Pseudocyclic Arylbenziodoxaboroles as Water-Triggered Aryne Precursors in Reactions with Organic Sulfides.

Pseudocyclic arylbenziodoxaboroles are unique aryne precursors under neutral aqueous conditions that selectively react with organic sulfides, forming the corresponding sulfonium salts. This reaction is compatible with various substituents (alkyl, halogen, CN, NO2, CHO, and cyclopropyl) in the aromatic ring or alkyl group of the sulfide. Similar reactions of sulfoxides afford o-hydroxy-substituted sulfonium salts. The structures of key products were confirmed by X-ray analysis.

Preparation and X-ray Structural Study of Dibenzobromolium and Dibenzochlorolium Derivatives.

Various five-membered cyclic dibenzobromolium salts (dibenzo[b,d]bromol-5-ium chloride, nitrate, hydrogen sulfate, dihydrogen phosphate, trifluoroacetate, and tetrafluoroborate) were prepared by diazotization-cyclization of 2'-bromo-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-amine in solution of appropriate acids. The chlorolium analogues (iodide, trifluoroacetate, and tetrafluoroborate) were obtained by a similar procedure. Additional dibenzohalolium derivatives (dibenzo[b,d]bromol-5-ium and dibenzo[b,d]chlorol-5-ium azides, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imidates, thiocyanates, and trifluoromethanesulfonates) were prepared by anion exchange. Structures of ten of these dibenzohalolium derivatives were established by X-ray analysis. Bond distances and angles for the halogen atoms in different dibenzohalolium derivatives were summarized and discussed.

Explorations of the nonheme high-valent iron-oxo landscape: crystal structure of a synthetic complex with an [FeIV2(µ-O)2] diamond core relevant to the chemistry of sMMOH.

Methanotrophic bacteria utilize methane monooxygenase (MMO) to carry out the first step in metabolizing methane. The soluble enzymes employ a hydroxylase component (sMMOH) with a nonheme diiron active site that activates O2 and generates a powerful oxidant capable of converting methane to methanol. It is proposed that the diiron(II) center in the reduced enzyme reacts with O2 to generate a diferric-peroxo intermediate called P that then undergoes O-O cleavage to convert into a diiron(IV) derivative called Q, which carries out methane hydroxylation. Most (but not all) of the spectroscopic data of Q accumulated by various groups to date favor the presence of an FeIV2(µ-O)2 unit with a diamond core. The Que lab has had a long-term interest in making synthetic analogs of iron enzyme intermediates. To this end, the first crystal structure of a complex with a FeIIIFeIV(µ-O)2 diamond core was reported in 1999, which exhibited an Fe⋯Fe distance of 2.683(1) Å. Now more than 20 years later, a complex with an FeIV2(µ-O)2 diamond core has been synthesized in sufficient purity to allow diffraction-quality crystals to be grown. Its crystal structure has been solved, revealing an Fe⋯Fe distance of 2.711(4) Å for comparison with structural data for related complexes with lower iron oxidation states.

Convenient Synthesis of Benziodazolone: New Reagents for Direct Esterification of Alcohols and Amidation of Amines.

Hypervalent iodine heterocycles represent one of the important classes of hypervalent iodine reagents with many applications in organic synthesis. This paper reports a simple and convenient synthesis of benziodazolones by the reaction of readily available iodobenzamides with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in acetonitrile at room temperature. The structure of one of these new iodine heterocycles was confirmed by X-ray analysis. In combination with PPh3 and pyridine, these benziodazolones can smoothly react with alcohols or amines to produce the corresponding esters or amides of 3-chlorobenzoic acid, respectively. It was found that the novel benziodazolone reagent reacts more efficiently than the analogous benziodoxolone reagent in this esterification.

New Insight into an Old Problem: Analysis, Interpretation, and Theoretical Modeling of the Absorption and Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectra of Monomeric and Dimeric Zinc Phthalocyanine Cation Radical.

