Synthesis and Lewis Acid Properties of Neutral Silver(III) Adducts Containing the AgIII(CF3)3 Moiety.

The acetonitrile AgIII complex [AgIII(CF3)3(NCCH3)] (2) has been reported independently by Eujen and Naumann in the last century, albeit with intriguing NMR discrepancy. In their reports, 2 was claimed to be obtained starting from either [AgIII(CF3)3Cl]- (3⋅Cl) or [AgIII(CF3)4]- (1) via halide abstraction using AgNO3 or acidic treatment, resp. These two synthetic routes are herein reinvestigated. The feasibility of Naumann's method is demonstrated, thus providing 2 yet accompanied by its s-triazinyl derivative [AgIII(CF3)3(C6H9N3)] (2'). The formation of 2' is unprecedented and was thereby investigated. Both 2 and 2' were isolated in pure fashion and fully characterized. In turn, halide extraction from 3⋅Cl leads to the AgIII-ONO2 anion 5 instead of 2, as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy, EA and Sc-XRD.

An Organocopper(III) Fluoride Triggering C-CF3 Bond Formation.

Copper(III) fluorides are catalytically competent, yet elusive, intermediates in cross-coupling. The synthesis of [PPh4 ][CuIII (CF3 )3 F] (2), the first stable (isolable) CuIII -F, was accomplished via chloride addition to [CuIII (CF3 )3 (py)] (1) yielding [PPh4 ][CuIII (CF3 )3 Cl(py)] (1⋅Cl), followed by treatment with AgF. The CuIII halides 1⋅Cl and 2 were fully characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction (Sc-XRD) and elemental analysis (EA). Complex 2 proved capable of forging C-CF3 bonds from silyl-capped alkynes. In-depth mechanistic studies combining probes, theoretical calculations, trapping of intermediate 4a ([PPh4 ][CuIII (CF3 )3 (C≡CPh)]) and radical tests unveil the key role of the CuIII acetylides that undergo facile 2e- reductive elimination furnishing the trifluoromethylated alkynes (RC≡CCF3 ), which are industrially relevant synthons in drug discovery, pharma and agrochemistry.

Scrutinizing formally NiIV centers through the lenses of core spectroscopy, molecular orbital theory, and valence bond theory.

Nickel K- and L2,3-edge X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) are discussed for 16 complexes and complex ions with nickel centers spanning a range of formal oxidation states from II to IV. K-edge XAS alone is shown to be an ambiguous metric of physical oxidation state for these Ni complexes. Meanwhile, L2,3-edge XAS reveals that the physical d-counts of the formally NiIV compounds measured lie well above the d6 count implied by the oxidation state formalism. The generality of this phenomenon is explored computationally by scrutinizing 8 additional complexes. The extreme case of NiF62- is considered using high-level molecular orbital approaches as well as advanced valence bond methods. The emergent electronic structure picture reveals that even highly electronegative F-donors are incapable of supporting a physical d6 NiIV center. The reactivity of NiIV complexes is then discussed, highlighting the dominant role of the ligands in this chemistry over that of the metal centers.

Cross-Coupling Reactions Enabled by Well-Defined Ag(III) Compounds: Main Focus on Aromatic Fluorination and Trifluoromethylation.

AgIII compounds are considered strong oxidizers of difficult handling. Accordingly, the involvement of Ag catalysts in cross-coupling via 2e- redox sequences is frequently discarded. Nevertheless, organosilver(III) compounds have been authenticated using tetradentate macrocycles or perfluorinated groups as supporting ligands, and since 2014, first examples of cross-coupling enabled by AgI /AgIII redox cycles saw light. This review collects the most relevant contributions to this field, with main focus on aromatic fluorination/perfluoroalkylation and the identification of AgIII key intermediates. Pertinent comparison between the activity of AgIII RF compounds in aryl-F and aryl-CF3 couplings vs. the one shown by its CuIII RF and AuIII RF congeners is herein disclosed, thus providing a more profound picture on the scope of these transformations and the pathways commonly associated to C-RF bond formations enabled by coinage metals.

Electrophilicity of neutral square-planar organosilver(III) compounds.

Neutral Ag(III) complexes stabilised with just monodentate ligands are here unambiguously established. In a series of square-planar (CF3)3Ag(L) compounds with hard and soft Group 15 donor ligands, L, the metal center has been found to exhibit substantial acidity favouring apical coordination of an additional ligand under no coordination constraints.

Cross-Coupling through Ag(I)/Ag(III) Redox Manifold.

