Water Reduction and Dihydrogen Addition in Aqueous Conditions With ansa-Phosphinoborane.

Ortho-phenylene-bridged phosphinoborane (2,6-Cl2 Ph)2 B-C6 H4 -PCy2 1 was synthesized in three steps from commercially available starting materials. 1 reacts with H2 or H2 O under mild conditions to form corresponding zwitterionic phosphonium borates 1-H2 or 1-H2 O. NMR studies revealed both reactions to be remarkably reversible. Thus, when exposed to H2 , 1-H2 O partially converts to 1-H2 even in the presence of multiple equivalents of water in the solution. The addition of parahydrogen to 1 leads to nuclear spin hyperpolarization both in dry and hydrous solvents, confirming the dissociation of 1-H2 O to free 1. These observations were supported by computational studies indicating that the formation of 1-H2 and 1-H2 O from 1 are thermodynamically favored. Unexpectedly, 1-H2 O can release molecular hydrogen to form phosphine oxide 1-O. Kinetic, mechanistic, and computational (DFT) studies were used to elucidate the unique "umpolung" water reduction mechanism.

Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization in Hydrogenation Reactions Mediated by a Metal-Free Catalyst.

We report nuclear spin hyperpolarization of various alkenes achieved in alkyne hydrogenations with parahydrogen over a metal-free hydroborane catalyst (HCAT). Being an intramolecular frustrated Lewis pair aminoborane, HCAT utilizes a non-pairwise mechanism of H2 transfer to alkynes that normally prevents parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) from being observed. Nevertheless, the specific spin dynamics in catalytic intermediates leads to the hyperpolarization of predominantly one hydrogen in alkene. PHIP enabled the detection of important HCAT-alkyne-H2 intermediates through substantial 1 H, 11 B and 15 N signal enhancement and allowed advanced characterization of the catalytic process.

Heck Reaction of 2-Oxyacrylates with Aryl Bromides: A Common Route to Monoaryl Pyruvates and Ortho Ester-Protected Monoaryl Pyruvates.

A palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction between 2-oxyacrylates and aryl bromides was developed, where DavePhos was a unique ligand that efficiently promoted the reaction. The products, 2-oxycinnamates, served as excellent precursors, providing synthetically useful monoaryl pyruvates or ortho ester-protected monoaryl pyruvates depending on the nature of the 2-oxy group. The formation of such ortho esters via alkoxide addition is novel, and computational studies identified a plausible mechanism with an oxyallyl zwitterion as the key intermediate.

Metal-Free C-H Borylation of N-Heteroarenes by Boron Trifluoride.

Organoboron compounds are essential reagents in modern C-C coupling reactions. Their synthesis via catalytic C-H borylation by main group elements is emerging as a powerful tool alternative to transition metal based catalysis. Herein, a straightforward metal-free synthesis of aryldifluoroboranes from BF3 and heteroarenes is reported. The reaction is assisted by sterically hindered amines and catalytic amounts of thioureas. According to computational studies the reaction proceeds via frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) mechanism. The obtained aryldifluoroboranes are further stabilized against destructive protodeborylation by converting them to the corresponding air stable tetramethylammonium organotrifluoroborates.

Heterolytic Scission of Hydrogen Within a Crystalline Frustrated Lewis Pair.

We report the heterolysis of molecular hydrogen under ambient conditions by the crystalline frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) 1-{2-[bis(pentafluorophenyl)boryl]phenyl}-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (KCAT). The gas-solid reaction provides an approach to prepare the solvent-free, polycrystalline ion pair KCATH2 through a single crystal to single crystal transformation. The crystal lattice of KCATH2 increases in size relative to the parent KCAT by approximately 2%. Microscopy was used to follow the transformation of the highly colored red/orange KCAT to the colorless KCATH2 over a period of 2 h at 300 K under a flow of H2 gas. There is no evidence of crystal decrepitation during hydrogen uptake. Inelastic neutron scattering employed over a temperature range from 4-200 K did not provide evidence for the formation of polarized H2 in a precursor complex within the crystal at low temperatures and high pressures. However, at 300 K, the INS spectrum of KCAT transformed to the INS spectrum of KCATH2. Calculations suggest that the driving force is more favorable in the solid state compared to the solution or gas phase, but the addition of H2 into the KCAT crystal is unfavorable. Ab Initio methods were used to calculate the INS spectra of KCAT, KCATH2, and a possible precursor complex of H2 in the pocket between the B and N of crystalline KCAT. Ex-situ NMR showed that the transformation from KCAT to KCATH2 is quantitative and our results suggest that the hydrogen heterolysis process occurs via H2 diffusion into the FLP crystal with a rate-limiting movement of H2 from inactive positions to reactive sites.