The chemically or spectroelectrochemically generated formation and aggregation of zinc(II) tetra-tert-butylphthalocyanine cation radical [ZnPctBu]+•, which was highly soluble in common organic solvents, were investigated using UV-vis and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies with an emphasis on the influence of the axial ligand on the fingerprint (∼500 nm) and NIR (720∼1000 nm) spectral envelopes. MCD spectroscopy is suggestive that the NIR band at ∼1000 nm observed for the antiferromagnetically coupled cation radical dimer, [ZnPctBu]22+, has no degeneracy, the monomer-dimeric equilibrium is temperature dependent, and higher degree aggregates can be formed at specific conditions. Sixteen different exchange-correlation functionals were tested to accurately predict the energies, intensities, and profiles of the UV-vis and MCD spectra of the phthalocyanine cation radical monomer and dimer. It was found that the M05 exchange-correlation functional (along with several other functionals that include 27-42% of Hartree-Fock exchange) provided an excellent agreement (∼0.1 eV for the degenerate excited states observed by MCD spectroscopy) between theory and experiment for the phthalocyanine cation-radical monomer and dimer. Not only did time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations with M05 exchange-correlation functional correctly predict the nondegenerate NIR charge-transfer band at ∼1000 nm, all degenerate excited states, monomer and dimer energies, and oscillator strengths, but also they correctly described the nature of the experimentally observed at ∼500 nm MCD B-term (fingerprint band) detected for both the monomeric and dimeric phthalocyanine cation radicals. The TDDFT data explain the similarities in the UV-vis and MCD spectra of the monomeric and dimeric species observed between the UV and fingerprint spectral envelopes as well as correctly predicted the antiferromagnetic coupling between the two singly oxidized phthalocyanine macrocycles in the dimer.

Positional Isomers of Isocyanoazulenes as Axial Ligands Coordinated to Ruthenium(II) Tetraphenylporphyrin: Fine-Tuning Redox and Optical Profiles.

Two isomeric ruthenium(II)/5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin complexes featuring axially coordinated redox-active, low-optical gap 2- or 6-isocyanoazulene ligands have been isolated and characterized by NMR, UV-vis, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopic methods, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The UV-vis and MCD spectra support the presence of the low-energy, azulene-centered transitions in the Q band region of the porphyrin chromophore. The first coordination sphere in new L2RuTPP complexes reflects compressed tetragonal geometry. The redox properties of the new compounds were assessed by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical means and correlated with the electronic structures predicted by density functional theory and CASSCF calculations. Both experimental and theoretical data are consistent with the first two reduction processes involving the axial azulenic ligands, whereas the oxidation profile (in the direction of increasing potential) is exerted by the ruthenium ion, the porphyrin core, and the axial azulenic moieties.

Sulfonylimino Group Transfer Reaction Using Imino-λ³-iodanes with I2 as Catalyst Under Metal-free Conditions.

A new practical procedure of imination for sulfide has been developed. The treatment of (N-tosylimino)-phenyl-λ³-iodane, PhINTs, with various sulfides in the presence of a catalytic amount of I2 under metal-free conditions affords the corresponding N-tosylsulfilimine compounds with moderate to good yields. This facile transfer procedure of the sulfonylimino group can also be applied to triphenylphosphine to produce the respective iminotriphenylphosphoranes in high yields. According to the reaction mechanism studies, the process of imination from (N-tosylimino)-phenyl-λ³-iodane to sulfide under the conditions may involve radical steps within the reaction mechanism.

Flexible BODIPY Platform That Offers an Unexpected Regioselective Heterocyclization Reaction toward Preparation of 2-Pyridone[ a]-Fused BODIPYs.

We have explored the synthetic routes for regioselective formation of 2-pyridone[ a]- and 2-pyridone[ b]-fused BODIPYs using 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-2,6-dicarbethoxy-BODIPY as the universal starting platform. While heterocyclization of the 3-(dimethylaminovinyl)-BODIPY and 3,5-bis(dimethylaminovinyl)-BODIPY results in the formation of mono-2-pyridone- and bis-2-pyridone[ b]-fused BODIPYs, respectively, similar heterocyclization of the 1,3-bis(dimethylaminovinyl)-BODIPY leads to the regioselective formation of the 2-pyridone[ a]-fused BODIPY core, which is the first example of heterocycle[ a]-fused BODIPYs. The regioselective formation of the 2-pyridone[ a]-fused BODIPY was further confirmed by X-ray crystallography and explained on the basis of the DFT and TDDFT calculations that are suggestive of the energy-favorable out-of-plane rotation of the dimethylaminovinyl group located at first position, which accelerates the reaction with n-butylamine. Trends in the UV-vis and fluorescence spectra of the BODIPYs 1-17 were discussed on the basis of DFT and TDDFT calculations.

Preparation and structure of phenolic aryliodonium salts.