In ample variety of transformations, the presence of silver as an additive or co-catalyst is believed to be innocuous for the efficiency of the operating metal catalyst. Even though Ag additives are required often as coupling partners, oxidants or halide scavengers, its role as a catalytically competent species is widely neglected in cross-coupling reactions. Most likely, this is due to the erroneously assumed incapacity of Ag to undergo 2e- redox steps. Definite proof is herein provided for the required elementary steps to accomplish the oxidative trifluoromethylation of arenes through AgI /AgIII redox catalysis (i. e. CEL coupling), namely: i) easy AgI /AgIII 2e- oxidation mediated by air; ii) bpy/phen ligation to AgIII ; iii) boron-to-AgIII aryl transfer; and iv) ulterior reductive elimination of benzotrifluorides from an [aryl-AgIII -CF3 ] fragment. More precisely, an ultimate entry and full characterization of organosilver(III) compounds [K]+ [AgIII (CF3 )4 ]- (K-1), [(bpy)AgIII (CF3 )3 ] (2) and [(phen)AgIII (CF3 )3 ] (3), is described. The utility of 3 in cross-coupling has been showcased unambiguously, and a large variety of arylboron compounds was trifluoromethylated via [AgIII (aryl)(CF3 )3 ]- intermediates. This work breaks with old stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the inability of Ag to undergo cross-coupling by itself.

Recent Progress of Cu-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition Reactions (CuAAC) in Sustainable Solvents: Glycerol, Deep Eutectic Solvents, and Aqueous Media.

This mini-review presents a general overview of the progress achieved during the last decade on the amalgamation of CuAAC processes (copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition) with the employment of sustainable solvents as reaction media. In most of the presented examples, the use of water, glycerol (Gly), or deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as non-conventional reaction media allowed not only to recycle the catalytic system (thus reducing the amount of the copper catalyst needed per mole of substrate), but also to achieve higher conversions and selectivities when compared with the reaction promoted in hazardous and volatile organic solvents (VOCs). Moreover, the use of the aforementioned green solvents also permits the improvement of the overall sustainability of the Cu-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition process, thus fulfilling several important principles of green chemistry.

High-Valent NiIII and NiIV Species Relevant to C-C and C-Heteroatom Cross-Coupling Reactions: State of the Art.

Ni catalysis constitutes an active research arena with notable applications in diverse fields. By analogy with its parent element palladium, Ni catalysts provide an appealing entry to build molecular complexity via cross-coupling reactions. While Pd catalysts typically involve a M0/MII redox scenario, in the case of Ni congeners the mechanistic elucidation becomes more challenging due to their innate properties (like enhanced reactivity, propensity to undergo single electron transformations vs. 2e- redox sequences or weaker M-Ligand interaction). In recent years, mechanistic studies have demonstrated the participation of high-valent NiIII and NiIV species in a plethora of cross-coupling events, thus accessing novel synthetic schemes and unprecedented transformations. This comprehensive review collects the main contributions effected within this topic, and focuses on the key role of isolated and/or spectroscopically identified NiIII and NiIV complexes. Amongst other transformations, the resulting NiIII and NiIV compounds have efficiently accomplished: i) C-C and C-heteroatom bond formation; ii) C-H bond functionalization; and iii) N-N and C-N cyclizative couplings to forge heterocycles.

Geminal Dianions Stabilized by Main Group Elements.

This review is dedicated to the chemistry of stable and isolable species that bear two lone pairs at the same C center, i.e., geminal dianions, stabilized by main group elements. Three cases can thus be considered: the geminal-dilithio derivative, for which the two substituents at C are neutral, the yldiide derivatives, for which one substituent is neutral while the other is charged, and finally the geminal bisylides, for which the two substituents are positively charged. In this review, the syntheses and electronic structures of the geminal dianions are presented, followed by the studies dedicated to their reactivity toward organic substrates and finally to their coordination chemistry and applications.

Triphos-Fe dinitrogen and dinitrogen-hydride complexes: relevance to catalytic N2 reductions.

The two electron reduction of iron complexes [(PRP2Cy)Fe(Cl)2] (R = Ph or tBu) 2a-b afforded complexes [(PRP2Cy)Fe(N2)2] 4a-b. Protonation of 4a at the metal center and subsequent reduction to Fe(i)-H species lead to complex [(PPhP2Cy)Fe(N2)(H)2] 6avia a spontaneous disproportionation reaction. Complex 4a behaves as one of the most efficient monometallic Fe-catalysts reported to date for N2-to-N(SiMe3)3 functionalization under atmospheric pressure.

Room-Temperature Functionalization of N2 to Borylamine at a Molybdenum Complex.

Intermolecular, stepwise functionalization by BH bonds of a (triphosphine)MoIV -nitrido complex generated by N2 splitting is reported. The imido-hydride and di-hydride-amido MoIV complexes have been isolated and characterized. Addition of PinBH to the [Mo(H)2 (N(BPin)2 )]+ complex at room temperature results in the liberation of borylamines from the metal center.

