that can occur with highly sterically congested catalysts.

Methylene-Bridged Bisphosphine Monoxide Ligands for Palladium-Catalyzed Copolymerization of Ethylene and Polar Monomers.

A series of palladium complexes bearing a bisphosphine monoxide with a methylene linker, that is, [κ2-P,O-(R12P)CH2P(O)R22]PdMe(2,6-lutidine)][BArF4] (Pd/BPMO), were synthesized and evaluated as catalysts for the homopolymerization of ethylene and the copolymerization of ethylene and polar monomers. X-ray crystallographic analyses revealed that these Pd/BPMO complexes exhibit significantly narrower bite angles and longer Pd-O bonds than Pd/BPMO complexes bearing a phenylene linker, while maintaining almost constant Pd-P bond lengths. Among the complexes synthesized, menthyl-substituted complex 3f (R1 = (1R,2S,5R)-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexan-1-yl; R2 = Me) showed the best catalytic performance in the homo- and copolymerization in terms of molecular weight and polymerization activity. Meanwhile, complex 3e (R1 = t-Bu; R2 = Me) exhibited a markedly higher incorporation of comonomers in the copolymerization of ethylene and allyl acetate (≤12.0 mol %) or methyl methacrylate (≤0.6 mol %). The catalytic system represents one of the first examples of late-transition-metal complexes bearing an alkylene-bridged bidentate ligand that afford high-molecular-weight copolymers from the copolymerization of ethylene and polar monomers.

"Cationic" Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling with Acutely Base-Sensitive Boronic Acids.

Fast, base-promoted protodeboronation of polyfluoroaryl and heteroaryl boronic acids complicates their use in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling (SMC) because a base is generally required for catalysis. We report a "cationic" SMC method using a PAd3-Pd catalyst that proceeds at rt in the absence of a base or metal mediator. A wide range of sensitive boronic acids, particularly polyfluoroaryl substrates that are poorly compatible with classic SMC conditions, undergo clean coupling. Stoichiometric experiments implicate the intermediacy of organopalladium cations, which supports a long-postulated cationic pathway for transmetalation in SMC.

C-H Alkenylation of Heteroarenes: Mechanism, Rate, and Selectivity Changes Enabled by Thioether Ligands.

Thioether ancillary ligands have been identified that can greatly accelerate the C-H alkenylation of O-, S-, and N-heteroarenes. Kinetic data suggest thioether-Pd-catalyzed reactions can be as much as 800× faster than classic ligandless systems. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed C-H bond cleavage as the turnover-limiting step, and that rate acceleration upon thioether coordination is correlated to a change from a neutral to a cationic pathway for this key step. The formation of a cationic, low-coordinate catalytic intermediate in these reactions may also account for unusual catalyst-controlled site selectivity wherein C-H alkenylation of five-atom heteroarenes can occur under electronic control with thioether ligands even when this necessarily involves reaction at a more hindered C-H bond. The thioether effect also enables short reaction times under mild conditions for many O-, S-, and N-heteroarenes (55 examples), including examples of late-stage drug derivatization.

Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine: Expanding the Boundary of Electron-Releasing Character Available to Organophosphorus Compounds.

We report here the remarkable properties of PAd3, a crystalline air-stable solid accessible through a scalable SN1 reaction. Spectroscopic data reveal that PAd3, benefiting from the polarizability inherent to large hydrocarbyl groups, exhibits unexpected electron releasing character that exceeds other alkylphosphines and falls within a range dominated by N-heterocyclic carbenes. Dramatic effects in catalysis are also enabled by PAd3 during Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of chloro(hetero)arenes (40 examples) at low Pd loading, including the late-stage functionalization of commercial drugs. Exceptional space-time yields are demonstrated for the syntheses of industrial precursors to valsartan and boscalid from chloroarenes with ∼2 × 10(4) turnovers in 10 min.

Ligand-controlled insertion regioselectivity accelerates copolymerisation of ethylene with methyl acrylate by cationic bisphosphine monoxide-palladium catalysts.

A new series of palladium catalysts ligated by a chelating bisphosphine monoxide bearing diarylphosphino groups (aryl-BPMO) exhibits markedly higher reactivity for ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymerisation when compared to the first generation of alkyl-BPMO-palladium catalysts that contain a dialkylphosphino moiety. Mechanistic studies suggest that the origin of this disparate catalyst behavior is a change in regioselectivity of migratory insertion of the acrylate comonomer as a function of the phosphine substituents. The best aryl-BPMO-palladium catalysts for these copolymerisations were shown to undergo exclusively 2,1-insertion, and this high regioselectivity avoids formation of a poorly reactive palladacycle intermediate. Furthermore, the aryl-BPMO-palladium catalysts can copolymerise ethylene with other industrially important polar monomers.

P-chiral phosphine-sulfonate/palladium-catalyzed asymmetric copolymerization of vinyl acetate with carbon monoxide.

Utilization of palladium catalysts bearing a P-chiral phosphine-sulfonate ligand enabled asymmetric copolymerization of vinyl acetate with carbon monoxide. The obtained γ-polyketones have head-to-tail and isotactic polymer structures. The origin of the regio- and stereoregularities was elucidated by stoichiometric reactions of acylpalladium complexes with vinyl acetate. The present report for the first time demonstrates successful asymmetric coordination-insertion (co)polymerization of vinyl acetate.

Synthesis of functional polyolefins using cationic bisphosphine monoxide-palladium complexes.

