Donor Ability of Bisphosphinemonoxide Ligands Relevant to Late-Metal Olefin Polymerization Catalysis.

Late-transition-metal catalysts for polymerization of olefins have drawn a significant amount of attention owing to their ability to tolerate and incorporate polar comonomers. However, a systematic way to experimentally quantify the electronic properties of the ligands used in these systems has not been developed. Quantified ligand parameters will allow for the rational design of tailored polymerization catalysts, which would target specific polymer properties. We report a series of platinum complexes bearing bisphosphinemonoxide ligands, which resemble those used in the polymerization catalysts of Nozaki and Chen. Their electronic properties are investigated experimentally, and trends are rationalized by using computed spectral properties. Benchmarking computational data with known experimental parameters further enhances the utility of both methods for determining optimal ligands for catalytic application.

H2 and carbon-heteroatom bond activation mediated by polarized heterobimetallic complexes.

The field of heterobimetallic chemistry has rapidly expanded over the last decade. In addition to their interesting structural features, heterobimetallic structures have been found to facilitate a range of stoichiometric bond activations and catalytic processes. The accompanying review summarizes advances in this area since January of 2010. The review encompasses well-characterized heterobimetallic complexes, with a particular focus on mechanistic details surrounding their reactivity applications.

CO2 Capture by 2-(Methylamino)pyridine Ligated Aluminum Alkyl Complexes.

A set of novel, easily synthesized aluminum complexes, Al[κ2-N,N-2-(methylamino)pyridine]2R (R = Et, iBu) are reported. When subjected to 1 atm of CO2 pressure, each hemilabile pyridine arm dissociates and facilitates cooperative activation of the CO2 substrate reminiscent of a Frustrated Lewis Pair. This reaction has limited precedent for Al/N based Lewis Pair systems, and this is the first system readily shown to sequester multiple equivalents of CO2 per aluminum center. The ethyl variant then reacts further, inserting a third equivalent of CO2 into the aluminum alkyl to generate an aluminum carboxylate. Examples of this type of reactivity are rare under thermal conditions. A joint experimental/computational study supports the proposed reaction mechanism.

Hydrogen Activation and Hydrogenolysis Facilitated By Late-Transition-Metal-Aluminum Heterobimetallic Complexes.

Previously reported heterobimetallic rhodium-aluminum and iridium-aluminum alkyl complexes are shown to activate hydrogen, generating the corresponding alkane. Kinetic data indicate a mechanistic difference between the iridium- and rhodium-based systems. In both cases the transition metal is an active participant in the release of alkane from the aluminum center. For iridium-aluminum species, experimental mechanistic data suggest that multiple pathways occur concomitantly with each other: one being the oxidative addition of hydrogen followed by proton transfer resulting in alkane generation. Computational data indicate a reasonable barrier to formation of an iridium dihydride intermediate observed experimentally. In the case of the rhodium-aluminum species, hydrides are not observed spectroscopically, though a reasonable barrier to formation of this thermodynamically unstable species has been calculated. Alternative mechanistic possibilities are discussed and explored computationally. Cooperative hydrogenolysis mechanisms are computed to be energetically unfeasible for both metal centers.

Synthesis and Characterization of Heterobimetallic Iridium-Aluminum and Rhodium-Aluminum Complexes.

We demonstrate the synthesis and characterization of a new class of late-transition-metal-aluminum heterobimetallic complexes via a novel synthetic pathway. Complexes of this type are exceedingly rare. Joint experimental and theoretical data sheds light on the electronic effect of ligands containing aluminum moieties on late-transition-metal complexes.

Hydrogenation of carboxylic acids catalyzed by half-sandwich complexes of iridium and rhodium.

A series of half-sandwich Ir and Rh compounds are demonstrated to be competent catalysts for the hydrogenation of carboxylic acids under relatively mild conditions. Of the structurally diverse group of catalysts tested for activity, a Cp*Ir complex supported by an electron-releasing 2,2'-bipyridine ligand was the most active. Higher activity was achieved with employment of Brønsted or Lewis acid promoters. Mechanistic studies suggest a possible reaction pathway involving activated carboxylic acid substrates. The hydrogenation reaction was shown to be general to a variety of aliphatic acids.

Hydroxamate anchors for improved photoconversion in dye-sensitized solar cells.

We present the first analysis of performance of hydroxamate linkers as compared to carboxylate and phosphonate groups when anchoring ruthenium-polypyridyl dyes to TiO2 surfaces in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The study provides fundamental insight into structure/function relationships that are critical for cell performance. Our DSSCs have been produced by using newly synthesized dye molecules and characterized by combining measurements and simulations of experimental current density-voltage (J-V) characteristic curves. We show that the choice of anchoring group has a direct effect on the overall sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η), with hydroxamate anchors showing the best performance. Solar cells based on the pyridyl-hydroxamate complex exhibit higher efficiency since they suppress electron transfer from the photoanode to the electrolyte and have superior photoinjection characteristics. These findings suggest that hydroxamate anchoring groups should be particularly valuable in DSSCs and photocatalytic applications based on molecular adsorbates covalently bound to semiconductor surfaces. In contrast, analogous acetylacetonate anchors might undergo decomposition under similar conditions suggesting limited potential in future applications.

Sodium periodate as a primary oxidant for water-oxidation catalysts.

