Asymmetric C-C bond-formation reaction with Pd: how to favor heterogeneous or homogeneous catalysis?

The enantioselective allylic alkylation of (E)-1,3-diphenylallyl acetate was studied to clarify the heterogeneous or homogeneous character of the Pd/Al(2)O(3)-(R)-BINAP catalyst system. A combined approach was applied: the catalytic tests were completed with in situ XANES measurements to follow the oxidation state of Pd as a function of the reaction conditions. The study revealed that the oxidized Pd (after exposure to ambient air) is efficiently reduced by the solvents THF and dioxane, and by the nucleophile sodium dimethyl malonate, and thus these conditions prevent Pd leaching. The chiral modifier BINAP plays a dual role: a considerable coverage of the Pd surface by the bulky compound slows down the initial reduction of the surface oxides but BINAP itself may consume surface oxygen (through its conversion to BINAPO and BINAPO(2)) and contribute to the maintenance of the active metal surface during the reaction. Carrying out the reaction under pressure in an inert gas atmosphere is important to minimize the oxygen diffusion into the reaction mixture and to avoid leaching. The (known) effect of temperature is critical as well: our catalyst system is inactive at room temperature, which is a clear deviation from the behavior of the corresponding homogeneous system. In contrast, halogenated solvents are easily dehalogenated on Pd/Al(2)O(3) and thus they favor leaching of the metal and formation of soluble compounds, analogous to classical metal corrosion in the presence of halide ions. The frequently observed dissolution of Pd in the presence of halogenated substrates may be explained similarly.

Platinum nanoparticles: the crucial role of crystal face and colloid stabilizer in the diastereoselective hydrogenation of cinchonidine.

The preparation of stable metal nanoparticles requires a strong interaction between the (organic) stabilizer and the metal surface that might alter the catalytic properties. This behavior has been described as "poisoning" since the stabilizer normally decreases the catalytic activity due to site blocking. Here we show a striking influence of the stabilizer on the selectivity in the hydrogenation of cinchonidine (CD) over poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-stabilized Pt nanoparticles with well-defined shape distributions. In the hydrogenation of the heteroaromatic ring of cinchonidine in toluene, the diastereomeric excess of the (S)-hexahydrocinchonidine increased upon increasing Pt{111}/Pt{100} ratio, but this distinct shape selectivity was observed only after the oxidative removal of PAA at 473 K. The use of the as-prepared nanoparticles inverted the major diastereomer to R, and this isomer was formed also in acetic acid. This striking change in the diastereoselectivity indicates that poly(acrylic acid), which remains on the Pt surface after preparation, interacts with CD during hydrogenation almost as strongly as the solvent acetic acid. The PAA stabilizer plays a dual role: it allows one to control the size and shape of the nanoparticles during their synthesis, and it affects the rate and diastereoselectivity of the hydrogenation of CD probably through a "surface-localized acidification".

Shape-selective enantioselective hydrogenation on Pt nanoparticles.

The structure sensitivity of enantioselective hydrogenations on chirally modified metals was investigated using Pt nanoparticles of different shapes. All three samples had an average particle size of 10 nm, but the fraction of dominantly cubic, cubooctahedral, and octahedral particles varied with decreasing {100} and increasing {111} faces in the same order. In the absence of chiral modifier the hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate was independent of the shape of the Pt nanoparticles; variation of the specific reaction rates did not exceed the experimental error on all self-prepared catalysts and on a commercial Pt/Al(2)O(3) used as reference. Addition of cinchonidine or quinine induced a significant rate enhancement by a factor of 4-15, and the rate was always higher with quinine. Also, 72-92% ees were achieved, and the reaction was shape selective: both the rate and the ee increased with increasing Pt{111}/Pt{100} ratio. A similar correlation in the hydrogenation of ketopantolactone confirmed that decarbonylation or aldol-type side reactions of ethyl pyruvate were not the reason for structure sensitivity. A combined catalytic and theoretical study revealed that the probable origin of the particle shape dependency of enantioselective hydrogenation is the adsorption behavior of the cinchona alkaloid. DFT studies of cinchonidine interacting with Pt(100) and Pt(111) terraces indicated a remarkably stronger interaction on the former crystallographic face by ca. 155 kJ/mol. The higher adsorption strength on Pt(100) was corroborated experimentally by the faster hydrogenation of the homoaromatic ring of the alkaloid, which fragment interacts the strongest with Pt during its adsorption. Thus, an ideal catalyst for the hydrogenation of activated ketones contains dominantly Pt{111} terraces, which crystallographic face is more active and affords higher enantioselectivity, combined with the higher stability of the modifier.

