Molecular Catalysts with Diphosphine Ligands Containing Pendant Amines.

Pendant amines play an invaluable role in chemical reactivity, especially for molecular catalysts based on earth-abundant metals. As inspired by [FeFe]-hydrogenases, which contain a pendant amine positioned for cooperative bifunctionality, synthetic catalysts have been developed to emulate this multifunctionality through incorporation of a pendant amine in the second coordination sphere. Cyclic diphosphine ligands containing two amines serve as the basis for a class of catalysts that have been extensively studied and used to demonstrate the impact of a pendant base. These 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctanes, now often referred to as "P2N2" ligands, have profound effects on the reactivity of many catalysts. The resulting [Ni(PR2NR'2)2]2+ complexes are electrocatalysts for both the oxidation and production of H2. Achieving the optimal benefit of the pendant amine requires that it has suitable basicity and is properly positioned relative to the metal center. In addition to the catalytic efficacy demonstrated with [Ni(PR2NR'2)2]2+ complexes for the oxidation and production of H2, catalysts with diphosphine ligands containing pendant amines have also been demonstrated for several metals for many different reactions, both in solution and immobilized on surfaces. The impact of pendant amines in catalyst design continues to expand.

Designing Catalytic Systems Using Binary Solvent Mixtures: Impact of Mole Fraction of Water on Hydride Transfer.

The free energy for hydride transfer reactions of transition metal hydrides is known to be influenced by solvent effects. The first-row transition metal hydride [HNi(dmpe)2][BF4] (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) has starkly different hydride transfer reactivities with CO2 in different solvents. A binary mixture of water and acetonitrile was used to tune the hydride transfer reactivity of HNi(dmpe)2+ with CO2 so that the free energy for this reaction approached zero. Various mole fractions of water were tested and a linear relationship between the hydride transfer free energy and solvent composition was established for 0-0.24 mole fraction of water. A deviation from linearity was found upon moving toward higher mole fractions of water. The tuning of the free energy for hydride transfer allowed HNi(dmpe)2+ to be used as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of CO2. The optimized catalyst conditions produced 58 turnovers at room temperature in 0.082 mole fraction of water using 60 atm of a 1:1 mixture of H2 to CO2 gas.

Computational Study of Triphosphine-Ligated Cu(I) Catalysts for Hydrogenation of CO2 to Formate.

The catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2 to formate via a triphosphine-ligated Cu(I) was studied computationally at the density functional theory level in the presence of a self-consistent reaction field. Of the four functionals benchmarked, M06 was generally in the best agreement with the available experimentally estimated values. Two bases, DBU and TBD, were studied in the context of two proposed mechanisms in the MeCN solvent. Activation of H2 was explored by using LCu(DBU)+ to form LCuH. Dissociation of a ligand arm results in higher barriers to form the key hydride complex, LCuH. The preferred mechanism passes through a transition state, where the H2 has one H atom interacting with the copper center and the other H atom interacting with the N atom of the base, similar to H2 insertion into a frustrated Lewis pair. There is no significant difference between the choice of a base, DBU or TBD, with respect to the proposed mechanisms. We propose that the experimentally observed differences between DBU and TBD reactivities for this mechanism are due to off-pathway changes.

Oxidation of Ammonia with Molecular Complexes.

Oxidation of ammonia by molecular complexes is a burgeoning area of research, with critical scientific challenges that must be addressed. A fundamental understanding of individual reaction steps is needed, particularly for cleavage of N-H bonds and formation of N-N bonds. This Perspective evaluates the challenges of designing molecular catalysts for oxidation of ammonia and highlights recent key contributions to realizing the goals of viable energy storage and retrieval based on the N-H bonds of ammonia in a carbon-free energy cycle.

The H•/H- Redox Couple and Absolute Hydration Energy of H.

A supermolecule-continuum approach with water clusters up to n = 16 H2O molecules has been used to predict the absolute hydration free energies at 298 K (ΔGhyd) of both hydrogen (H•) and hydride (H-) to be 4.6 ± 1 and -78 ± 3 kcal/mol, respectively. These values are combined with a high accuracy prediction of the gas-phase electron affinity (ΔGgas,298K = -16.9 kcal/mol) to determine the aqueous electron affinity of H• of 99.5 ± 3 kcal/mol, which yields a reduction potential for H• vs SHE of -0.03 ± 0.15 V. This value is in agreement within 0.2 V with most estimates obtained using a wide variety of approaches. These results can be used to improve the absolute hydricity scale in water which provides additional insights into how a putative hydride interacts with solvent but do not change the ability to predict the relative reactivity of two species using relative hydricity scales.

