Alkene Isomerization Using a Heterogeneous Nickel-Hydride Catalyst.

Transition metal-catalyzed alkene isomerization is an enabling technology used to install an alkene distal to its original site. Due to their well-defined structure, homogeneous catalysts can be fine-tuned to optimize reactivity, stereoselectivity, and positional selectivity, but they often suffer from instability and nonrecyclability. Heterogeneous catalysts are generally highly robust but continue to lack active-site specificity and are challenging to rationally improve through structural modification. Known single-site heterogeneous catalysts for alkene isomerization utilize precious metals and bespoke, expensive, and synthetically intense supports. Additionally, they generally have mediocre reactivity, inspiring us to develop a heterogeneous catalyst with an active site made from readily available compounds made of Earth-abundant elements. Previous work demonstrated that a very active homogeneous catalyst is formed upon protonation of Ni[P(OEt)3]4 by H2SO4, generating a [Ni-H]+ active site. This catalyst is incredibly active, but also decomposes readily, which severely limits its utility. Herein we show that by using a solid acid (sulfated zirconia, SZO300), not only is this decomposition prevented, but high activity is maintained, improved selectivity is achieved, and a broader scope of functional groups is tolerated. Preliminary mechanistic experiments suggest that the catalytic reaction likely goes through an intermolecular, two-electron pathway. A detailed kinetic study comparing the state-of-the-art Ni and Pd isomerization catalysts reveals that the highest activity and selectivity is seen with the Ni/SZO300 system. The reactivity of Ni/SZO300, is not limited to alkene isomerization; it is also a competent catalyst for hydroalkenylation, hydroboration, and hydrosilylation, demonstrating the broad application of this heterogeneous catalyst.

Three-Electrode Study of Electrochemical Ionomer Degradation Relevant to Anion-Exchange-Membrane Water Electrolyzers.

Among existing water electrolysis (WE) technologies, anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) show promise for low-cost operation enabled by the basic solid-polymer electrolyte used to conduct hydroxide ions. The basic environment within the electrolyzer, in principle, allows the use of non-platinum-group metal catalysts and less-expensive cell components compared to acidic-membrane systems. Nevertheless, AEMWEs are still underdeveloped, and the degradation and failure modes are not well understood. To improve performance and durability, supporting electrolytes such as KOH and K2CO3 are often added to the water feed. The effect of the anion interactions with the ionomer membrane (particularly other than OH-), however, remains poorly understood. We studied three commercial anion-exchange ionomers (Aemion, Sustainion, and PiperION) during oxygen evolution (OER) at oxidizing potentials in several supporting electrolytes and characterized their chemical stability with surface-sensitive techniques. We analyzed factors including the ionomer conductivity, redox potential, and pH tolerance to determine what governs ionomer stability during OER. Specifically, we discovered that the oxidation of Aemion at the electrode surface is favored in the presence of CO32-/HCO3- anions perhaps due to the poor conductivity of that ionomer in the carbonate/bicarbonate form. Sustainion tends to lose its charge-carrying groups as a result of electrochemical degradation favored in basic electrolytes. PiperION seems to be similarly negatively affected by a pH drop and low carbonate/bicarbonate conductivity under the applied oxidizing potential. The insight into the interactions of the supporting electrolyte anions with the ionomer/membrane helps shed light on some of the degradation pathways possible inside of the AEMWE and enables the informed design of materials for water electrolysis.

The mechanism of oxidative addition of Pd(0) to Si-H bonds: electronic effects, reaction mechanism, and hydrosilylation.