Adsorption-desorption induced structural changes of Cu-MOF evidenced by solid state NMR and EPR spectroscopy.

Adsorption-desorption induced structural changes of Cu(bpy)(H(2)O)(2)(BF(4)),(bpy) (bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine) [Cu-MOF] have been evidenced by combined NMR and EPR spectroscopy. Upon adsorption of probe molecules even at a few mbar, EPR spectra show that they are activated to form complexes at Cu(II) sites, which results in a change of the Cu-MOF's structure as indicated by a high-field shift of the (11)B MAS NMR. After desorption, both EPR and (11)B MAS NMR spectra evidenced that the structure of the Cu-MOF reversibly shifted to the original state. This observation indicates that MOFs can undergo structural changes during processes where adsorption-desorption steps are involved such as gas storage, separation, and catalysis.

Size selectivity of a copper metal-organic framework and origin of catalytic activity in epoxide alcoholysis.

{Cu(bpy)(H(2)O)(2)(BF(4))(2)(bpy)} (Cu-MOF; MOF=metal-organic framework; bpy=4,4'-bipyridine), with a 3D-interpenetrated structure and saturated Cu coordination sites in the framework, possesses unexpectedly high activity in the ring-opening reaction of epoxides with MeOH, although the reaction rate drops remarkably with more bulky alcohols. This (apparent) size selection and the single Cu(2+) sites in an identical environment of the crystalline matrix resemble zeolites. The real nature of active sites was investigated by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR), Raman, EPR, and UV/Vis spectroscopies. Cu-MOF has highly dynamic structural properties that respond to MeOH; its framework dimensions change from 3D to 2D by restructuring to a symmetric coordination of four bpy units to Cu. This interaction is accompanied by the partial dissolution of Cu-MOF as multi-Cu clusters, in which Cu(2+) ions are connected with bpy ligands. Although both molecular and surface catalysis contribute to the high rate of alcoholysis, the soluble oligomeric species (Cu(m)bpy(n)) are far more active. Finally, addition of diethyl ether to the reaction mixture induces the reconstruction of dissolved and solid Cu-MOF to the original framework structure, thereby allowing excellent recyclability of Cu-MOF as an apparent heterogeneous catalyst. In contrast, the original Cu-MOF structure is maintained upon contact with larger alcohols, such as iPrOH and tBuOH, thus leading to poor activity in epoxide ring opening.

Unraveling the surface reactions during liquid-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol on Pd/Al2O3: an in situ ATR-IR study.

The palladium-catalyzed liquid-phase reaction of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde was investigated in the presence and absence of oxygen by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The 5 wt % Pd/Al2O3 catalyst was fixed in a flow-through ATR-IR cell serving as a continuous-flow reactor. The reaction conditions (cyclohexane solvent, 323 K, 1 bar) were set in the range commonly applied in the heterogeneous catalytic aerobic oxidation of alcohols. The in situ ATR-IR study of the solid-liquid interface revealed a complex reaction network, including dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, decarbonylation of benzaldehyde, oxidation of hydrogen and CO on Pd, and formation of benzoic acid catalyzed by both Pd and Al2O3. Continuous formation of CO and its oxidative removal by air resulted in significant steady-state CO coverage of Pd during oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Unexpectedly, benzoic acid formed already in the early stage of the reaction and adsorbed strongly (irreversibly) on the basic sites of Al2O3 and thus remained undetectable in the effluent. This observation questions the reliability of product distributions conventionally determined from the liquid phase. The occurrence of the hydrogenolysis of the C-O bond of benzyl alcohol and formation of toluene indicates that Pd was present in a reduced state (Pd0) even in the presence of oxygen, in agreement with the dehydrogenation mechanism of alcohol oxidation.

Supercritical carbon dioxide: an inert solvent for catalytic hydrogenation?

Various surface species originating from the reaction between CO2 and H2 over Al2O3-supported Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ru model catalysts were investigated by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy under high-pressure conditions. Two different spectroscopic cells were used: a variable-volume view cell equipped with ATR-crystal and transmission IR windows (batch reactor) and a continuous-flow cell also equipped with a reflection element for ATR-IR spectroscopy. The study corroborated that CO formation from dense CO2 in the presence of hydrogen occurs over all Pt-group metals commonly used in heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenations in supercritical CO2 (scCO2). In the batch reactor cell, formation of CO was detected on all metals at 50 and 90 degrees C, with the highest rate on Pt. Additional surface species were observed on Pt/Al2O3 at 150 bar under static conditions. It seems that further reaction of CO with hydrogen is facilitated by the higher surface concentration at higher pressure. In the continuous-flow cell, CO coverage on Pt/Al2O3 was less prominent than that in the batch reactor cell. A transient experiment in the continuous-flow cell additionally revealed CO formation on Pt/Al2O3 at 120 bar after switching the feed from a H2-ethane to a H2-CO2 mixture. The in situ ATR-IR measurements indicate that CO formation in CO2-H2 mixtures is normally a minor side reaction during hydrogenation reactions on Pt-group metal catalysts, and dense ("supercritical") CO2 may be considered as a relatively "inert" solvent in many practical applications. However, blocking of specific sites on the metal surface by CO and consecutive products can affect structure sensitive hydrogenation reactions and may be at the origin of unexpected shifts in the product distribution.