Phenol based aryliodonium salts were prepared by the reaction of [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]arenes with aryl silyl ethers in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. Structures of several aryliodonium salts with the hydroxy group in the para-position of the phenyl ring were established by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Under basic conditions, 4-hydroxyphenyl(phenyl)iodonium salts form a dimeric hypervalent iodine(iii) complex, oxyphenyl(phenyl)iodonium ylidic salt, the solid structure of which was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Phenolic iodonium salts are potentially useful phenol transfer reagents in reactions with various anionic nucleophiles.

Preparation, structure, and reactivity of bicyclic benziodazole: a new hypervalent iodine heterocycle.

A new bicyclic organohypervalent iodine heterocycle derivative of benziodazole was prepared by oxidation of 2-iodo-N,N'-diisopropylisophthalamide with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid under mild conditions. Single crystal X-ray crystallography of this compound revealed a five-membered bis-heterocyclic structure with two covalent bonds between the iodine atom and the nitrogen atoms. This novel benziodazole is a very stable compound with good solubility in common organic solvents. This compound can be used as an efficient reagent for oxidatively assisted coupling of carboxylic acids with alcohols or amines to afford the corresponding esters or amides in moderate yields.

High-Energy-Resolution Fluorescence-Detected X-ray Absorption of the Q Intermediate of Soluble Methane Monooxygenase.

Kα high-energy-resolution fluorescence detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy (HERFD XAS) provides a powerful tool for overcoming the limitations of conventional XAS to identify the electronic structure and coordination environment of metalloprotein active sites. Herein, Fe Kα HERFD XAS is applied to the diiron active site of soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) and to a series of high-valent diiron model complexes, including diamond-core [FeIV2(µ-O)2(L)2](ClO4)4] (3) and open-core [(O═FeIV-O-FeIV(OH)(L)2](ClO4)3 (4) models (where, L = tris(3,5-dimethyl-4-methoxypyridyl-2-methyl)amine) (TPA*)). Pronounced differences in the HERFD XAS pre-edge energies and intensities are observed for the open versus closed Fe2O2 cores in the model compounds. These differences are reproduced by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations and allow for the pre-edge energies and intensity to be directly correlated with the local active site geometric and electronic structure. A comparison of the model complex HERFD XAS data to that of MMOHQ (the key intermediate in methane oxidation) is supportive of an open-core structure. Specifically, the large pre-edge area observed for MMOHQ may be rationalized by invoking an open-core structure with a terminal FeIV═O motif, though further modulations of the core structure due to the protein environment cannot be ruled out. The present study thus motivates the need for additional experimental and theoretical studies to unambiguously assess the active site conformation of MMOHQ.

Pseudocyclic Arylbenziodoxaboroles: Efficient Benzyne Precursors Triggered by Water at Room Temperature.

New organohypervalent iodine compounds, arylbenziodoxaborole triflates, were prepared from 1-acetoxybenziodoxaboroles and arenes by treatment with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid under mild conditions. Single crystal X-ray crystallography of these compounds revealed a pseudocyclic structure with a short intramolecular interaction of 2.698 to 2.717 Šbetween oxygen and iodine in the benziodoxaborole ring. These new pseudocyclic aryliodonium salts readily generate aryne intermediates upon treatment with water at room temperature. The generated aryne intermediates react with various substrates to give the corresponding aryne adducts in moderate to good yields. Furthermore, the new benzyne precursors can also work as arylating reagents towards aromatic rings. The aryne intermediates generated from arylbenziodoxaborole triflates selectively react with tert-butyl phenol forming products of ortho arylation in moderate yields.

Hypervalent Iodine Reagent Mediated Oxidative Heterocyclization of Aldoximes with Heterocyclic Alkenes.

An efficient cycloaddition of heterocyclic alkenes with nitrile oxides generated in situ from the corresponding aldoximes using organohypervalent iodine(III) reagent, [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene (Koser's reagent), has been developed. The oxidative cyclization of various aldoximes with 1-propene-1,3-sultone affords the respective isoxazoline-ring-fused heterobicyclic products in moderate to good yields. Furthermore, the reaction of aldoxime with a cyclic phospholene-oxide under similar conditions produces the corresponding heterobicyclic phospholene oxides in moderate yields. The structures of bicyclic phospholene oxide and two sultones were established by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.

Tuning Electron-Transfer Properties in 5,10,15,20-Tetra(1'-hexanoylferrocenyl)porphyrins as Prospective Systems for Quantum Cellular Automata and Platforms for Four-Bit Information Storage.

