Oxidation mechanism of phenols by copper(II)-halide complexes.

The mechanism of oxidation of phenols by tetrahedral copper(II)-halide complexes was investigated to demonstrate that phenols with an electron-withdrawing substituent are oxidized via a proton-transfer/electron-transfer (PTET) mechanism, whereas phenols with an electron-donating substituent involve a concerted proton/electron transfer (CPET) mechanism. The importance of the tetrahedral geometry of the metal centre as well as the effects of the halide ligands of the substrates were explored.

Selective Alkane Hydroxylation in a Fluorous Solvent System Catalyzed by a Fluorocarbon-Soluble Transition-Metal Catalyst.

Hydroxylation of aliphatic hydrocarbons requires highly reactive oxidants, but their strength can lead to undesired oxidation of the initially formed alcohols and solvents, undermining the product selectivity. To address these problems, we developed a novel catalytic system using fluorocarbon solvents. A cobalt complex supported by the fluorinated ligand, N,N,N',N',N″-pentakis-[CF3(CF2)7(CH2)3]-diethylenetriamine (Rf-deta), acts as an efficient catalyst [turnover number (TON) = 1203, turnover frequency = 51 ± 1 min-1] for cyclohexane hydroxylation with the m-chloroperbenzoic acid oxidant, achieving high alcohol selectivity (96%). Overoxidation to form cyclohexanone is minimized due to the separation of cyclohexanol from the reaction phase, comprising perfluoromethylcyclohexane and α,α,α-trifluorotoluene. The catalyst hydroxylates primary carbons (5 examples) and exhibits significant reactivity toward the terminal C-H bond of normal hexane (TON = 13). This system extends to the hydroxylation of the gaseous substrate butane, yielding the corresponding alcohols.

A rhodium(II)/rhodium(III) redox couple for C-H bond amination with alkylazides: a rhodium(III)-nitrenoid intermediate with a tetradentate [14]-macrocyclic ligand.

The catalytic activity of a rhodium(II) dimer complex, [RhII(TMAA)]2 (TMAA = tetramethyltetraaza[14]annulene), in C-H amination reactions with organic azides is explored. Organic azides (N3-R) with an electron-withdrawing group such as a sulfonyl group (trisylazide; R = S(O)2iPr3C6H2 (Trs)) and a simple alkyl group (R = (CH2)4Ph, (CH2)2OCH2Ph, CH2Ph, or C6H4NO2) are employed in intra- and intermolecular C-H bond amination reactions. The spectroscopic analysis using ESI-mass and EPR spectroscopy techniques on the reaction intermediate generated from [RhII(TMAA)]2 and N3-R reveals that a rhodium(III)-nitrenoid species is an active oxidant in the C-H bond amination reaction. DFT calculations suggest that the species can feature a radical localised nitrogen atom. The DFT calculation studies also indicate that the amination reaction involves hydrogen atom abstraction from the organic substrate R'-H by the NR moiety of 2N˙R and successive rebound of the generated organic radical intermediate R'˙ to [RhIII(NH-R)(TMAA)], giving [RhII(TMAA)] and R'-NH-R (amination product).

Characterization and Reactivity Studies of Mononuclear Tetrahedral Copper(II)-Halide Complexes.

Structures, physicochemical properties, and reactivity of the whole series of copper(II)-halide complexes (1X; X = F, Cl, Br, and I) were examined using a TMG3tach tridentate supporting ligand consisting of cis,cis-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (tach) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylguanidine (TMG). The tach ligand framework with the bulky and strongly electron-donating TMG substituents enforces the copper(II) complexes to take a tetrahedral geometry, as inferred from the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, exhibiting relatively large gz and small Az values. The electronic absorption spectra of 1X agreed with the simulation spectra obtained by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations on a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry. 1I and 1Br gradually decomposed to generate the corresponding copper(I) complex and halide radical X•, and in the case of 1Br, intramolecular hydroxylation of a methyl group of the TMG substituent took place under aerobic conditions, which may be caused by the reaction of the generated copper(I) complex and dioxygen (O2), generating a reactive oxygen species. 1X except 1I showed hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) reactivity toward 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD), where 1F exhibited the highest reactivity with a second-order rate constant as 1.4 × 10-3 M-1 s-1 at 25 °C. Such an HAA reactivity can be attributed to the higher basicity of F- and/or large bond dissociation free energy of conjugate acid H-F as well as the unstable copper(II) electronic state in the tetrahedral geometry.

