Correlation of Experimental and Calculated Reaction Enthalpies with Ligand Donor Strengths.

Ylide-functionalized phosphines (YPhos) have recently proven to be strongly donating ligands that enable high catalyst activities in gold(I)-mediated transformations. We now report on a calorimetric study dealing with the [Au(YPhos)Cl] system and assess YPhos-Au bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE). Comparison with other commonly used phosphines confirmed the high binding strengths of the YPhos ligands. Furthermore, the values of the reaction enthalpies were shown to correlate with the electronic properties of the ligands measured via the Tolman electronic parameter or the calculated molecular electrostatic potential at phosphorus. Notably, the reaction enthalpies can conveniently be derived by computational methods, thus making these easy-to-obtain descriptors for ligand donor property quantification.

PtII -N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes in Solvent-Free Alkene Hydrosilylation.

Herein, we report the catalytic activity of a series of platinum(II) pre-catalysts, bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, in the alkene hydrosilylation reaction. Their structural and electronic properties are fully investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Next, our study presents a structure-activity relationship within this group of pre-catalysts and gives mechanistic insights into the catalyst activation step. An exceptional catalytic performance of one of the complexes is observed, reaching a turnover number (TON) of 970 000 and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 40 417 h-1 at 1 ppm catalyst loading. Finally, an attractive solvent-free and open-to-air alkene hydrosilylation protocol, featuring efficient platinum removal (reduction of residual Pt from 582 ppm to 5.8 ppm), is disclosed.

Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Amides by N-C Cleavage Mediated by Air-Stable, Well-Defined [Pd(NHC)(sulfide)Cl2] Catalysts: Reaction Development, Scope, and Mechanism.

The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of amides by selective N-C acyl bond cleavage represents a powerful tool for constructing biaryl ketones from historically inert amide bonds. These amide bond activation reactions hinge upon efficient oxidative addition of the N-C acyl bond to Pd(0). However, in contrast to the well-researched activation of aryl halides by C(sp2)-X oxidative addition, very few studies on the mechanism of C(acyl)-N bond oxidative addition and catalyst effect have been reported. Herein, we report a study on [Pd(NHC)(sulfide)Cl2] catalysts in amide N-C bond activation. These readily prepared, well-defined, air- and moisture-stable Pd(II)-NHC catalysts feature SMe2 (DMS = dimethylsulfide) or S(CH2CH2)2 (THT = tetrahydrothiophene) as ancillary ligands. The reaction development, kinetic studies, and reaction scope are presented. Extensive DFT studies were conducted to gain insight into the mechanism of C(acyl)-N bond oxidative addition and catalyst activation. We expect that [Pd(NHC)(sulfide)Cl2] precatalysts featuring sulfides as well-defined, readily accessible ancillary ligands will find application in C(acyl)-X bond activation in organic synthesis and catalysis.

A Versatile Palladium Synthon: [Pd(NHC)(PhC≡CPh)].

The synthesis and isolation of [Pd(NHC)(PhC≡CPh)] complexes are reported. These new 14-electron Pd(0)-complexes are key synthons leading to known palladium(0) and palladium(II) species, as well as permitting access to unprecedented mixed NHC-phosphite palladium(0) complexes. This motif permits the facile catalytic hydrosilylation of allenes. DFT calculations have allowed the characterization of the relatively weak interaction between the metal and the diphenylacetylene ligand, with a comparison with a series of ligands with more or less coordinating power, bearing varied structural and electronic properties.

Synthesis of Carbene-Metal-Amido (CMA) Complexes and Their Use as Precatalysts for the Activator-Free, Gold-Catalyzed Addition of Carboxylic Acids to Alkynes.

