The Influence of para Substituents in Bis(N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Palladium Pincer Complexes for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

The effect of modifying the pyridyl para position of lutidine-linked bis(N-heterocyclic carbene) Pd pincer complexes is studied both experimentally (R = OMe, H, Br, and COOR) and computationally, showing a strong effect on the first reduction potential of the complex and allowing the reduction potential to be tuned over a wide range in relation to the Hammett σp constant of the para substituent. The effect of the pyridyl para substituent on electron density of the metal center, frontier orbital energies, and dissociation energy of the trans ligand are also investigated in the context of reactivity with CO2 through electrochemical characterization of the complexes under N2 and CO2 and controlled potential electrolysis experiments where CO2 is reduced to CO.

Polyannulated Bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)palladium Pincer Complexes for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Phenanthro- and pyreno-annulated N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been incorporated into lutidine-linked bis-NHC Pd pincer complexes to investigate the effect of these polyannulated NHCs on the ability of the complexes to electrochemically reduce CO2 to CO in the presence of 2,2,2-trifluoroacetic acid and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol as proton sources. These complexes are screened for their ability to reduce CO2 and modeled using density functional theory calculations, where the annulated phenanthrene and pyrene moieties are shown to be additional sites for redox activity in the pincer ligand, enabling increased electron donation. Electrochemical and computational studies are used to gain an understanding of the chemical significance of redox events for complexes of this type, highlighting the importance of anion binding and dissociation.

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 with palladium bis-N-heterocyclic carbene pincer complexes.

A series of pyridine- and lutidine-linked bis-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium pincer complexes were electrochemically characterized and screened for CO2 reduction capability with 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, acetic acid, or 2,2,2-trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as proton sources. The lutidine-linked pincer complexes electrocatalytically reduce CO2 to CO at potentials as low as -1.6 V versus Ag/AgNO3 in the presence of TFA. The one-electron reduction of these complexes is shown to be chemically reversible, yielding a monometallic species, with density functional theory studies indicating charge storage on the redox-active ligand, thus addressing a major source of deactivation in earlier triphosphine electrocatalysts.

Cyclopentadienyl mesityl complexes of chromium(II) and chromium(III).

Chromium(III) mesityl complexes were synthesized by protonolysis of chromocene with 1,3-diisopropylimidazolium chloride or DBU hydrochloride, salt metathesis with MesMgBr, and single electron oxidation with iodine.