Revisiting Alkane Hydroxylation with m-CPBA (m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid) Catalyzed by Nickel(II) Complexes.

Mechanistic studies are performed on the alkane hydroxylation with m-CPBA (m-chloroperbenzoic acid) catalyzed by nickel(II) complexes, NiII (L). In the oxidation of cycloalkanes, NiII (TPA) acts as an efficient catalyst with a high yield and a high alcohol selectivity. In the oxidation of adamantane, the tertiary carbon is predominantly oxidized. The reaction rate shows first-order dependence on [substrate] and [NiII (L)] but is independent on [m-CPBA]; vobs =k2 [substrate][NiII (L)]. The reaction exhibited a relatively large kinetic deuterium isotope effect (KIE) of 6.7, demonstrating that the hydrogen atom abstraction is involved in the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, NiII (L) supported by related tetradentate ligands exhibit apparently different catalytic activity, suggesting contribution of the NiII (L) in the catalytic cycle. Based on the kinetic analysis and the significant effects of O2 and CCl4 on the product distribution pattern, possible contributions of (L)NiII -O. and the aroyloxyl radical as the reactive oxidants are discussed.

Controlling the Reactivity of Copper(II) Acylperoxide Complexes.

The redox state of the metallomonooxygenases is finely tuned by imposing specific coordination environments on the metal center to reduce the activation energy for the generation of active-oxygen species and subsequent substrate oxygenation reactions. In this study, copper(II) complexes supported by a series of linear tetradentate ligands consisting of a rigid 6-, 7-, or 8-membered cyclic diamine with two pyridylmethyl (-CH2Py) side arms (L6Pym2, L7Pym2, and L8Pym2) are employed to examine the effects of the coordination environment on the reactivity of their acylperoxide adduct complexes. The UV-vis and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic data indicate that the ligand-field splitting between the dx2-y2 and dz2 orbitals of the starting copper(II) complexes increase with an increase of the ring size of the diamine moiety (L6Pym2 → L7Pym2 → L8Pym2). In the reaction of these copper(II) complexes with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA), the L6Pym2 complex gives a stable m-CPBA adduct complex, whereas the L7Pym2 and L8Pym2 complexes are immediately converted to the corresponding m-chlorobenzoic acid (m-CBA) adducts, indicating that the reactivity of the copper(II) acylperoxide complexes largely depends on the coordination environment induced by the supporting ligands. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the m-CPBA adduct complexes show that the ligand-field-splitting energy increases with an increase of the ring size of the diamine moiety, as in the case of the starting copper(II) complexes, which enhances the reactivity of the m-CPBA adduct complexes. The reasons for such different reactivities of the m-CPBA adduct complexes are evaluated by using DFT calculations.

Hydroxylation of Unactivated C(sp3)-H Bonds with m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid Catalyzed by an Iron(III) Complex Supported by a Trianionic Planar Tetradentate Ligand.

Hydroxylation of cyclohexane with m-chloroperbenzoic acid was examined in the presence of an iron(III) complex supported by a trianionic planar tetradentate ligand. The present reaction system shows a high turnover number of 2750 with a high product selectivity of alcohol (93%). The turnover frequency was 0.51 s-1, and the second-order rate constant (k) for the C-H bond activation of cyclohexane was 1.08 M-1 s-1, which is one of the highest values among the iron complexes in the oxidation of cyclohexane so far reported. The present catalytic system can be adapted to the hydroxylation of substrates having only primary C-H bonds such as 2,2,3,3-tetramethylbutane as well as gaseous alkanes such as butane, propane, and ethane. The involvement of an iron(III) acyl peroxido complex as the reactive species was suggested by spectroscopic measurements of the reaction solution.

Modelling a 'histidine brace' motif in mononuclear copper monooxygenases.

A mononuclear copper complex bearing a 'histidine brace' is synthesised and characterised as an active-site model of mononuclear copper monooxygenases such as lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) and particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). The complex has similar structural and functional features to the active sites of the enzymes.

Characterization and Reactivity of a Tetrahedral Copper(II) Alkylperoxido Complex.