Metal-free (1) and zinc (2) 5,10,15,20-tetra(1'-hexanoylferrocenyl)porphyrins were prepared using an acid-catalyzed tetramerization reaction between pyrrole and 1'-(1-hexanoyl)ferrocencarboxaldehyde. New organometallic compounds were characterized by combination of 1H, 13C, and variable-temperature NMR, UV-vis, magnetic circular dichroism, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry methods. The redox properties of 1 and 2 were probed by electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry), spectroelectrochemical, and chemical oxidation approaches coupled with UV-vis-near-IR and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Electrochemical data recorded in the dichloromethane/TBA[B(C6F5)4] system (TBA[B(C6F5)4] is a weakly coordinating tetrabutylammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate electrolyte) are suggestive of "1e- + 1e- + 2e-" oxidation sequence for four ferrocene groups in 1 and 2, which followed by oxidation process centered at the porphyrin core. The separation between all ferrocene-centered oxidation electrochemical waves is very large (510-660 mV). The nature of mixed-valence [1]n+ and [2]n+ (n = 1 or 2) complexes was probed by the spectroelectrochemical and chemical oxidation methods. Analysis of the intervalence charge-transfer band in [1]+ and [2]+ is suggestive of the Class II (in Robin-Day classification) behavior of all mixed-valence species, which correlate well with Mössbauer data. Density functional theory-polarized continuum model (DFT-PCM) and time-dependent (TD) DFT-PCM methods were applied to correlate redox and optical properties of organometallic complexes 1 and 2 with their electronic structures.

The Two Faces of Tetramethylcyclam in Iron Chemistry: Distinct Fe-O-M Complexes Derived from [FeIV(Oanti/syn)(TMC)]2+ Isomers.

Tetramethylcyclam (TMC, 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) exhibits two faces in supporting an oxoiron(IV) moiety, as exemplified by the prototypical [(TMC)FeIV(Oanti)(NCCH3)](OTf)2, where anti indicates that the O atom is located on the face opposite all four methyl groups, and the recently reported syn isomer [(TMC)FeIV(Osyn)(OTf)](OTf). The ability to access two isomers of [(TMC)FeIV(Oanti/syn)] raises the fundamental question of how ligand topology can affect the properties of the metal center. Previously, we have reported the formation of [(CH3CN)(TMC)FeIII-Oanti-CrIII(OTf)4(NCCH3)] (1) by inner-sphere electron transfer between Cr(OTf)2 and [(TMC)FeIV(Oanti)(NCCH3)](OTf)2. Herein we demonstrate that a new species 2 is generated from the reaction between Cr(OTf)2 and [(TMC)FeIV(Osyn)(NCCH3)](OTf)2, which is formulated as [(TMC)FeIII-Osyn-CrIII(OTf)4(NCCH3)] based on its characterization by UV-vis, resonance Raman, Mössbauer, and X-ray absorption spectroscopic methods, as well as electrospray mass spectrometry. Its pre-edge area (30 units) and Fe-O distance (1.77 Å) determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy are distinctly different from those of 1 (11-unit pre-edge area and 1.81 Å Fe-O distance) but more closely resemble the values reported for [(TMC)FeIII-Osyn-ScIII(OTf)4(NCCH3)] (3, 32-unit pre-edge area and 1.75 Å Fe-O distance). This comparison suggests that 2 has a square pyramidal iron center like 3, rather than the six-coordinate center deduced for 1. Density functional theory calculations further validate the structures for 1 and 2. The influence of the distinct TMC topologies on the coordination geometries is further confirmed by the crystal structures of [(Cl)(TMC)FeIII-Oanti-FeIIICl3] (4Cl) and [(TMC)FeIII-Osyn-FeIIICl3](OTf) (5). Complexes 1-5 thus constitute a set of complexes that shed light on ligand topology effects on the coordination chemistry of the oxoiron moiety.

Preparation, Structure, and Reactivity of Pseudocyclic Benziodoxole Tosylates: New Hypervalent Iodine Oxidants and Electrophiles.

New pseudocyclic benziodoxole tosylates were prepared by the treatment of 1-hydroxybenziodoxolones with p-toluenesulfonic acid or via ligand transfer reaction between PhI(OH)OTs (Koser's reagent) and substituted 2-iodobenzoic acids under mild condition. Single crystal X-ray crystallography of these compounds revealed a pseudocyclic structure with a short intramolecular interaction of 2.362 Šbetween oxygen and iodine in the iodoxole ring. Pseudocyclic benziodoxole tosylates readily react with various organic substrates as electrophiles or oxidants to afford the corresponding iodonium salts or the products of oxidation. Furthermore, these compounds can be used as efficient recyclable hypervalent iodine reagents. The reduced form of a pseudocyclic benziodoxole tosylate, 2-iodobenzoic acid, can be efficiently recovered from the reaction mixture by a simple acid-base liquid-liquid biphasic procedure.