Thermodynamic and kinetic studies of H2 and N2 binding to bimetallic nickel-group 13 complexes and neutron structure of a Ni(η2-H2) adduct.

Understanding H2 binding and activation is important in the context of designing transition metal catalysts for many processes, including hydrogenation and the interconversion of H2 with protons and electrons. This work reports the first thermodynamic and kinetic H2 binding studies for an isostructural series of first-row metal complexes: NiML, where M = Al (1), Ga (2), and In (3), and L = [N(o-(NCH2PiPr2)C6H4)3]3-. Thermodynamic free energies (ΔG°) and free energies of activation (ΔG ‡) for binding equilibria were obtained via variable-temperature 31P NMR studies and lineshape analysis. The supporting metal exerts a large influence on the thermodynamic favorability of both H2 and N2 binding to Ni, with ΔG° values for H2 binding found to span nearly the entire range of previous reports. The non-classical H2 adduct, (η2-H2)NiInL (3-H2), was structurally characterized by single-crystal neutron diffraction-the first such study for a Ni(η2-H2) complex or any d10 M(η2-H2) complex. UV-Vis studies and TD-DFT calculations identified specific electronic structure perturbations of the supporting metal which poise NiML complexes for small-molecule binding. ETS-NOCV calculations indicate that H2 binding primarily occurs via H-H σ-donation to the Ni 4p z -based LUMO, which is proposed to become energetically accessible as the Ni(0)→M(iii) dative interaction increases for the larger M(iii) ions. Linear free-energy relationships are discussed, with the activation barrier for H2 binding (ΔG ‡) found to decrease proportionally for more thermodynamically favorable equilibria. The ΔG° values for H2 and N2 binding to NiML complexes were also found to be more exergonic for the larger M(iii) ions.

A Bimetallic Nickel-Gallium Complex Catalyzes CO2 Hydrogenation via the Intermediacy of an Anionic d10 Nickel Hydride.

Large-scale CO2 hydrogenation could offer a renewable stream of industrially important C1 chemicals while reducing CO2 emissions. Critical to this opportunity is the requirement for inexpensive catalysts based on earth-abundant metals instead of precious metals. We report a nickel-gallium complex featuring a Ni(0)→Ga(III) bond that shows remarkable catalytic activity for hydrogenating CO2 to formate at ambient temperature (3150 turnovers, turnover frequency = 9700 h-1), compared with prior homogeneous Ni-centered catalysts. The Lewis acidic Ga(III) ion plays a pivotal role in stabilizing catalytic intermediates, including a rare anionic d10 Ni hydride. Structural and in situ characterization of this reactive intermediate support a terminal Ni-H moiety, for which the thermodynamic hydride donor strength rivals those of precious metal hydrides. Collectively, our experimental and computational results demonstrate that modulating a transition metal center via a direct interaction with a Lewis acidic support can be a powerful strategy for promoting new reactivity paradigms in base-metal catalysis.

Changing the Mechanism for CO2 Hydrogenation Using Solvent-Dependent Thermodynamics.

A critical scientific challenge for utilization of CO2 is the development of catalyst systems that function in water and use inexpensive and environmentally friendly reagents. We have used thermodynamic insights to predict and demonstrate that the HCoI (dmpe)2 catalyst system, previously described for use in organic solvents, can hydrogenate CO2 to formate in water with bicarbonate as the only added reagent. Replacing tetrahydrofuran as the solvent with water changes the mechanism for catalysis by altering the thermodynamics for hydride transfer to CO2 from a key dihydride intermediate. The need for a strong organic base was eliminated by performing catalysis in water owing to the change in mechanism. These studies demonstrate that the solvent plays a pivotal role in determining the reaction thermodynamics and thereby catalytic mechanism and activity.

Hydrogenation of CO2 at Room Temperature and Low Pressure with a Cobalt Tetraphosphine Catalyst.