A tetrahedral CuII alkylperoxido complex [CuII (TMG3 tach)(OOCm)]+ (1OOCm ) (TMG3 tach={2,2',2''-[(1s,3s,5s)-cyclohexane-1,3,5-triyl]tris-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl guanidine)}, OOCm=cumyl peroxide) is prepared and characterized by UV/Vis, cold-spray ionization mass spectroscopy (CSI-MS), resonance Raman, and EPR spectroscopic methods. Product analysis of the self-decomposition reaction of 1OOCm in acetonitrile (MeCN) indicates that the reaction involves O-O bond homolytic cleavage of the peroxide moiety with concomitant C-H bond activation of the solvent molecule. When an external substrate such as 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD) is added, the O-O bond homolysis leads to C-H activation of the substrate. Furthermore, the reaction of 1OOCm with 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol derivatives produces the corresponding phenoxyl radical species (ArO. ) together with a CuI complex through a concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET) mechanism. Details of the reaction mechanisms are explored by DFT calculations.

Direct Observation of Primary C-H Bond Oxidation by an Oxido-Iron(IV) Porphyrin π-Radical Cation Complex in a Fluorinated Carbon Solvent.

Oxido-iron(IV) porphyrin π-radical cation species are involved in a variety of heme-containing enzymes and have characteristic oxidation states consisting of a high-valent iron center and a π-conjugated macrocyclic ligand. However, the short lifetime of the complex has hampered detailed reactivity studies. Reported herein is a remarkable increase in the lifetime (80 s at 10 °C) of FeIV (TMP+. )(O)(Cl) (2; TMP=5,10,15,20-tetramesitylporphyrin dianion), produced by the oxidation of FeIII (TMP)(Cl) (1) by ozone in α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (TFT). The lifetime is 720 times longer compared to that of the currently most stable species reported to date. The increase in the lifetime improves the reaction efficiency of 2 toward inert alkane substrates, and allowed observation of the reaction of 2 with a primary C-H bond (BDEC-H =ca. 100 kcal mol-1 ) directly. Activation parameters for cyclohexane hydroxylation were also obtained.

Noninnocent Ligand in Rhodium(III)-Complex-Catalyzed C-H Bond Amination with Tosyl Azide.

Six-coordinate rhodium(III) complexes coordinated by a planar trianionic ligand (L3-) are synthesized. One of the axial positions is occupied by chloride (Cl-), bromide (Br-), or iodide (I-), and another axial position is coordinated by a solvent molecule such as acetonitrile (AN), water (H2O), tetrahydrofuran (THF), or pyridine (PY) to complete an octahedral rhodium(III) center; [RhIII(L3-)(X)(Y)]- (1X/Y; X = Cl-, Br-, or I-, Y = AN, H2O, THF, or PY). Coordination of the AN, H2O, and THF ligands to the metal center is rather weak, so that these solvent molecules are easily replaced by PY to give [RhIII(L3-)(Cl)(PY)]-. In the electrochemical measurements, all complexes have two reversible redox couples based on the ligand-centered oxidation L3- to L•2- and to L-, as reflected by the very similar redox potentials regardless of the different axial ligands. The rhodium(III) complexes catalyze C-H bond amination of xanthene with tosyl azide (TsN3). Because the yields of the aminated product are nearly the same among the complexes, replacement of the axial solvent ligands with TsN3 readily occurs to give a nitrene-radical-bound rhodium(III) complex, [RhIII(L•2-)(N•Ts)(X)]-, as an active oxidant, which is generated by one-electron transfer from the trianionic L3- to the nitrene nitrogen atom. Generation of such a diradical intermediate was substantiated by the direct reaction of 1Cl/AN with TsN3 in the absence of the substrate (xanthene). In this case, a rhodium(III) iminosemiquinone complex, 2, was generated by the intramolecular reaction between the nitrene-radical moiety and the radical moiety of the ligand L•2-.

A Bis(µ-oxido)dinickel(III) Complex with a Triplet Ground State.

A bis(µ-oxido)dinickel(III) complex was synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, resonance Raman, and ESI-mass measurements. Magnetic susceptibility measurements by SQUID and EPR spectroscopy reveal that the complex has a triplet ground state, which is unprecedented for high-valent metal (M) complexes with [M2 (µ-O)2 ] diamond core. DFT studies indicate ferromagnetic coupling of the nickel(III) centers. The complex exhibits hydrogen abstraction reactivity and oxygenation reactivity toward external substrates.