Metal-Free sp(2)-C-H Borylation as a Common Reactivity Pattern of Frustrated 2-Aminophenylboranes.

C-H borylation is a powerful and atom-efficient method for converting affordable and abundant chemicals into versatile organic reagents used in the production of fine chemicals and functional materials. Herein we report a facile C-H borylation of aromatic and olefinic C-H bonds with 2-aminophenylboranes. Computational and experimental studies reveal that the metal-free C-H insertion proceeds via a frustrated Lewis pair mechanism involving heterolytic splitting of the C-H bond by cooperative action of the amine and boryl groups. The adapted geometry of the reactive B and N centers results in an unprecedentently low kinetic barrier for both insertion into the sp(2)-C-H bond and intramolecular protonation of the sp(2)-C-B bond in 2-ammoniophenyl(aryl)- or -(alkenyl)borates. This common reactivity pattern serves as a platform for various catalytic reactions such as C-H borylation and hydrogenation of alkynes. In particular, we demonstrate that simple 2-aminopyridinium salts efficiently catalyze the C-H borylation of hetarenes with catecholborane. This reaction is presumably mediated by a borenium species isoelectronic to 2-aminophenylboranes.

Nuclear spin hyperpolarization with ansa-aminoboranes: a metal-free perspective for parahydrogen-induced polarization.

The parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) phenomenon, observed when parahydrogen is used in H2 addition processes, provides a means for substantial NMR signal enhancements and mechanistic studies of chemical reactions. Commonly, noble metal complexes are used for parahydrogen activation, whereas metal-free activation is rare. Herein, we report a series of unimolecular metal-free frustrated Lewis pairs based on an ansa-aminoborane (AAB) moiety in the context of PHIP. These molecules, which have a "molecular tweezers" structure, differ in their substituents at the boryl site (-H, -Ph, -o-iPr-Ph, and -Mes). PHIP effects were observed for all the AABs after exposing their solutions to parahydrogen in a wide temperature range, and experimental measurements of their kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were performed. A theoretical analysis of their nuclear spin polarization effects is presented, and the roles of chemical exchange, chemical equilibrium and spin dynamics are discussed in terms of the key dimensionless parameters. The analysis allowed us to formulate the prerequisites for achieving strong polarization effects with AAB molecules, which can be applied for further design of efficient metal-free tweezers-like molecules for PHIP. Mechanistic (chemical and physical) aspects of the observed effects are discussed in detail. In addition, we performed quantum chemical calculations, which confirmed that the J-coupling between the parahydrogen-originated protons in AAB-H2 molecules is mediated through dihydrogen bonding.

Atom-Efficient Synthesis of Alkynylfluoroborates Using BF3 -Based Frustrated Lewis Pairs.

A sterically demanding amine, 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidine (PMP), forms a highly reactive Lewis acid-base pair with boron trifluoride. This pair reacts with terminal acetylenes to give the products of C(sp)-H borylation, previously unknown tri- and tetraalkynylboron compounds. Trialkynylfluoroborates can serve as surrogates of alkynyltrifluoroborates for C-C coupling reactions. Using aqueous NaOH, PMP can be recovered from its tetrafluoroborate salt, which is formed as a C-H borylation byproduct. Combining the discovered borylation reactivity with the PMP recovery provides a straightforward and atom-efficient approach to synthetically useful alkynylfluoroborates.

Intramolecular frustrated Lewis pair with the smallest boryl site: reversible H2 addition and kinetic analysis.

Ansa-aminoborane 1 (ortho-TMP-C6H4-BH2; TMP = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperid-1-yl), a frustrated Lewis pair with the smallest possible Lewis acidic boryl site (-BH2), is prepared. Although it is present in quenched forms in solution, and BH2 represents an acidic site with reduced hydride affinity, 1 reacts with H2 under mild conditions producing ansa-ammonium trihydroborate 2. The thermodynamic and kinetic features as well as the mechanism of this reaction are studied by variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy, spin-saturation transfer experiments, and DFT calculations, which provide comprehensive insight into the nature of 1.