Liquid phase oxidation of alcohols with oxygen: in situ monitoring of the oxidation state of Bi-promoted Pd/Al2O3.

In situ, time-resolved XAS studies on a Bi-Pd/Al2O3 catalyst indicate that Pd, and Bi located on the Pd surface, are in a reduced, metallic state during the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol with molecular oxygen--a key for understanding the role of promoter in the reaction mechanism.

Continuous Amination of Propanediols in Supercritical Ammonia.

Enhancements in selectivity by a factor of 4 to 18 were observed in the near critical regions of ammonia during the Co- and Ni-catalyzed synthesis of 1,3-diaminopropanes. These results are attributed to the higher concentration of ammonia at the surface of the catalyst, which favors the amination and suppresses degredation reactions.

Inversion of Enantioselectivity during the Platinum-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of an Activated Ketone.

Two competing reaction pathways, which lead to opposite enantiomers, occur in the hydrogenation of 1 over chirally modified platinum, as revealed by catalytic and NMR spectroscopic experiments: the fast reduction of the ketoform 1 a (minor species) and the slow hydrogenolysis of the hydrate 3 (major species).

Potential of gold nanoparticles for oxidation in fine chemical synthesis.

In recent years supported gold nanoparticles have emerged as efficient catalysts with considerable synthetic potential for liquid-phase oxidation reactions based on molecular oxygen as oxidant. Here we critically review the most attractive applications related to the selective oxidation of functional groups containing O, N, or Si heteroatoms. The reactions include the oxidation of alcohols, aldehydes, and organosilanes; the diverse transformations of amines; benzylic oxidations; and some one-pot multistep reactions starting with alcohol or amine oxidation. In complex liquid-phase transformations relying on bifunctional catalysis, appropriate choice of the support is frequently more important than the size of the gold particles. In some oxidation reactions gold nanoparticles outperform the traditional platinum-group metal catalysts, but the latest results indicate the superiority of bimetallic particles containing gold and platinum, palladium, or rhodium. The environmentally benign nature of the transformations is discussed.

Enantioselective decarboxylation of beta-keto esters with Pd/amino alcohol systems: successive metal catalysis and organocatalysis.

The kinetics and mechanisms of one-pot cascade reactions of racemic beta-keto esters to give chiral ketones in the presence of Pd/C-chiral amino alcohol catalyst systems were studied. Transformation of 2-methyl-1-tetralone-2-carboxylic acid benzyl ester (1) into 2-methyl-1-tetralone (4) in the presence of Pd/C and cinchona alkaloids or ephedrine was chosen as a model reaction. After the first reaction step, the Pd-catalysed debenzylation of 1 to afford the corresponding beta-keto acid (2), there are two possible reaction routes that may be catalysed by the chiral amino alcohol in solution or by Pd(0) sites on the metal surface in cooperation with the adsorbed amino alcohol. The reaction intermediate 2 was synthesized, and the kinetics of decarboxylation were followed by NMR, UV and IR spectroscopy. The studies revealed that the role of Pd is to trigger the reaction series by deprotection of 1. The subsequent dominant reaction route from the racemic beta-keto acid 2 to the chiral ketone 4 is catalysed by the chiral amino alcohol in the liquid phase. It is shown that kinetic resolution of the diastereomeric salt of rac-2 and the chiral amino alcohol plays a key role in the enantioselection. High enantioselectivity necessitates an amino alcohol/rac-2 ratio of at least 2. A high ratio favours the formation of 1:1 amino alcohol/acid diastereomeric complexes, and the second amino alcohol molecule may be responsible for the enantioselective protonation of 2 in the diastereomeric complex.

Role of guiding groups in cinchona-modified platinum for controlling the sense of enantiodifferentiation in the hydrogenation of ketones.