Geometric effects on OO bond scission of copper(II)-alkylperoxide complexes.

Copper(II) complexes supported by N3-tridentate ligands, consisting of a rigid cyclic diamine (8-membered cyclic-diamine; L8 or 7-membered cyclic-diamine; L7) and a 2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl (-CH2CH2Py) group, were synthesized and structurally characterized. Reaction of the copper(II) complexes and cumene hydroperoxide (CmOOH) in the presence of triethylamine in CH3CN gave the corresponding cumylperoxide complexes L8CuIIOOCm and L7CuIIOOCm. The UV-vis and EPR spectra suggested that L8CuIIOOCm takes a tetrahedrally distorted structure, whereas L7CuIIOOCm has a planar geometry in solution. Resonance Raman spectra of these alkylperoxide complexes indicated that the O-O stretching vibration energy of L8CuIIOOCm (νO-O=878cm-1) is somewhat lower than that of L7CuIIOOCm (νO-O=881cm-1). Such a difference in O-O bond strength is reflected to the reactivity difference of these two alkylperoxide complexes. Namely, the reactivity L8CuIIOOCm toward CHD (1,4-cyclohexadiene) as well as solvent molecule (CH3CN) is higher than that of L7CuIIOOCm due to the weaker O-O bond of the former complex as compared to that of the latter complex. Geometric effects on the reactivity induced by the supporting ligands are discussed.

Tetrahedral Copper(II) Complexes with a Labile Coordination Site Supported by a Tris-tetramethylguanidinato Ligand.

A new tridentate N3 ligand (TMG3tach) consisting of cis,cis-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (tach) and three N,N,N',N'-tetramethylguanidino (TMG) groups has been developed to prepare copper complexes with a tetrahedral geometry and a labile coordination site. Treatment of the ligand with CuIIX2 (X = Cl and Br) gave copper(II)-halide complexes, [CuII(TMG3tach)Cl]+ (2Cl) and [CuII(TMG3tach)Br]+ (2Br), the structures of which have been determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The complexes exhibit a four-coordinate structure with C3v symmetry, where the labile halide ligand (X) occupies a position on the trigonal axis. 2Br was converted to a methoxido-copper(II) complex [CuII(TMG3tach)(OMe)](OTf) (2OMe), also having a similar four-coordinate geometry, by treating it with an equimolar amount of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in methanol. The methoxido-complex 2OMe was further converted to the corresponding phenolato-copper(II) (2OAr) and thiophenolato-copper(II) (2SAr) complexes by ligand exchange reactions with the neutral phenol and thiophenol derivatives, respectively. The electronic structures of the copper(II) complexes with different axial ligands are discussed on the basis of EPR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

Generation and characterisation of a stable nickel(ii)-aminoxyl radical complex.

A stable nickel(ii)-aminoxyl radical complex was generated by the reaction of a nickel(ii) complex supported by a tren ligand (tris(2-aminoethyl)amine) having bulky m-terphenyl substituents (TIPT: 3,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)phenyl) and m-CPBA (m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid). The formation mechanism of the nickel(ii)-aminoxyl radical complex was examined.

Correction: Catalytic C-H amination driven by intramolecular ligand-to-nitrene one-electron transfer through a rhodium(iii) centre.

Correction for 'Catalytic C-H amination driven by intramolecular ligand-to-nitrene one-electron transfer through a rhodium(iii) centre' by Daiki Fujita et al., Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 4849-4852.

Catalytic C-H amination driven by intramolecular ligand-to-nitrene one-electron transfer through a rhodium(iii) centre.

Werner type six-coordinate rhodium(iii) complexes coordinated by a planar trianionic ligand and two axial aniline ligands are synthesised. The trianionic ligand behaves as a redox-active ligand to form a ligand radical species upon one-electron oxidation of the complex. The rhodium(iii) complexes catalyse C-H amination of external substrates such as xanthene with tosylazide as the nitrene source. DFT-calculation and kinetic deuterium isotope effects indicate that a di-radical rhodium(iii) complex formed by one-electron transfer from the redox-active ligand to the nitrene group works as a reactive intermediate to induce aliphatic C-H activation.