Large-scale implementation of carbon neutral energy sources such as solar and wind will require the development of energy storage mechanisms. The hydrogenation of CO2 into formic acid or methanol could function as a means to store energy in a chemical bond. The catalyst reported here operates under low pressure, at room temperature, and in the presence of a base much milder (7 pKa units lower) than the previously reported CO2 hydrogenation catalyst, Co(dmpe)2H. The Co(I) tetraphosphine complex, [Co(L3)(CH3CN)]BF4, where L3 = 1,5-diphenyl-3,7-bis(diphenylphosphino)propyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane (0.31 mM), catalyzes CO2 hydrogenation with an initial turnover frequency of 150(20) h-1 at 25 °C, 1.7 atm of a 1:1 mixture of H2 and CO2, and 0.6 M 2-tert-butyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine.

Reversible Heterolytic Cleavage of the H-H Bond by Molybdenum Complexes: Controlling the Dynamics of Exchange Between Proton and Hydride.

Controlling the heterolytic cleavage of the H-H bond of dihydrogen is critically important in catalytic hydrogenations and in the catalytic oxidation of H2. We show how the rate of reversible heterolytic cleavage of H2 can be controlled, spanning 4 orders of magnitude at 25 °C, from 2.1 × 103 s-1 to ≥107 s-1. Bifunctional Mo complexes, [CpMo(CO)(κ3-P2N2)]+ (P2N2 = 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane diphosphine ligand with alkyl/aryl groups on N and P), have been developed for heterolytic cleavage of H2 into a proton and a hydride, akin to frustrated Lewis pairs. The H-H bond cleavage is enabled by the basic amine in the second coordination sphere. The products of heterolytic cleavage of H2, Mo hydride complexes bearing protonated amines, [CpMo(H)(CO)(P2N2H)]+, were characterized by spectroscopic studies and by X-ray crystallography. Variable-temperature 1H, 15N, and 2-D 1H-1H ROESY NMR spectra indicated rapid exchange of the proton and hydride. The exchange rates are in the order [CpMo(H)(CO)(PPh2NPh2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NPh2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PPh2NBn2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NBn2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NtBu2H)]+. The pKa values determined in acetonitrile range from 9.3 to 17.7 and show a linear correlation with the logarithm of the exchange rates. This correlation likely results from the exchange process involving key intermediates that differ by an intramolecular proton transfer. Specifically, the proton-hydride exchange appears to occur by formation of a molybdenum dihydride or dihydrogen complex, resulting from proton transfer from the pendant amine to the metal hydride. The exchange dynamics are controlled by the relative acidity of the [CpMo(H)(CO)(P2N2H)]+ and [CpMo(H2)(CO)(P2N2)]+ isomers, providing a design principle for controlling heterolytic cleavage of H2.

Surface Immobilization of Molecular Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion.

Electrocatalysts are critically important for a secure energy future, as they facilitate the conversion between electrical and chemical energy. Molecular catalysts offer precise control of structure that enables understanding of structure-reactivity relationships, which can be difficult to achieve with heterogeneous catalysts. Molecular electrocatalysts can be immobilized on surfaces by covalent bonds or through non-covalent interactions. Advantages of surface immobilization include the need for less catalyst, avoidance of bimolecular decomposition pathways, and easier determination of catalyst lifetime. This Minireview highlights surface immobilization of molecular electrocatalysts for reduction of O2 , oxidation of H2 O, production of H2 , and reduction of CO2 .

Controlling Proton Delivery through Catalyst Structural Dynamics.

The fastest synthetic molecular catalysts for H2 production and oxidation emulate components of the active site of hydrogenases. The critical role of controlled structural dynamics is recognized for many enzymes, including hydrogenases, but is largely neglected in designing synthetic catalysts. Our results demonstrate the impact of controlling structural dynamics on H2 production rates for [Ni(PPh2 NC6H4R2 )2 ]2+ catalysts (R=n-hexyl, n-decyl, n-tetradecyl, n-octadecyl, phenyl, or cyclohexyl). The turnover frequencies correlate inversely with the rates of chair-boat ring inversion of the ligand, since this dynamic process governs protonation at either catalytically productive or non-productive sites. These results demonstrate that the dynamic processes involved in proton delivery can be controlled through modification of the outer coordination sphere, in a manner similar to the role of the protein architecture in many enzymes. As a design parameter, controlling structural dynamics can increase H2 production rates by three orders of magnitude with a minimal increase in overpotential.