The oxidative addition of Pd to Si-H bonds is a crucial step in a variety of catalytic applications, and many aspects of this reaction are poorly understood. One important yet underexplored aspect is the electronic effect of silane substituents on reactivity. Herein we describe a systematic investigation of the formation of silyl palladium hydride complexes as a function of silane identity, focusing on electronic influence of the silanes. Using [(µ-dcpe)Pd]2 (dcpe = dicyclohexyl(phosphino)ethane) and tertiary silanes, data show that equilibrium strongly favours products formed from electron-deficient silanes, and is fully dynamic with respect to both temperature and product distribution. A notable kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 1.21 is observed with H/DSiPhMe2 at 233 K, and the reaction is shown to be 0.5th order in [(µ-dcpe)Pd]2 and 1st order in silane. Formed complexes exhibit temperature-dependent intramolecular H/Si ligand exchange on the NMR timescale, allowing determination of the energetic barrier to reversible oxidative addition. Taken together, these results give unique insight into the individual steps of oxidative addition and suggest the initial formation of a σ-complex intermediate to be rate-limiting. The insight gained from these mechanistic studies was applied to hydrosilylation of alkynes, which shows parallel trends in the effect of the silanes' substituents. Importantly, this work highlights the relevance of in-depth mechanistic studies of fundamental steps to catalysis.

Understanding the Lewis Acidity of Co(II) Sites on a Silica Surface.

Heterogeneous catalysts consisting of isolated transition-metal sites dispersed on the surface of metal oxide supports are commonly used in the chemical industry. Often their reactivity relies on the Lewis acidity of the active sites on the surface of the catalyst. A recent report from our group showed that silica-supported Co(II) sites, prepared via surface organometallic chemistry, are active in both alkene hydrogenation and alkane dehydrogenation, possibly linked to the Lewis acidity of the Co(II) sites. Here we use molecular probes and analogues to both qualitatively and quantitatively model the Lewis acidity of the surface sites. Some sites do not bind probe molecules like carbon monoxide, tetrahydrofuran, and olefins, while others exhibit a continuum of Lewis acidities. This is consistent with variations in the coordination environment of Co. These results suggest that only the most Lewis acidic sites are involved in dehydrogenation and hydrogenation, consistent with catalyst poisoning studies.

Catalyst-controlled selectivity in the C-H borylation of methane and ethane.

The C-H bonds of methane are generally more kinetically inert than those of other hydrocarbons, reaction solvents, and methane functionalization products. Thus, developing strategies to achieve selective functionalization of CH4 remains a major challenge. Here, we report transition metal-catalyzed C-H borylation of methane with bis-pinacolborane (B2pin2) in cyclohexane solvent at 150°C under 2800 to 3500 kilopascals of methane pressure. Iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium complexes all catalyze the reaction. Formation of mono- versus diborylated methane is tunable as a function of catalyst, with the ruthenium complex providing the highest ratio of CH3Bpin to CH2(Bpin)2 Despite the high relative concentration of cyclohexane, minimal quantities of borylated cyclohexane products are observed. Furthermore, all three metal complexes catalyze borylation of methane with >3.5:1 selectivity over ethane.

Mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed arene C-H acetoxylation: a comparison of catalysts and ligand effects.

This article describes detailed mechanistic studies focused on elucidating the impact of pyridine ligands on the Pd-catalyzed C-H acetoxylation of benzene. Three different catalysts, Pd(OAc)2, Pd(OAc)2/pyridine (1:1), and Pd(OAc)2/pyridine (1:2), are compared using a combination of mechanistic tools, including rate and order studies, Hammett analysis, detailed characterization of catalyst resting states, and isotope effects. The data from these experiments implicate C-H activation as the rate-limiting step in all cases. The major difference between the three catalysts is proposed to be the resting state of Pd. Under the reaction conditions, Pd(OAc)2 rests as an acetate bridged dimer, while the Pd(OAc)2/pyridine (1:2) catalyst rests as the monomer (pyridine)2Pd(OAc)2. In contrast, a variety of experiments suggest that the highly active catalyst generated from the 1:1 combination of Pd(OAc)2 and pyridine rests as the dimeric structure [(pyridine)Pd(OAc)2]2.

Steric control of site selectivity in the Pd-catalyzed C-H acetoxylation of simple arenes.

This report describes the use of an oxidant and a ligand to control site selectivity in the Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed C-H acetoxylation of simple arenes. The use of MesI(OAc)2 as the terminal oxidant in combination with acridine as the ligand results in primarily sterically controlled selectivity. In contrast, with Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst and PhI(OAc)2 as the oxidant, electronic effects dominate the selectivity of arene C-H acetoxylation.