Synthesis and Reactivity of an End-Deck cyclo-P4 Iron Complex.

Reduction of the FeII complex [(Ph PP2Cy )FeCl2 ] (2) generated an electron-rich and unsaturated Fe0 species, which was reacted with white phosphorus. The resulting new complex, [(Ph PP2Cy )Fe(η4 -P4 )] (3), is the first iron cyclo-P4 complex and the only known stable end-deck cyclo-P4 complex outside Group V. Complex 3 features an FeII center, as shown by Mössbauer spectroscopy, associated to a P42- fragment. The distinct reactivity of complex 3 was rationalized by analysis of the molecular orbitals. Reaction of complex 3 with H+ afforded the unstable complex [(Ph PP2Cy )Fe(η4 -P4 )(H)]+ (4), whereas with CuCl and BCF, the complexes [(Ph PP2Cy )Fe(η4 :η1 -P4 )(µ-CuCl)]2 (5) and [(Ph PP2Cy )Fe(η4 :η1 -P4 )B(C6 F5 )3 ] (6) were formed.

C-H Bond Trifluoromethylation of Arenes Enabled by a Robust, High-Valent Nickel(IV) Complex.

The robust, high-valent NiIV complex [(Py)2 NiIV F2 (CF3 )2 ] (Py=pyridine) was synthesized and fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. It reacts with aromatic compounds at 25 °C to form the corresponding benzotrifluorides in nearly quantitative yield. The monomeric and dimeric NiIII CF3 complexes 2⋅Py and 2 were identified as key intermediates, and their structures were unambiguously determined by EPR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Preliminary kinetic studies in combination with the isolation of reaction intermediates confirmed that the C-H bond-breaking/C-CF3 bond-forming sequence can occur both at NiIV CF3 and NiIII CF3 centers.

A Nucleophilic Gold(III) Carbene Complex.

The first AuIII carbene complex was prepared by reacting a geminal dianion with a (P,C) cyclometalated AuIII precursor. Its structure and bonding situation have been thoroughly investigated by experimental and computational means. The presence of a high-energy highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) centered at the carbene center suggests nucleophilic character for the AuIII carbene complex. This unprecedented feature was confirmed by reactions with two electrophiles (PhNCS and CS2 ), resulting in two types of C=C coupling reactions.

Easy access to the copper(III) anion [Cu(CF3 )4 ](-).

CuCl or pre-generated CuCF3 reacts with CF3 SiMe3 /KF in DMF in air to give [Cu(CF3 )4 ](-) quantitatively. [PPN](+) , [Me4 N](+) , [Bu4 N](+) , [PhCH2 NEt3 ](+) , and [Ph4 P](+) salts of [Cu(CF3 )4 ](-) were prepared and isolated spectroscopically and analytically pure in 82-99% yield. X-ray structures of the [PPN](+) , [Me4 N](+) , [Bu4 N](+) , and [Ph4 P](+) salts were determined. A new synthetic strategy with [Cu(CF3 )4 ](-) was demonstrated, involving the removal of one CF3 (-) from the Cu atom in the presence of an incoming ligand. A novel Cu(III) complex [(bpy)Cu(CF3 )3 ] was thus prepared and fully characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The bpy complex is highly fluxional in solution, the barrier to degenerate isomerization being only 2.3 kcal mol(-1) . An NPA study reveals a huge difference in the charge on the Cu atom in [Cu(CR3 )4 ](-) for R=F (+0.19) and R=H (+0.46), suggesting a higher electron density on Cu in the fluorinated complex.

Distinct mechanism of oxidative trifluoromethylation with a well-defined Cu(II) fluoride promoter: hidden catalysis.

The fluoride [(bpy)CuF2(H2O)]·2H2O (1) reacts with CF3SiMe3 and PhB(OH)2 in DMF at rt to give PhCF3 in >95% yield within 15 min. Although 1 is a Cu(II) complex, this reaction occurs only in air; no Ph-CF3 coupling takes place under anaerobic conditions. A distinct mechanism is operational in this transformation. First, 1 is trifluoromethylated with TMSCF3 to give "[(bpy)Cu(CF3)2]" that spontaneously disproportionates to two Cu(III) ([Cu(CF3)4](-) and [(bpy)Cu(CF3)3]) and two Cu(I) ([(bpy)Cu(CF3)] and [Cu(CF3)2](-)) complexes. In contrast with the Chan-Evans-Lam reaction, where the Cu(III) products of the Cu(II) disproprotionation effect the coupling, those formed in the 1-TMSCF3 system, [Cu(CF3)4](-) and [(bpy)Cu(CF3)3], are stable and unreactive, remaining dead-end spectators throughout the coupling process. Consequently, the trifluoromethylation of PhB(OH)2 with 1-CF3SiMe3 does not and cannot occur in the absence of O2. Only by air oxidation of the Cu(I) disproportionation product, [(bpy)Cu(CF3)] in equilibrium with [Cu(CF3)2](-), is the reactive species generated, serving as a catalyst for the Ph-CF3 bond formation even if 1 is used in stoichiometric quantities.