A straightforward synthetic protocol leading to carbene-metal-amido (CMA) complexes (metal=Au, Cu) using a mild base and an environmentally desirable solvent (EtOH) has been explored, with a focus on complexes bearing backbone-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, including BIAN-NHCs (BIAN=bis(imino)acenaphthene). The novel CMAs were structurally characterized, and gold-based CMAs bearing diverse NHCs were screened as simple, Brønsted-basic precatalysts. The readily accessible complexes display high catalytic activity in the intermolecular and intramolecular hydrocarboxylation of internal alkynes and alkynoic acids respectively, while the screening reveals the ancillary ligand effect of NHCs in these catalytic systems.

Sustainability in Ru- and Pd-based catalytic systems using N-heterocyclic carbenes as ligands.

This review is a critical presentation of catalysts based on palladium and ruthenium bearing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands that have enabled a more sustainable approach to catalysis and to catalyst uses. Aspects of sustainability associated with these in terms of catalytic uses or synthetic access are reviewed.

Synthetic Access to Aromatic α-Haloketones.

α-Haloketones play an essential role in the synthesis of complex N-, S-, O-heterocycles; of which some exhibit a remarkable biological activity. Research further illustrated that α-bromo-, α-chloro-, and α-iodoketones are key precursors for blockbuster pharmacological compounds. Over the past twenty years, substantial advances have been made in the synthesis of these industrially relevant building blocks. Efforts have focused on rendering the synthetic protocols greener, more effective and versatile. In this survey, we summarised and thoroughly evaluated the progress of the field, established in the past two decades, in terms of generality, efficacy and sustainability.

Continuous Flow Synthesis of Metal-NHC Complexes*.

The use of weak bases and mild conditions is currently the most sustainable and attractive synthetic approach for the preparation of late-transition metal complexes, some of which are widely used in catalysis, medicinal chemistry and materials science. Herein, the use of cuprate, aurate or palladate species for a continuous flow preparation of CuI , AuI and PdII -NHC complexes is reported. All reactions examined proceed under extremely mild conditions and make use of technical grade acetone as solvent. The scalability of the process was exemplified in a multigram-scale synthesis of [Cu(IPr)Cl].

Synthesis of Gold(I)-Trifluoromethyl Complexes and their Role in Generating Spectroscopic Evidence for a Gold(I)-Difluorocarbene Species.

Readily prepared and bench-stable [Au(CF3 )(NHC)] compounds were synthesized by using new methods, starting from [Au(OH)(NHC)], [Au(Cl)(NHC)] or [Au(L)(NHC)]HF2 precursors (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene). The mechanism of formation of these species was investigated. Consequently, a new and straightforward strategy for the mild and selective cleavage of a single carbon/fluorine bond from [Au(CF3 )(NHC)] complexes was attempted and found to be reversible in the presence of an additional nucleophilic fluoride source. This straightforward technique has led to the unprecedented spectroscopic observation of a gold(I)-NHC difluorocarbene species.

Simple Synthetic Routes to Carbene-M-Amido (M=Cu, Ag, Au) Complexes for Luminescence and Photocatalysis Applications.

The development of novel and operationally simple synthetic routes to carbene-metal-amido (CMA) complexes of copper, silver and gold relevant for photonic applications are reported. A mild base and sustainable solvents allow all reactions to be conducted in air and at room temperature, leading to high yields of the targeted compounds even on multigram scales. The effect of various mild bases on the N-H metallation was studied in silico and experimentally, while a mechanochemical, solvent-free synthetic approach was also developed. Our photophysical studies on [M(NHC)(Cbz)] (Cbz=carbazolyl) indicate that the occurrence of fluorescent or phosphorescent states is determined primarily by the metal, providing control over the excited state properties. Consequently, we demonstrate the potential of the new CMAs beyond luminescence applications by employing a selected CMA as a photocatalyst. The exemplified synthetic ease is expected to accelerate the applications of CMAs in photocatalysis and materials chemistry.

Au⋠⋠⋠H-C Hydrogen Bonds as Design Principle in Gold(I) Catalysis.