Thermodynamic Hydricity of Transition Metal Hydrides.

Transition metal hydrides play a critical role in stoichiometric and catalytic transformations. Knowledge of free energies for cleaving metal hydride bonds enables the prediction of chemical reactivity, such as for the bond-forming and bond-breaking events that occur in a catalytic reaction. Thermodynamic hydricity is the free energy required to cleave an M-H bond to generate a hydride ion (H(-)). Three primary methods have been developed for hydricity determination: the hydride transfer method establishes hydride transfer equilibrium with a hydride donor/acceptor pair of known hydricity, the H2 heterolysis method involves measuring the equilibrium of heterolytic cleavage of H2 in the presence of a base, and the potential-pKa method considers stepwise transfer of a proton and two electrons to give a net hydride transfer. Using these methods, over 100 thermodynamic hydricity values for transition metal hydrides have been determined in acetonitrile or water. In acetonitrile, the hydricity of metal hydrides spans a range of more than 50 kcal/mol. Methods for using hydricity values to predict chemical reactivity are also discussed, including organic transformations, the reduction of CO2, and the production and oxidation of hydrogen.

Triphosphine-Ligated Copper Hydrides for CO2 Hydrogenation: Structure, Reactivity, and Thermodynamic Studies.

The copper(I) triphosphine complex LCu(MeCN)PF6 (L = 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane), which we recently demonstrated is an active catalyst precursor for hydrogenation of CO2 to formate, reacts with H2 in the presence of a base to form a cationic dicopper hydride, [(LCu)2H]PF6. [(LCu)2H](+) is also an active precursor for catalytic CO2 hydrogenation, with equivalent activity to that of LCu(MeCN)(+), and therefore may be a relevant catalytic intermediate. The thermodynamic hydricity of [(LCu)2H](+) was determined to be 41.0 kcal/mol by measuring the equilibrium constant for this reaction using three different bases. [(LCu)2H](+) and the previously reported dimer (LCuH)2 can be synthesized by the reaction of LCu(MeCN)(+) with 0.5 and 1 equiv of KB(O(i)Pr)3H, respectively. The solid-state structure of [(LCu)2H](+) shows threefold symmetry about a linear Cu-H-Cu axis and significant steric strain imposed by bringing two LCu(+) units together around the small hydride ligand. [(LCu)2H](+) reacts stoichiometrically with CO2 to generate the formate complex LCuO2CH and the solvento complex LCu(MeCN)(+). The rate of the stoichiometric reaction between [(LCu)2H](+) and CO2 is dramatically increased in the presence of bases that coordinate strongly to the copper center, e.g. DBU and TMG. In the absence of CO2, the addition of a large excess of DBU to [(LCu)2H](+) results in an equilibrium that forms LCu(DBU)(+) and also presumably the mononuclear hydride LCuH, which is not directly observed. Due to the significantly enhanced CO2 reactivity of [(LCu)2H](+) under these catalytically relevant conditions, LCuH is proposed to be the catalytically active metal hydride.

Facile P-C/C-H Bond-Cleavage Reactivity of Nickel Bis(diphosphine) Complexes.

Unusual cleavage of P-C and C-H bonds of the P2 N2 ligand, in heteroleptic [Ni(P2 N2 )(diphosphine)](2+) complexes under mild conditions, results in the formation of an iminium formyl nickelate featuring a C,P,P-tridentate coordination mode. The structures of both the heteroleptic [Ni(P2 N2 )(diphosphine)](2+) complexes and the resulting iminium formyl nickelate have been characterized by NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to investigate the mechanism of the P-C/C-H bond cleavage, which involves C-H bond cleavage, hydride rotation, Ni-C/P-H bond formation, and P-C bond cleavage.

Solvent influence on the thermodynamics for hydride transfer from bis(diphosphine) complexes of nickel.