Walking metals in d8···d8 hetero-bimetallic complexes: an original dynamic phenomenon.

In the course of our investigations on polymetallic complexes derived from 1,3-bis(thiophosphinoyl)indene (Ind(Ph(2)P=S)(2)), we observed original fluxional behavior and report herein a joint experimental/computational study of this dynamic process. Starting from the indenylidene chloropalladate species [Pd{Ind(Ph(2) P=S)(2)}Cl](-) (1), the new Pd(II)···Rh(I) hetero-bimetallic pincer complex [PdCl{Ind(Ph(2) P=S)(2)}Rh(nbd)] (2; nbd=2,5-norbornadiene) was prepared. X-ray crystallography and DFT calculations substantiate the presence of a d(8)···d(8) interaction. According to multinuclear variable-temperature NMR spectroscopic experiments, the pendant {Rh(nbd)} fragment of 2 readily shifts in solution at room temperature between the two edges of the SCS tridentate ligand. To assess the role of the pincer-based polymetallic structure on this fluxional behavior, the related monometallic Rh complex [Rh{IndH(Ph(2) P=S)(2)}(nbd)] (3) was prepared. No evidence for a metal shift was observed in that case, even at high temperature, thus indicating that inplane pincer coordination to the Pd center plays a crucial role. The previously described Pd(II)···Ir(I) bimetallic complex 4 exhibited fluxional behavior in solution, but with a significantly higher activation barrier than 2. This finding demonstrates the generality of this metal-shift process and the strong influence of the involved metal centers on the associated activation barrier. DFT calculations were performed to shed light onto the mechanism of such metal-shift processes and to identify the factors that influence the associated activation barriers. Significantly different pathways were found for bimetallic complexes 2 and 4 on one hand and the monometallic complex 3 on the other hand. The corresponding activation barriers predicted computationally are in very good agreement with the experimental observations.

Expeditious entry to novel 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuro[3,2-c] chromen-2-ones from 6-chloro-4-hydroxychromen-2-one and propargylic alcohols.

A catalytic system consisting of the ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(η³-2-C3H4Me)(CO)(dppf)][SbF6] (dppf=1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) and trifluoroacetic acid has been used to promote the coupling of secondary propargylic alcohols with 6-chloro-4-hydroxychromen-2-one. The reactions afforded unusual 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuro[3,2-c]chromen-2-ones in good yields.

Ruthenium(IV)-catalyzed isomerization of the C=C bond of o-allylic substrates: a theoretical and experimental study.

A general mechanism to rationalize Ru(IV) -catalyzed isomerization of the C=C bond in O-allylic substrates is proposed. Calculations supporting the proposed mechanism were performed at the MPWB1K/6-311+G(d,p)+SDD level of theory. All experimental observations in different solvents (water and THF) and under different pH conditions (neutral and basic) can be interpreted in terms of the new mechanism. Theoretical analysis of the transformation from precatalyst to catalyst led to structural identification of the active species in different media. The experimentally observed induction period is related to the magnitudes of the energy barriers computed for that process. The theoretical energy profile for the catalytic cycle requires application of relatively high temperatures, as is experimentally observed. Participation of a water molecule in the reaction coordinate is mechanistically essential when the reaction is carried out in aqueous medium. The new mechanistic proposal helped to develop a new experimental procedure for isomerization of allyl ethers to 1-propenyl ethers under neutral aqueous conditions. This process is an unique example of efficient and selective catalytic isomerization of allyl ethers in aqueous medium.

1,3-Bis(thiophosphinoyl)indene: a unique and versatile scaffold for original polymetallic complexes.

The coordination of tridentate ligands featuring lateral coordination sites prone to acting as bridging ligands was explored with the aim of obtaining original polymetallic species in a straightforward and controlled manner. Accordingly, the 2-indenylidene chloropalladate [{Ind(Ph(2)P═S)(2)}PdCl](-) was found to behave as a κ(2)-C,S bidentate ligand toward metal fragments, giving access to homo- and heteropolymetallic complexes. X-ray diffraction analyses reveal the presence of short metal-metal contacts in all of these complexes. Density functional theory calculations unambiguously substantiate that the metals engage in unusual d(8)···d(8) interactions with a quasi-perpendicular arrangement of their coordination planes.