Secondary ligand-metal interactions are decisive in many catalytic transformations. While arene-gold interactions have repeatedly been reported as critical structural feature in many high-performance gold catalysts, we herein report that these interactions can also be replaced by Au⋅⋅⋅H-C hydrogen bonds without suffering any reduction in catalytic performance. Systematic experimental and computational studies on a series of ylide-substituted phosphines featuring either a PPh3 (Ph YPhos) or PCy3 (Cy YPhos) moiety showed that the arene-gold interaction in the aryl-substituted compounds is efficiently compensated by the formation of Au⋅⋅⋅H-C hydrogen bonds. The strongest interaction is found with the C-H moiety next to the onium center, which due to the polarization results in remarkably strong interactions with the shortest Au⋅⋅⋅H-C hydrogen bonds reported to date. Calorimetric studies on the formation of the gold complexes further confirmed that the Ph YPhos and Cy YPhos ligands form similarly stable complexes. Consequently, both ligands showed the same catalytic performance in the hydroamination, hydrophenoxylation and hydrocarboxylation of alkynes, thus demonstrating that Au⋅⋅⋅H-C hydrogen bonds are equally suited for the generation of highly effective gold catalysts than gold-arene interactions. The generality of this observation was confirmed by a comparative study between a biaryl phosphine ligand and its cyclohexyl-substituted derivative, which again showed identical catalytic performance. These observations clearly support Au⋅⋅⋅H-C hydrogen bonds as fundamental secondary interactions in gold catalysts, thus further increasing the number of design elements that can be used for future catalyst construction.

A Mechanistically and Operationally Simple Route to Metal-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Complexes.

We have been puzzled by the involvement of weak organic and inorganic bases in the synthesis of metal-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes. Such bases are insufficiently strong to permit the presumed required deprotonation of the azolium salt (the carbene precursor) prior to metal binding. Experimental and computational studies provide support for a base-assisted concerted process that does not require free NHC formation. The synthetic protocol was found applicable to a number of transition-metal- and main-group-centered NHC compounds and could become the synthetic route of choice to form M-NHC bonds.

Aerobic synthesis of N-sulfonylamidines mediated by N-heterocyclic carbene copper(I) catalysts.

A new catalytic strategy for the one-pot synthesis of N-sulfonylamidines is described. The cationic copper(I) complexes were found to be highly active and efficient under mild conditions in air and in the absence of solvent. A copper acetylide is proposed as key intermediate in this transformation.

Gold(i) catalysed regio- and stereoselective intermolecular hydroamination of internal alkynes: towards functionalised azoles.

Gold(i) catalysed regio- and stereoselective intermolecular hydroamination of internal alkynes was developed for the effective synthesis of a series of (Z)-functionalised vinylazoles under solvent free conditions. The catalytic hydrogenation of the resulting enamines leads to substituted saturated azoles in good yields.

Ligand-Directed Reactivity in Dioxygen and Water Binding to cis-[Pd(NHC)2(η2-O2)].