Sodium periodate was characterized as a primary chemical oxidant for the catalytic evolution of oxygen at neutral pH using a variety of water-oxidation catalysts. The visible spectra of solutions formed from Cp*Ir(bpy)SO(4) during oxygen-evolution catalysis were measured. NMR spectroscopy suggests that the catalyst remains molecular after several turnovers with sodium periodate. Two of our [Cp*Ir(bis-NHC)][PF(6)](2) complexes, along with other literature catalysts, such as the manganese terpyridyl dimer, Hill's cobalt polyoxometallate, and Meyer's blue dimer, were also tested for activity. Sodium periodate was found to function only for water-oxidation catalysts with low overpotentials. This specificity is attributed to the relatively low oxidizing capability of sodium periodate solutions relative to solutions of other common primary oxidants. Studying oxygen-evolution catalysis by using sodium periodate as a primary oxidant may, therefore, provide preliminary evidence that a given catalyst has a low overpotential.

Thiocyanate linkage isomerism in a ruthenium polypyridyl complex.

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes have seen extensive use in solar energy applications. One of the most efficient dye-sensitized solar cells produced to date employs the dye-sensitizer N719, a ruthenium polypyridyl thiocyanate complex. Thiocyanate complexes are typically present as an inseparable mixture of N-bound and S-bound linkage isomers. Here we report the synthesis of a new complex, [Ru(terpy)(tbbpy)SCN][SbF(6)] (terpy = 2,2';6',2''-terpyridine, tbbpy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine), as a mixture of N-bound and S-bound thiocyanate linkage isomers that can be separated based on their relative solubility in ethanol. Both isomers have been characterized spectroscopically and by X-ray crystallography. At elevated temperatures the isomers equilibrate, the product being significantly enriched in the more thermodynamically stable N-bound form. Density functional theory analysis supports our experimental observation that the N-bound isomer is thermodynamically preferred, and provides insight into the isomerization mechanism.

Systematic evaluation of the electronic effect of aluminum-containing ligands in iridium-aluminum and rhodium-aluminum bimetallic complexes.

Pyridinemethanolate and oxyquinoline derivatives of previously reported late transition metal-aluminum heterobimetallic complexes containing iridium and rhodium have been synthesized and characterized. A combination of experimental and computational data permits a direct comparison of the electronic effects of each novel aluminum-containing ligand in our library on the late transition metal centers. Alongside electronic data of previously reported oxypyridine bridged systems, we conclude that the addition of a dialkylaluminum(X) (X = anion) fragment does not significantly perturb the electron donor ability of the bridging ligand. Anions bound to the aluminum are also shown to behave similarly. The overall library, thus, suggests that the best predictor of the electron donor ability of an alkylaluminum-containing ligand to a transition metal is the donor power of the bridging ligand.

Photoluminescence of 1-D copper(I) cyanide chains: a theoretical description.

Solid copper(I) cyanide occurs as extended one-dimensional chains with interesting photophysical properties. To explain the observed luminescence spectroscopy of CuCN, we report a series of computational studies using short bare and potassium-capped [Cu(n)(CN)(n+1)] (-) (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7) chains as CuCN models. On the basis of TD-DFT calculations of these model chains, the excitation transitions in the UV spectrum are assigned as Laporte-allowed pi-pi transitions from MOs with Cu 3d(pi) and CN pi character to empty MOs with Cu 4p and CN pi* character. Transitions between the HOMO (3d(z)) and LUMO (Cu 4p and CN pi*) are symmetry forbidden and are not assigned to the bands in the excitation spectrum. The emission spectrum is assumed to arise from transitions between the lowest triplet excited state and the ground-state singlet. The lowest energy triplet for the model networks has a bent structure due to distortions to remove the degeneracies in the partially occupied MOs of the linear triplet. The S(0)-T gap for the bent triplet chains is consistent with the emission wavelength for bulk CuCN.

Synthesis and characterization of rhodium-aluminum heterobimetallic complexes tethered by a 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)-2-propanoxy group.

We demonstrate the synthesis and characterization of a new class of late transition metal-aluminum heterobimetallic complexes. A bridging ligand which both chelates the transition metal and binds the aluminum via an alkoxide was employed to impart stability to the bimetallic system. Novel rhodium-aluminum heterobimetallic complexes Rh(DPPE)(DPPP-O-AliBu2Cl) and Rh(DPPP-O-AliBu2)(DPPP-O-AliBu2Cl) are synthesized and spectroscopically characterized.

Electron-Rich CpIr(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl) Complexes with π-Accepting Carbon Donor Ligands.

Cp*IrIII and CpIrIII complexes have attracted interest as catalysts for oxidative transformations, and highly oxidizing iridium species are postulated as key intermediates in both catalytic water and C-H bond oxidation. Strongly electron-donating ligand sets have been shown to stabilize IrIV complexes. We describe the synthesis and reactivity of complexes containing the CpIr(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl) moiety stabilized by a series of strong donor carbon-based ligands. The oxidation chemistry of these complexes has been characterized electrochemically, and a singly oxidized IrIV species has been observed by X-band EPR for the complex CpIr(biph)(p-CNCH2SO2C6H4CH3).

Reversible luminescent reaction of amines with copper(I) cyanide.

Copper(i) cyanide exposed to various liquid or vapor-phase amines (L) at ambient temperature produces a variety of visible photoluminescence colors via reversible formation of amine adducts. The adducts show phase matches to authentic (CuCN)L(n), n = 0.75-2.0, produced by heating CuCN with liquid amine.