NIR absorbing diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY with a UV-Vis-NIR spectrum remarkably close to that of magnesium tetracyanotetraferrocenyltetraazaporphyrin.

Diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY (4) was prepared by the direct cyanation/oxidation reaction of symmetric BODIPY 1 followed by Knoevenagel condensation with ferrocenealdehyde. Ferrocene-containing BODIPY 4 was characterized by a variety of spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical methods and its UV-Vis-NIR spectrum has a striking similarity with a UV-Vis-NIR spectrum of the previously reported magnesium 2(3),7(8),12(13),17(18)-tetracyano-3(2),8(7),13(12),18(17)-tetraferrocenyl-5,10,15,20-tetraazaporphyrin.

HFEPR and Computational Studies on the Electronic Structure of a High-Spin Oxidoiron(IV) Complex in Solution.

Nonheme iron enzymes perform diverse and important functions in biochemistry. The active form of these enzymes comprises the ferryl, oxidoiron(IV), [FeO](2+) unit. In enzymes, this unit is in the high-spin, quintet, S = 2, ground state, while many synthetic model compounds exist in the spin triplet, S = 1, ground state. Recently, however, Que and co-workers reported an oxidoiron(IV) complex with a quintet ground state, [FeO(TMG3tren)](OTf)2, where TMG3tren = 1,1,1-tris{2-[N2-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidino)]ethyl}amine and OTf = CF3SO3(-). The trigonal geometry imposed by this ligand, as opposed to the tetragonal geometry of earlier model complexes, favors the high-spin ground state. Although [FeO(TMG3tren)](2+) has been earlier probed by magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and Mössbauer spectroscopies, the technique of high-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR) is superior for describing the electronic structure of the iron(IV) center because of its ability to establish directly the spin-Hamiltonian parameters of high-spin metal centers with high precision. Herein we describe HFEPR studies on [FeO(TMG3tren)](OTf)2 generated in situ and confirm the S = 2 ground state with the following parameters: D = +4.940(5) cm(-1), E = 0.000(5), B4(0) = -14(1) × 10(-4) cm(-1), g⊥ = 2.006(2), and g∥ = 2.03(2). Extraction of a fourth-order spin-Hamiltonian parameter is unusual for HFEPR and impossible by other techniques. These experimental results are combined with state-of-the-art computational studies along with previous structural and spectroscopic results to provide a complete picture of the electronic structure of this biomimetic complex. Specifically, the calculations reproduce well the spin-Hamiltonian parameters of the complex, provide a satisfying geometrical picture of the S = 2 oxidoiron(IV) moiety, and demonstrate that the TMG3tren is an "innocent" ligand.

Upside Down! Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Characterization of an [Fe IV(O syn)(TMC)]2+ Complex.

Fe(II)(TMC)(OTf)2 reacts with 2-(t)BuSO2-C6H4IO to afford an oxoiron(IV) product, 2, distinct from the previously reported [Fe(IV)(Oanti)(TMC)(NCMe)](2+). In MeCN, 2 has a blue-shifted near-IR band, a higher ν(Fe═O), a larger Mössbauer quadrupole splitting, and quite a distinct (1)H NMR spectrum. Structural analysis of crystals grown from CH2Cl2 reveals a complex with the formulation of [Fe(IV)(Osyn)(TMC)(OTf)](OTf) and the shortest Fe(IV)═O bond [1.625(4) Å] found to date.

Spectroscopic identification of an Fe(III) center, not Fe(IV), in the crystalline Sc-O-Fe adduct derived from [Fe(IV)(O)(TMC)]²âº.

The apparent Sc(3+) adduct of [Fe(IV)(O)(TMC)](2+) (1, TMC = 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) has been synthesized in amounts sufficient to allow its characterization by various spectroscopic techniques. Contrary to the earlier assignment of a +4 oxidation state for the iron center of 1, we establish that 1 has a high-spin iron(III) center based on its Mössbauer and EPR spectra and its quantitative reduction by 1 equiv of ferrocene to [Fe(II)(TMC)](2+). Thus, 1 is best described as a Sc(III)-O-Fe(III) complex, in agreement with previous DFT calculations (Swart, M. Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 6650.). These results shed light on the interaction of Lewis acids with high-valent metal-oxo species.