Tweezers for parahydrogen: a metal-free probe of nonequilibrium nuclear spin states of H2 molecules.

To date, only metal-containing hydrogenation catalysts have been utilized for producing substantial NMR signal enhancements by means of parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP). Herein, we show that metal-free compounds known as molecular tweezers are useful in this respect. It is shown that ansa-aminoborane tweezers QCAT provided (20-30)-fold signal enhancements of parahydrogen-originating hydrogens in (1)H NMR spectra. Nuclear polarization transfer from the polarized hydrogens to (11)B nuclei leads to a 10-fold enhancement in the (11)B NMR spectrum. Moreover, our results indicate that dihydrogen activation by QCAT and CAT tweezers is carried out in a pairwise manner, and PHIP can be used for understanding the activation mechanism in metal-free catalytic systems in general.

Amine-borane mediated metal-free hydrogen activation and catalytic hydrogenation.

The use of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) as hydrogenation catalysts is attracting increasing attention as one of the most modern and rapidly growing areas of organic chemistry, with many research groups around the world working on this subject. Since the pioneering studies of the groups of Stephan and Piers on the Lewis acid-base pairs, which do not react irreversibly with each other and act as a trap for small molecules, numerous FLPs for hydrogen activation have been reported. Among others, intra- and intermolecular systems based on phosphines, organic carbenes, amines as Lewis bases, and boranes or alanes as Lewis acids were studied. This review presents a progression from the first observation of the facile heterolytical cleavage of hydrogen gas by amines and B(C6F5)3 to highly active non-metal catalysts for both enantioselective and racemic hydrogenation of unsaturated nitrogen-containing compounds and also internal alkynes.

Enantioselective C-H Arylation for Axially Chiral Heterobiaryls.

An enantioselective palladium-catalyzed C-H arylation of functionalized pyrazoles/triazoles/imidazoles is developed, affording a variety of axially chiral ortho-nitro/formyl-substituted heterobiaryls with excellent enantioselectivities and good yields. The method features a deuterated P-chiral phosphorus ligand CD3-AntPhos, a broad substrate scope of functionalized heterobiaryls, mild reaction conditions, and low palladium loadings.

Parahydrogen-induced polarization study of imine hydrogenations mediated by a metal-free catalyst.

Parahydrogen-induced polarization is a nuclear spin hyperpolarization technique that can provide strongly enhanced NMR signals for catalytic hydrogenation reaction products and intermediates. Among other matters, this can be employed to study the mechanisms of the corresponding chemical transformations. Commonly, noble metal complexes are used for reactions with parahydrogen. Herein, we present a PHIP study of metal-free imine hydrogenations catalyzed by the ansa-aminoborane catalyst QCAT. We discuss the reaction mechanism by showing the pairwise nature of the initial hydrogen activation step that leads to the formation of the negative net nuclear spin polarization of N-H hydrogen in the QCAT-H2 intermediate, enabling the further transfer of parahydrogen-originating protons to the imine substrate with the accumulation of hyperpolarized amine products. Parahydrogen-induced polarization also demonstrates the reversibility of the catalytic cycle.

Supramolecular assembly of heterocirculenes in 2D and 3D.

The results of a high-resolution ambient STM study of 'sulflower' (octathio[8]circulene) and 'selenosulflower' (sym-tetraselena-tetrathio[8]circulene) molecules, immobilized in a hydrogen-bonded matrix of trimesic acid (TMA) at the solid-liquid interface, are compared with the STM and X-ray structure of separate host and guest 2D and 3D crystals, respectively.

Heterocirculenes as a new class of organic semiconductors.

We report a fabrication of field-effect transistors using the new organic semiconductors octathio[8]circulene and tetrathiotetraseleno[8]circulene . The maximum hole mobility of 9 x 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) is, most likely, limited by one-dimensional growth of and in thin films.

Two modifications formed by "sulflower" C16S8 molecules, their study by XRD and optical spectroscopy (Raman, IR, UV-Vis) methods.