Systematic structural variations of cinchona-type modifiers used in the platinum-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones give insight into the adsorption mode of the modifier and its interaction with the substrate on the platinum surface under truly in situ conditions. The performance of a new modifier, O-(2-pyridyl)-cinchonidine, is compared to that of O-phenyl-cinchonidine and cinchonidine (CD). In the hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate, ketopantolactone, and 2-methoxyacetophenone, CD gives the (R)-alcohol in excess. Introduction of the bulky O-phenyl group favors the (S)-enantiomer, whereas upon replacement of the phenyl by a 2-pyridyl group the (R)-alcohol is again the major product. This finding is particularly striking, because the two ether groups have virtually identical van der Waals volumes. A catalytic study including the nonlinear behavior of modifier mixtures, and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy of the solid-liquid interface in the presence of hydrogen, revealed the adsorption mode and strength of the modifiers on Pt. Theoretical calculations of the modifier-substrate interactions offered a feasible explanation for the different role of the bulky ether groups: repulsion by the phenoxy and attraction by the 2-pyridoxy groups. Simulation of the interaction of o-pyridoxy-CD with ketopantolactone on a model Pt surface suggests that formation of two N-H-O-type H-bonds--involving the quinuclidine and pyridine N atoms, and the two keto-carbonyls in the substrate--controls the adsorption of the substrate during hydrogen uptake. This mechanistic study demonstrates the potential of insertion of suitable substituents into CD and their influence on adsorption and stereocontrol on the platinum surface.

The origin of chemo- and enantioselectivity in the hydrogenation of diketones on platinum.

In the Pt-catalyzed hydrogenation of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-diketones, addition of trace amounts of cinchonidine, O-methyl-cinchonidine, or (R,R)-pantoyl-naphthylethylamine induces up to 93% ee and enhances the chemoselectivity up to 100% in the hydrogenation of the activated carbonyl group to an OH function. A combined catalytic, NMR and FTIR spectroscopic, and theoretical study revealed that the two phenomena are coupled, offering the unique possibility for understanding the substrate-modifier-metal interactions. The high chemo- and enantioselectivities are attributed to the formation of an ion pair involving the protonated amine function of the chiral modifier and the enolate form of the substrate. DFT calculations including the simulation of the interaction of a protonated amine with the enolate adsorbed on a Pt 31 cluster revealed that only the C-O bond next to the CF3 group of the substrate is in direct contact with Pt and can be hydrogenated. The present study illustrates the fundamental role played by the metal surface and indicates that also the enol form can be the reactive species in the hydrogenation of the activated ketone on chirally modified Pt.

Competition at chiral metal surfaces: fundamental aspects of the inversion of enantioselectivity in hydrogenations on platinum.

O-Phenylcinchonidine (PhOCD) is known to efficiently induce inversion of enantioselectivity with respect to cinchonidine (CD) in the enantioselective hydrogenation of various activated ketones on Pt/Al(2)O(3). To understand the origin of the switch of enantioselective properties of the catalyst, the adsorption of PhOCD has been studied by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy, in the presence of organic solvent and dissolved hydrogen, i.e., under conditions used for catalytic hydrogenation. The adsorption structures and energies of the anchoring group of CD and PhOCD were calculated on a Pt 38 cluster, using relativistically corrected density functional theory (DFT). Both approaches indicate that both modifiers are adsorbed via the quinoline ring and that the spatial arrangement of the quinuclidine skeleton is critical for the chiral recognition. New molecular level information on the conformation of CD relative to PhOCD adsorbed on a surface is extracted from the ATR spectra and supported by DFT calculations. The result is a clearer picture of the role played by the phenyl group in defining the chiral space created by the modifiers on Pt. Moreover, when CD was added to a pre-equilibrated adsorbed layer of PhOCD, a chiral adsorbed layer was formed with CD as the dominant modifier, indicating that CD adsorbs more strongly than PhOCD. Conversely, when PhOCD was added to preadsorbed CD, no significant substitution occurred. The process leading to nonlinear effects in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis has been characterized by in situ spectroscopy, and new insight into a heterogeneous catalytic R-S switch system is provided.

Enantioselective hydrogenation over cinchona-modified Pt: the special role of carboxylic acids.

The influence of acetic acid (AcOH) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) on the hydrogenation of ethyl-4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate has been investigated by using Pt/Al(2)O(3) modified by cinchonidine and O-methylcinchonidine. We have shown that the sometimes dramatic changes in enantioselectivity and rate cannot simply be interpreted by protonation of the alkaloid modifier. We propose a new three-step reaction pathway, involving interaction of the carboxylic acid with the reactant and the chiral modifier. The mechanism is supported by IR spectroscopic identification of cyclic TFA-modifier ion pairs. This new approach can rationalise the poorly understood role of acids in the enantioselective hydrogenation of activated ketones over cinchona-modified platinum metals.