The thermodynamic hydricity of a metal hydride can vary considerably between solvents. This parameter can be used to determine the favourability of a hydride-transfer reaction, such as the reaction between a metal hydride and CO2 to produce formate. Because the hydricities of these species do not vary consistently between solvents, reactions that are thermodynamically unfavourable in one solvent can be favourable in others. The hydricity of a water-soluble, bis-phosphine nickel hydride complex was compared to the hydricity of formate in water and in acetonitrile. Formate is a better hydride donor than [HNi(dmpe)2](+) by 7 kcal mol(-1) in acetonitrile, and no hydride transfer from [HNi(dmpe)2](+) to CO2 occurs in this solvent. The hydricity of [HNi(dmpe)2](+) is greatly improved in water relative to acetonitrile, in that reduction of CO2 to formate by [HNi(dmpe)2](+) was found to be thermodynamically downhill by 8 kcal mol(-1). Catalysis for the hydrogenation of CO2 was pursued, but the regeneration of [HNi(dmpe)2] under catalytic conditions was unfavourable. However, the present results demonstrate that the solvent dependence of thermodynamic parameters such as hydricity and acidity can be exploited in order to produce systems with balanced or favourable overall thermodynamics. This approach should be advantageous for the design of future water-soluble catalysts.

Experimental and Computational Mechanistic Studies Guiding the Rational Design of Molecular Electrocatalysts for Production and Oxidation of Hydrogen.

Understanding how to control the movement of protons and electrons is crucial to the design of fast, efficient electrocatalysts for H2 production and oxidation based on earth-abundant metals. Our work seeks to address fundamental questions about proton movement. We have demonstrated that incorporating a pendant amine functioning as a proton relay in the second coordination sphere of a metal complex helps proton mobility, resulting in faster and more energy-efficient catalysts. Proton-transfer reactions can be rate-limiting and are influenced by several factors, such as pKa values, steric effects, hydrogen bonding, and solvation/desolvation of the exogenous base and acid employed. The presence of multiple protonation sites introduces branching points along the catalytic cycle, making less productive pathways accessible or leading to the formation of stable off-cycle species. Using ligands with only one pendant amine mitigates this problem and results in catalysts with high rates for production of H2, although generally at higher overpotentials. For H2 oxidation catalysts, iron complexes with a high H2 binding affinity were developed. However, these iron complexes had a pKa mismatch between the protonated metal center and the protonated pendant amine, and consequently intramolecular proton movement was slow. Taken altogether, our results demonstrate the necessity of optimizing the entire catalytic cycle because optimization of a specific catalytic step can negatively influence another step and not necessarily lead to a better catalytic performance. We discuss a general procedure, based on thermodynamic arguments, which allows the simultaneous minimization of the free-energy change of each catalytic step, yielding a nearly flat free-energy surface, with no large barriers due to energy mismatches from either high- or low-energy intermediates.

Standard Reduction Potentials for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Couples in Acetonitrile and N,N-Dimethylformamide.

A variety of next-generation energy processes utilize the electrochemical interconversions of dioxygen and water as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Reported here are the first estimates of the standard reduction potential of the O2 + 4e(-) + 4H(+) ⇋ 2H2O couple in organic solvents. The values are +1.21 V in acetonitrile (MeCN) and +0.60 V in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), each versus the ferrocenium/ferrocene couple (Fc(+/0)) in the respective solvent (as are all of the potentials reported here). The potentials have been determined using a thermochemical cycle that combines the free energy for transferring water from aqueous solution to organic solvent, -0.43 kcal mol(-1) for MeCN and -1.47 kcal mol(-1) for DMF, and the potential of the H(+)/H2 couple, - 0.028 V in MeCN and -0.662 V in DMF. The H(+)/H2 couple in DMF has been directly measured electrochemically using the previously reported procedure for the MeCN value. The thermochemical approach used for the O2/H2O couple has been extended to the CO2/CO and CO2/CH4 couples to give values of -0.12 and +0.15 V in MeCN and -0.73 and -0.48 V in DMF, respectively. Extensions to other reduction potentials are discussed. Additionally, the free energy for transfer of protons from water to organic solvent is estimated as +14 kcal mol(-1) for acetonitrile and +0.6 kcal mol(-1) for DMF.

Nickel phosphine catalysts with pendant amines for electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols.

Nickel phosphine complexes with pendant amines have been found to be electrocatalysts for the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols, with turnover frequencies as high as 3.3 s(-1). These complexes are the first electrocatalysts for alcohol oxidation based on non-precious metals, which will be critical for use in fuel cells.