Graphitic carbon nitride polymer as a recyclable photoredox catalyst for fluoroalkylation of arenes.

Heterogeneous catalysis for trifluoromethylations and perfluoroalkylations has been performed. Through the usage of cheap, metal-free and recyclable mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN) it was possible to fluoroalkylate various arenes by the reductive activation of sulfonyl chlorides with visible light. Thus, we were able to demonstrate the robustness and versatility of mpg-CN as a photoredox catalyst beyond water splitting and the activation of oxygen.

THF: an efficient electron donor in continuous flow radical cyclization photocatalyzed by graphitic carbon nitride.

Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3 N4 ) was found to be an efficient heterogeneous photocatalyst for the metal-free radical cyclization of 2-bromo-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Reactions leading to functionalized cyclopentanes proceed under mild conditions and can be conducted in a continuous flow photoreactor. Compared to the batch reaction, the use of a continuous flow reactor resulted in a significant reduction in reaction time (complete conversion of 0.04 mmol of substrate in a batch was achieved after 4 h, whereas in a flow reactor the same amount of substrate was fully converted into a product within 40 min). Mechanistic studies of the reaction showed that THF plays not only the role of solvent, but is also a crucial hydrogen and electron donor.

Highly enantioselective hydroamination to six-membered rings by heterobimetallic catalysts.

New bimetallic Zn/Zr salen-type systems were employed as catalysts in the asymmetric intramolecular hydroamination reaction. High enantioselectivity for the formation of piperidines of up to 98% ee were observed.

Tuning porosity and activity of microporous polymer network organocatalysts by co-polymerisation.

Microporous polymer networks based on binaphthyl phosphoric acids are suitable heterogeneous asymmetric organocatalysts. Herein we show that the porous characteristics of such networks can be fine-tuned by co-polymerisation. This enables us to investigate the influence of the surface area and porosity in microporous networks on their catalytic performance. In this case, the activity of the polymers in an asymmetric hydrogenation reaction is increased by the use of polymers with higher surface areas.

Room temperature synthesis of heptazine-based microporous polymer networks as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution.

Two emerging material classes are combined in this work, namely polymeric carbon nitrides and microporous polymer networks. The former, polymeric carbon nitrides, are composed of amine-bridged heptazine moieties and showed interesting performance as a metal-free photocatalyst. These materials have, however, to be prepared at high temperatures, making control of their chemical structure difficult. The latter, microporous polymer networks have received increasing interest due to their high surface area, giving rise to interesting applications in gas storage or catalysis. Here, the central building block of carbon nitrides, a functionalized heptazine as monomer, and tecton are used to create microporous polymer networks. The resulting heptazine-based microporous polymers show high porosity, while their chemical structure resembles the ones of carbon nitrides. The polymers show activity for the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water, even under visible light illumination.

NHC-catalysed highly selective aerobic oxidation of nonactivated aldehydes.

This publication describes a highly selective oxidation of aldehydes to the corresponding acids or esters. The reaction proceeds under metal-free conditions by using N-heterocyclic carbenes as organocatalysts in combination with environmentally friendly oxygen as the terminal oxidation agent.

Effect of lattice-gas atoms on the adsorption behaviour of thioether molecules.

Using STM topographic imaging and spectroscopy, we have investigated the adsorption of two thioether molecules, 1,2-bis(phenylthio)benzene and (bis(3-phenylthio)-phenyl)sulfane, on noble and transition metal surfaces. The two substrates show nearly antipodal behaviour. Whereas complexes with one or two protruding centres are observed on Au(111), only flat and uniform ad-structures are found on NiAl(110). The difference is ascribed to the possibility of the thioethers to form metal-organic complexes by coordinating lattice-gas atoms on the Au(111), while only the pristine molecules adsorb on the alloy surface. The metal coordination in the first case is driven by the formation of strong Au-S bonds and enables the formation of characteristic monomer, dimer and chain-like structures of the thioethers, using the Au atoms as linkers. A similar mechanism is not available on the NiAl, because no lattice gas develops at this surface at room temperature. Our work demonstrates how surface properties, i.e. the availability of mobile ad-species, determine the interaction of organic molecules with metallic substrates.

New catalysts with unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.

The importance of unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbenes (uNHCs) as ligands in metal-catalyzed reactions is undeniable. While uNHCs show similar properties as compared with symmetrical NHCs, dissymmetrization allows for further fine-tuning. The introduction of chelatization, hemilability, bifunctionality, shielding effects, and chirality-transfer influences the catalyst's stability, reactivity, and selectivity, thus offering access to tailor-made systems including mono- and multidentate uNHC ligands. Based on selected examples, the structure-reactivity relationship of uNHCs employed in metal catalysts is presented. The focus is on catalytically active complexes, which either offer access to new applications or lead to significantly improved results in metal-catalyzed reactions.

Synthesis of electronically modified Ru-based neutral 16 VE allenylidene olefin metathesis precatalysts.

Electronic modifications within Ru-based olefin metathesis precatalysts have provided a number of new complexes with significant differences in reactivity profiles. So far, this aspect has not been studied for neutral 16 VE allenylidenes. The first synthesis of electronically altered complexes of this type is reported. Following the classical dehydration approach (vide infra) modified propargyl alcohols were transformed to the targeted allenylidene systems in the presence of PCy3. The catalytic performance was investigated in RCM reaction (ring closing metathesis) of benchmark substrates such as diallyltosylamide and diethyl diallylmalonate.