A Well-Defined Osmium-Cupin Complex: Hyperstable Artificial Osmium Peroxygenase.

Thermally stable TM1459 cupin superfamily protein from Thermotoga maritima was repurposed as an osmium (Os) peroxygenase by metal-substitution strategy employing the metal-binding promiscuity. This novel artificial metalloenzyme bears a datively bound Os ion supported by the 4-histidine motif. The well-defined Os center is responsible for not only the catalytic activity but also the thermodynamic stability of the protein folding, leading to the robust biocatalyst (Tm ≈ 120 °C). The spectroscopic analysis and atomic resolution X-ray crystal structures of Os-bound TM1459 revealed two types of donor sets to Os center with octahedral coordination geometry. One includes trans-dioxide, OH, and mer-three histidine imidazoles (O3N3 donor set), whereas another one has four histidine imidazoles plus OH and water molecule in a cis position (O2N4 donor set). The Os-bound TM1459 having the latter donor set (O2N4 donor set) was evaluated as a peroxygenase, which was able to catalyze cis-dihydroxylation of several alkenes efficiently. With the low catalyst loading (0.01% mol), up to 9100 turnover number was achieved for the dihydroxylation of 2-methoxy-6-vinyl-naphthalene (50 mM) using an equivalent of H2O2 as oxidant at 70 °C for 12 h. When octene isomers were dihydroxylated in a preparative scale for 5 h (2% mol cat.), the terminal alkene octene isomers was converted to the corresponding diols in a higher yield as compared with the internal alkenes. The result indicates that the protein scaffold can control the regioselectivity by the steric hindrance. This protein scaffold enhances the efficiency of the reaction by suppressing disproportionation of H2O2 on Os reaction center. Moreover, upon a simple site-directed mutagenesis, the catalytic activity was enhanced by about 3-fold, indicating that Os-TM1459 is evolvable nascent osmium peroxygenase.

Cerium-Complex-Catalyzed Oxidation of Arylmethanols under Atmospheric Pressure of Dioxygen and Its Mechanism through a Side-On µ-Peroxo Dicerium(IV) Complex.

A new Ce(IV) complex [Ce{NH(CH2CH2N=CHC6H2-3,5-(tBu)2-2-O)2}(NO3)2] (1), bearing a dianionic pentadentate ligand with an N3O2 donor set, has been prepared by treating (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 with the sodium salt of ligand L1. Complex 1 in the presence of TEMPO and 4 Å molecular sieves (MS4 A) has been found to serve as a catalyst for the oxidation of arylmethanols using dioxygen as an oxidant. We propose an oxidation mechanism based on the isolation and reactivity study of a trivalent cerium complex [Ce{NH(CH2CH2N=CHC6H2-3,5-(tBu)2-2-O)2}(NO3)(THF)] (2), its side-on µ-O2 adduct [Ce{NH(CH2CH2N=CHC6H2-3,5-(tBu)2-2-O)2}(NO3)]2(µ-η(2):η(2)-O2) (3), and the hydroxo-bridged Ce(IV) complex [Ce{NH(CH2CH2N=CHC6H2-3,5-(tBu)2-2-O)2}(NO3)]2(µ-OH)2 (4) as key intermediates during the catalytic cycle. Complex 2 was synthesized by reduction of 1 with 2,5-dimethyl-1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-diazacyclohexadiene. Bubbling O2 into a solution of 2 resulted in formation of the peroxo complex 3. This provides the first direct evidence for cerium-catalyzed oxidation of alcohols under an O2 atmosphere.

Generation, Characterization, and Reactivity of a Cu(II)-Alkylperoxide/Anilino Radical Complex: Insight into the O-O Bond Cleavage Mechanism.

The reaction of [Cu(I)(TIPT3tren) (CH3CN)]ClO4 (1) and cumene hydroperoxide (C6H5C(CH3)2OOH, ROOH) at -60 °C in CH2Cl2 gave a Cu(II)-alkylperoxide/anilino radical complex 2, the formation of which was confirmed by UV-vis, resonance Raman, EPR, and CSI-mass spectroscopy. The mechanism of formation of 2, as well as its reactivity, has been explored.