The copolymerization of ethylene with polar vinyl monomers, such as vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, vinyl ethers, and allyl monomers, was accomplished using cationic palladium complexes ligated by a bisphosphine monoxide (BPMO). The copolymers formed by these catalysts have highly linear microstructures and a random distribution of polar functional groups throughout the polymer chain. Our data demonstrate that cationic palladium complexes can exhibit good activity for polymerizations of polar monomers, in contrast to cationic α-diimine palladium complexes (Brookhart-type) that are not applicable to industrially relevant polar monomers beyond acrylates. Additionally, the studies reported here point out that phosphine-sulfonate ligated palladium complexes are no longer the singular family of catalysts that can promote the reaction of ethylene with many polar vinyl monomers to form linear functional polyolefins.

Distinguishing between pathways for transmetalation in Suzuki-Miyaura reactions.

We report a systematic study of the stoichiometric reactions of isolated arylpalladium hydroxo and halide complexes with arylboronic acids and aryltrihydroxyborates to evaluate the relative rates of the two reaction pathways commonly proposed to account for transmetalation in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. On the basis of the relative populations of the palladium and organoboron species generated under conditions common for the catalytic process and the observed rate constants for the stoichiometric reactions between the two classes of reaction components, we conclude that the reaction of a palladium hydroxo complex with boronic acid, not the reaction of a palladium halide complex with trihydroxyborate, accounts for transmetalation in catalytic Suzuki-Miyaura reactions conducted with weak base and aqueous solvent mixtures.

Ligandless, anionic, arylpalladium halide intermediates in the Heck reaction.

We report the isolation and reactivity of a series of "ligandless," anionic arylpalladium complexes of the general structure [Pd(Ar)Br(2)](2)(2-) by the reaction of ((t)Bu(3)P)Pd(Ar)(Br) and bromide. These anionic complexes insert olefins at room temperature, and these fast insertions indicate that the anionic complexes are kinetically competent to be intermediates in Heck-Mizoroki reactions conducted under "ligandless" conditions (lacking added dative ligand). Kinetic studies showed that the anionic complexes insert olefins much faster than the corresponding neutral, P(t-Bu)(3)-ligated complexes. Addition of halide to the reaction of the neutral complex ((t)Bu(3)P)Pd(Ar)(Br) and styrene led to a significant rate acceleration, suggesting that the anionic complex forms rapidly and reversibly in situ from the neutral species prior to migratory insertion. These data, along with studies on the regioselectivity for reaction of aryl halides with butyl vinyl ether in the presence of the different starting catalysts, are consistent with the intermediacy of the same anionic, arylpalladium intermediates in Heck reactions catalyzed by palladium complexes containing bulky trialkylphosphine ligands as in reactions conducted under ligandless conditions.

Effect of ligand steric properties and halide identity on the mechanism for oxidative addition of haloarenes to trialkylphosphine Pd(0) complexes.

The oxidative addition of PhX (X = I, Br, Cl) to the complexes Pd(P(t)Bu(3))(2) (1), Pd(1-AdP(t)Bu(2))(2) (2), Pd(CyP(t)Bu(2))(2) (3), and Pd(PCy(3))(2) (4) (1-Ad = 1-adamantyl, Cy = cyclohexyl) was studied to determine the effect of steric properties on the coordination number of the species that undergoes oxidative addition and to determine whether the type of halide affects the identity of this species. The kinetic data imply that the number of phosphines coordinated to the complex that reacts in the irreversible step of the oxidative addition process for complexes 1-4 depends more on the halide than on the steric properties of the ligands. The rate-limiting step of the oxidative addition of PhI occurred with L(2)Pd(0) in all cases, as determined by the lack of dependence of k(obs) on [P(t)Bu(3)], [1-AdP(t)Bu(2)], or [CyP(t)Bu(2)] and the inverse dependence of the rate constant on [PCy(3)] when the reaction was initiated with Pd(PCy(3))(3). The irreversible step of the oxidative addition of PhCl occurred with a monophosphine species in each case, as signaled by an inverse dependence of the rate constant on the concentration of ligand. The irreversible step of the oxidative addition of PhBr occurred with a bisphosphine species, as signaled by the zeroth-order or small dependence of the rate constant on the concentration of phosphine. Thus, the additions of the less reactive chloroarenes occur through lower-coordinate intermediates than additions of the more reactive haloarenes.

Autocatalytic oxidative addition of PhBr to Pd(PtBu3)2 via Pd(PtBu3)2(H)(Br).

We report that oxidative addition of bromobenzene to Pd(PtBu3)2 occurs by an unusual autocatalytic mechanism. Studies on the effect of various additives showed that the degree of rate acceleration followed the trend: (PtBu3)Pd(Ph)(Br) approximately (HPtBu3)Br < [(PtBu3)Pd(mu-Br)]2 < (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br). Studies on the reactions of Pd(PtBu3)2 in the presence of (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br) showed that the concentration of (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br) decreased only after the Pd(0) complex had been consumed. These data indicated that the catalyst in this process is (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br). Thermal decomposition of the three-coordinate oxidative addition product (PtBu3)Pd(Ar)(Br) during the reaction of Pd(PtBu3)2 and bromoarenes ultimately leads to formation of (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br). Parallel reactions of bromobenzene with (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br) and Pd(PtBu3)2 showed that the bromoarenes reacted considerably faster with the Pd(II) species than with the Pd(0) species. We therefore propose a catalytic cycle for oxidative addition in which PBut3.HBr reacts with the Pd(0) species to form (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br), and (PtBu3)2Pd(H)(Br) reacts with the bromoarene, possibly though the anionic species [HPtBu3+][(PtBu3)Pd(Br)-], to form [Pd(PtBu3)(Ar)(Br)].