Reaction of [Pd(IPr)2] (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) and O2 leads to the surprising discovery that at low temperature the initial reaction product is a highly labile peroxide complex cis-[Pd(IPr)2(η2-O2)]. At temperatures ≳ -40 °C, cis-[Pd(IPr)2(η2-O2)] adds a second O2 to form trans-[Pd(IPr)2(η1-O2)2]. Squid magnetometry and EPR studies yield data that are consistent with a singlet diradical ground state with a thermally accessible triplet state for this unique bis-superoxide complex. In addition to reaction with O2, cis-[Pd(IPr)2(η2-O2)] reacts at low temperature with H2O in methanol/ether solution to form trans-[Pd(IPr)2(OH)(OOH)]. The crystal structure of trans-[Pd(IPr)2(OOH)(OH)] is reported. Neither reaction with O2 nor reaction with H2O occurs under comparable conditions for cis-[Pd(IMes)2(η2-O2)] (IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene). The increased reactivity of cis-[Pd(IPr)2(η2-O2)] is attributed to the enthalpy of binding of O2 to [Pd(IPr)2] (-14.5 ± 1.0 kcal/mol) that is approximately one-half that of [Pd(IMes)2] (-27.9 ± 1.5 kcal/mol). Computational studies identify the cause as interligand repulsion forcing a wider C-Pd-C angle and tilting of the NHC plane in cis-[Pd(IPr)2(η2-O2)]. Arene-arene interactions are more favorable and serve to further stabilize cis-[Pd(IMes)2(η2-O2)]. Inclusion of dispersion effects in DFT calculations leads to improved agreement between experimental and computational enthalpies of O2 binding. A complete reaction diagram is constructed for formation of trans-[Pd(IPr)2(η1-O2)2] and leads to the conclusion that kinetic factors inhibit formation of trans-[Pd(IMes)2(η1-O2)2] at the low temperatures at which it is thermodynamically favored. Failure to detect the predicted T-shaped intermediate trans-[Pd(NHC)2(η1-O2)] for either NHC = IMes or IPr is attributed to dynamic effects. A partial potential energy diagram for initial binding of O2 is constructed. A range of low-energy pathways at different angles of approach are present and blur the distinction between pure "side-on" or "end-on" trajectories for oxygen binding.

Generalization of the Copper to Late-Transition-Metal Transmetallation to Carbenes beyond N-Heterocyclic Carbenes.

Carbene transition-metal complexes have become a prevalent family of catalysts enabling numerous organic transformations. Their facile synthetic access is a matter of great importance. To this end, the Cu(I) -NHC transfer methodology has emerged as a powerful alternative presenting attractive advantages over other methods. Herein, we report the remarkable ability of copper to transfer not only NHCs but also other types of carbenes such as abnormal NHCs (aNHCs), cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAACs), and mesoionic carbenes (MICs) to various transition metal precursors.

Copper N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes As Active Catalysts for the Synthesis of 2-Substituted Oxazolines from Nitriles and Aminoalcohols.

The reaction between nitriles and aminoalcohols to access 2-substituted oxazolines was investigated. Using copper-NHC complexes, various nitriles were successfully converted into the corresponding oxazolines, under milder and less wasteful conditions than those of previously reported methods.

Ruthenium indenylidene "1(st) generation" olefin metathesis catalysts containing triisopropyl phosphite.

The reaction of triisopropyl phosphite with phosphine-based indenylidene pre-catalysts affords "1(st) generation" cis-complexes. These have been used in olefin metathesis reactions. The cis-Ru species exhibit noticeable differences with the trans-Ru parent complexes in terms of structure, thermal stability and reactivity. Experimental data underline the importance of synergistic effects between phosphites and L-type ligands.

[Pd(µ-Cl)Cl(IPr*)]2: a highly hindered pre-catalyst for the synthesis of tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls via Grignard reagent cross-coupling.

The new well-defined catalyst [Pd(µ-Cl)Cl(IPr*)]2 enables the efficient Grignard reagent cross-coupling for the synthesis of tetra-ortho-substituted biaryls. The high reactivity of the complex is associated with the important bulkiness of the IPr* ligand. The dimer represents the most efficient catalyst reported to date for this challenging transformation.

The isolation of [Pd{OC(O)H}(H)(NHC)(PR3)] (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) and its role in alkene and alkyne reductions using formic acid.

The [Pd(SIPr)(PCy3)] complex efficiently promotes a tandem process involving dehydrogenation of formic acid and hydrogenation of C-C multiple bonds using H2 formed in situ. The isolation of a key catalytic hydridoformatopalladium species, [Pd{OC(O)H}(H)(IPr)(PCy3)], is reported. The complex plays a key role in the Pd(0)-mediated formation of hydrogen from formic acid. Mechanistic and computational studies delineate the operational role of the palladium complex in this efficient tandem sequence.