Stabilizing gold adatoms by thiophenyl derivatives: a possible route toward metal redispersion.

Tris(phenylthio)benzene molecules have been synthesized in order to explore their ability to trap single Au adatoms on an Au(111) surface. The resulting metal-organic complexes have been characterized with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy; possible structure models have been derived from density functional calculations. Upon room temperature deposition, the thiophenyl derivatives form dimer structures, comprising two molecules and six Au adatoms. Below 100 K, isolated molecules are found as well that have trapped up to six Au atoms. On the basis of the experimental results and calculated formation energies of the complexes, we discuss potential applications of the thioethers for the redispersion of metals on a catalyst surface. First experiments performed on Au particle ensembles prepared on alumina thin films suggest that the molecular ligands are indeed able to change the distribution of gold on the oxide surface.

Asymmetric catalysts for stereocontrolled olefin metathesis reactions.

Since the discovery of metathesis as an instrument to reorganize olefinic double bonds, substantial progress has been attained, establishing this method as a versatile and efficient tool for C-C-bond formation. In the last decade fundamental achievements were accomplished in the field of chiral Ru- and Mo-based olefin metathesis, providing an asymmetric access to structures, which are difficult to obtain by alternative routes. The reader is taken behind the scenes of catalyst development, important areas of application are described up to the current state of research; this tutorial review deals with the question, how metathesis is connected to enantioselective synthesis.

Zinc-zinc bonded decamethyldizincocene Zn2(η(5)-C5Me5)2 as catalyst for the inter- and intramolecular hydroamination reaction.

The Zn-Zn bonded compound [(η(5)-Cp*)(2)Zn(2)] was investigated as catalyst for the inter- and intramolecular hydroamination reaction. High reaction rates under mild conditions were observed. This is the first application of a Zn-Zn bonded compound as catalyst.

mpg-C(3)N(4)-Catalyzed selective oxidation of alcohols using O(2) and visible light.

Mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg-C(3)N(4)) polymer can function as a metal-free photocatalyst to activate O(2) for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohols with visible light, avoiding the cost, toxicity, and purification problems associated with corresponding transition-metal systems. By combining the surface basicity and semiconductor functions of mpg-C(3)N(4), the photocatalytic system can realize a high catalytic selectivity to generate benzaldehyde. The metal-free photocatalytic system also selectively converts other alcohol substrates to their corresponding aldehydes/ketones, demonstrating a potential pathway of accessing traditional mild radical chemistry with nitroxyl radicals.

Ring opening metathesis polymerization-derived block copolymers bearing chelating ligands: synthesis, metal immobilization and use in hydroformylation under micellar conditions.

Norborn-5-ene-(N,N-dipyrid-2-yl)carbamide (M1) was copolymerized with exo,exo-[2-(3-ethoxycarbonyl-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-carbonyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium iodide (M2) using the Schrock catalyst Mo(N-2,6-Me2-C6H3)(CHCMe2Ph)(OCMe(CF3)2)2[Mo] to yield poly(M1-b-M2). In water, poly(M1-b-M2) forms micelles with a critical micelle-forming concentration (cmc) of 2.8 x 10⁻6 mol L⁻¹; Reaction of poly(M1-b-M2) with [Rh(COD)Cl]2 (COD = cycloocta-1,5-diene) yields the Rh(I)-loaded block copolymer poly(M1-b-M2)-Rh containing 18 mg of Rh(I)/g of block copolymer with a cmc of 2.2 x 10⁻6 mol L⁻¹. The Rh-loaded polymer was used for the hydroformylation of 1-octene under micellar conditions. The data obtained were compared to those obtained with a monomeric analogue, i.e. CH3CON(Py)2RhCl(COD) (C1, Py = 2-pyridyl). Using the polymer-supported catalyst under micellar conditions, a significant increase in selectivity, i.e. an increase in the n:iso ratio was accomplished, which could be further enhanced by the addition of excess ligand, e.g., triphenylphosphite. Special features of the micellar catalytic set up are discussed.

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization-derived, polymer-bound Cu-catalysts for click-chemistry and hydrosilylation reactions under micellar conditions.

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization has been used for the synthesis of the amphiphilic block-copolymer poly(M1-co-M3)-b-poly(M2) from the hydrophilic monomer 5-{2-[2-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)-ethoxy]-ethoxymethyl}-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (M2), and the hydrophobic monomers endo,exo-5-decyloxymethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (M1) and 1,3-di(1-mesityl)-4-{[(bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-ylcarbonyl)oxy]methyl}-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-ium carboxylate (M3). Poly(M1-co-M3)-b-poly(M2) was loaded with Cu and the resulting Cu(I)-loaded polymer poly(M1-co-M3)-b-poly(M2)-Cu was used for a series of Cu-catalyzed reactions under micellar conditions, i.e. for the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azides to alkynes and for carbonyl hydrosilylation reactions. Under such micellar conditions, the polymer-bound Cu-catalyst was found to be an efficient catalyst for all reactions investigated. Turn-over numbers (TONs) in cycloaddition reactions were in the range of 200-375, those in hydrosilylation reactions approximately 2000 allowing for Cu-loadings of 0.05 mol% with respect to substrate.