Sublimation of sulflower, octathio[8]circulene C 16S 8 ( 1), on heating under high vacuum ( approximately 10 (-5) Torr) leads to successive formation of two modifications: a white film ( 1W) and a red polycrystalline solid ( 1R). When kept at room temperature for several weeks, 1W spontaneously turns pink, reflecting the monotropic phase transition 1W --> 1R. The accurate molecular and crystal structure of 1R has been studied using low-temperature (100 K) high-resolution single crystal X-ray analysis. The C 16S 8 molecule in crystal is strictly planar with nearly equalized bonds of each type (C-C, C-S, and CC). The point symmetry group of the free molecule is D 8 h , and the crystal space group is P2 1/ n. These data allowed group-theoretical analysis of vibrational normal modes to be accomplished. Investigation of the charge density distribution of 1R including Bader's AIM approach has revealed rather strong intermolecular S...S, S...C, and C...C interactions of charge transfer and pi-stacking types with overall lattice energy of 28.5 kcal/mol. The charge transfer due to the S...S interactions is the reason for the red coloration of 1R. The latter is reflected by its UV-vis spectrum exhibiting absorption bands in the visible region which are absent from that of 1W. Both modifications were studied comparatively by vibrational (Raman, IR) and electronic spectroscopies as well as XRD powder diffraction. All the results obtained are fully consistent and show that 1W is much less ordered than 1R with significantly weakened intermolecular interactions. Rationalizing of these results has led to an idea that 1W could be soluble, in contrast to 1R. Indeed, 1W appeared soluble in common solvents; this finding opens the way to the study of the chemistry of 1 and investigation of its electrooptical properties.

Spontaneous 15N Nuclear Spin Hyperpolarization in Metal-Free Activation of Parahydrogen by Molecular Tweezers.

The ability of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) to activate H2 is of significant interest for metal-free catalysis. The activation of H2 is also the key element of parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP), one of the nuclear spin hyperpolarization techniques. It is demonstrated that o-phenylene-based ansa-aminoboranes (AABs) can produce 1H nuclear spin hyperpolarization through a reversible interaction with parahydrogen at ambient temperatures. Heteronuclei are useful in NMR and MRI as well because they have a broad chemical shift range and long relaxation times and may act as background-free labels. We report spontaneous formation of 15N hyperpolarization of the N-H site for a family of AABs. The process is efficient at the high magnetic field of an NMR magnet (7 T), and it provides up to 350-fold 15N signal enhancements. Different hyperpolarization effects are observed with various AAB structures and in a broad temperature range. Spontaneous hyperpolarization, albeit an order of magnitude weaker than that for 15N, was also observed for 11B nuclei.

A new route to annulated oligothiophenes.

[reaction: see text] A new convenient method for the construction of thiophene-annulated thieno[2,3-b]thiophenes has been proposed. The key step of the method is ring closure of 10H-bisthienodithiocin-10-one by strong bases. The syntheses of two previously unknown annulated oligothiophenes, thieno[2,3-b]thieno[3',2':4,5]thieno[3,2-d]thiophene (1a) and thieno[3,2-b]thieno[2',3':4,5]thieno[3,2-d]thiophene (1b), have been described to illustrate the success of the method.

A frustrated-Lewis-pair approach to catalytic reduction of alkynes to cis-alkenes.

Frustrated Lewis pairs are compounds containing both Lewis acidic and Lewis basic moieties, where the formation of an adduct is prevented by steric hindrance. They are therefore highly reactive, and have been shown to be capable of heterolysis of molecular hydrogen, a property that has led to their use in hydrogenation reactions of polarized multiple bonds. Here, we describe a general approach to the hydrogenation of alkynes to cis-alkenes under mild conditions using the unique ansa-aminohydroborane as a catalyst. Our approach combines several reactions as the elementary steps of the catalytic cycle: hydroboration (substrate binding), heterolytic hydrogen splitting (typical frustrated-Lewis-pair reactivity) and facile intramolecular protodeborylation (product release). The mechanism is verified by experimental and computational studies.

Hydrogen activation by 2-boryl-N,N-dialkylanilines: a revision of Piers' ansa-aminoborane.

Two 2-[bis(pentafluorophenyl)boryl]-N,N-dialkylanilines reported here exemplify a new class of intramolecular frustrated B/N Lewis pairs. A structure closely related to this class structure was synthesized in 2003 by Piers et al. but was unable to activate H(2). The new aminoboranes can activate hydrogen at near ambient conditions; besides, one of them can hydrogenate imines and enamines in a catalytic fashion demonstrating the validity of the original Piers' approach to hydrogen activation with ansa-aminoboranes.