Multi-active Site Dynamics on a Molecular Cr/Co/Se Cluster Catalyst

This study provides detailed insights into the interconnected reactivity of the three catalytically active sites of an atomically precise nanocluster Cr3(py)3Co6Se8L6 (Cr3(py)3, L = Ph2PNTol–, Ph = phenyl, Tol = 4-tolyl). Catalytic and stoichiometric studies into tosyl azide activation and carbodiimide formation enabled the isolation and crystallographic characterization of key metal-nitrenoid catalytic intermediates, including the tris(nitrenoid) cluster Cr3(NTs)3, the catalytic resting state Cr3(NTs)3(CNtBu)3, and the mono(nitrenoid) cluster Cr3(NTs)(CNtBu)2. Nitrene transfer proceeds via a stepwise mechanism, with the three active sites engaging sequentially to produce carbodiimide. Comparative structural analysis and CNtBu bind-ing studies reveal that the chemical state of neighboring active sites regulates the affinity for substrates of an individual Cr-nitrenoid edge site, intertwining their reactivity through the inorganic support.

Direct copolymerization of ethylene with protic comonomers enabled by multinuclear Ni catalysts

Ethylene/polar monomer coordination copolymerization offers an attractive way of making functionalized polyolefins. However, ethylene copolymerization with industrially relevant short chain length alkenoic acid remain a big challenge. Here we report the efficient direct copolymerization of ethylene with vinyl acetic acid by tetranuclear nickel complexes. The protic monomer can be extended to acrylic acid, allylacetic acid, ω-alkenoic acid, allyl alcohol, and homoallyl alcohol. Based on X-ray analysis of precatalysts, control experiments, solvent-assisted electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry detection of key catalytic intermediates, and density functional theory studies, we propose a possible mechanistic scenario that involves a distinctive vinyl acetic acid enchainment enabled by Ni···Ni synergistic effects. Inspired by the mechanistic insights, binuclear nickel catalysts are designed and proved much more efficient for the copolymerization of ethylene with vinyl acetic acid or acrylic acid, achieving the highest turnover frequencies so far for both ethylene and polar monomers simultaneously.

A Small Organic molecule Based on Benzothiadiazole for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production

A small organic molecule 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4, 7-dicarbonitrile (BTDN) is assessed for electrocatalytic hydrogen, showing a hydrogen production faradaic efficiency of 82% in presence of salicylic acid. The key catalytic intermediates of reduced species BTDN−• and protonated intermediates are identified and characterized by using various spectroscopic methods and density functional theory (DFT) based calculations. With the experimental and theoretical results, a catalytic mechanism of BTDN for electrocatalytic H2 evolution is proposed.

Overhaul of the reducing ability of Breslow-type derivatives and implications for carbene-catalyzed radical reactions.

We report the synthesis of acyl azolium salts stemming from thiazolylidenes CNS, triazolylidenes CTN, mesoionic carbenes CMIC and the generation of their corresponding radicals and enolates, covering about 60 Breslow-type derivatives. This study highlights the role of additives in the redox behavior of these compounds and unveils several critical misconceptions about radical transformations of aldehyde derivatives under N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis. In particular, the reducing ability of enolates has been dramatically underestimated in the case of biomimetic CNS. In contrast with previous electrochemical studies, we show that these catalytic intermediates can transfer electrons to iodobenzene within minutes at room temperature. Enols derived from CMIC are not the previously claimed super electron donors, although enolate derivatives of CNS and CMIC are powerful reducing agents.

Three-Factor Kinetic Equation of Catalyst Deactivation

The three-factor kinetic equation of catalyst deactivation was obtained in terms of apparent kinetic parameters. The three factors correspond to the main cycle with a linear, detailed mechanism regarding the catalytic intermediates, a cycle of reversible deactivation, and a stage of irreversible deactivation (aging), respectively. The rate of the main cycle is obtained for the fresh catalyst under a quasi-steady-state assumption. The phenomena of reversible and irreversible deactivation are presented as special separate factors (hierarchical separation). In this case, the reversible deactivation factor is a function of the kinetic apparent parameters of the reversible deactivation and of those of the main cycle. The irreversible deactivation factor is a function of the apparent kinetic parameters of the main cycle, of the reversible deactivation, and of the irreversible deactivation. The conditions of such separability are found. The obtained equation is applied successfully to describe the literature data on the reversible catalyst deactivation processes in the dehydration of acetaldehyde over TiO2 anatase and in crotonaldehyde hydrogenation on supported metal catalysts.

Catalysis with a Skip: Dynamically Coupled Addition, Proton Transfer, and Elimination During Au- and Pd-Catalyzed Diol Cyclization

Au and Pd complexes have emerged as highly effective π-bond cyclization catalysts to construct heterocycles. These cyclization reactions are generally proposed to proceed through multi-step addition-elimination mechanisms involving Au- or Pd-alkyl intermediates. For Au- and Pd-catalyzed allylic diol cyclization, while the DFT potential energy surface landscapes show a stepwise sequence of alkoxylation π-addition, proton transfer, and water elimination, quasiclassical direct dynamics simulations reveal new dynamical mechanisms that depend on the metal center. For Au, trajectories reveal that after π-addition the Au-alkyl intermediate is always skipped because addition is dynamically coupled with proton transfer and water elimination. In contrast, for Pd catalysis, due to differences in the potential-energy landscape shape, only about half of trajectories show Pd-alkyl intermediate skipping. The other half of the trajectories show the traditional two-step mechanism with the intervening Pd-alkyl intermediate. Overall, this work reveals that interpretation of a DFT potential-energy landscape can be insufficient to understand catalytic intermediates and mechanisms and that atomic momenta through dynamics simulations is needed to determine if an intermediate is genuinely part of a catalytic cycle.<br>

Catalysis with a Skip: Dynamically Coupled Addition, Proton Transfer, and Elimination During Au- and Pd-Catalyzed Diol Cyclization

Au and Pd complexes have emerged as highly effective π-bond cyclization catalysts to construct heterocycles. These cyclization reactions are generally proposed to proceed through multi-step addition-elimination mechanisms involving Au- or Pd-alkyl intermediates. For Au- and Pd-catalyzed allylic diol cyclization, while the DFT potential energy surface landscapes show a stepwise sequence of alkoxylation π-addition, proton transfer, and water elimination, quasiclassical direct dynamics simulations reveal new dynamical mechanisms that depend on the metal center. For Au, trajectories reveal that after π-addition the Au-alkyl intermediate is always skipped because addition is dynamically coupled with proton transfer and water elimination. In contrast, for Pd catalysis, due to differences in the potential-energy landscape shape, only about half of trajectories show Pd-alkyl intermediate skipping. The other half of the trajectories show the traditional two-step mechanism with the intervening Pd-alkyl intermediate. Overall, this work reveals that interpretation of a DFT potential-energy landscape can be insufficient to understand catalytic intermediates and mechanisms and that atomic momenta through dynamics simulations is needed to determine if an intermediate is genuinely part of a catalytic cycle.<br>

The Key Role of the Latent N-H Group in Milstein's Catalyst for Ester Hydrogenation

<p>We previously demonstrated that Milstein’s seminal diethylamino-substituted PNN-pincer-ruthenium catalyst for ester hydrogenation is activated by dehydroalkylation of the pincer ligand, releasing ethane and eventually forming an NHEt-substituted derivative that we proposed is the active catalyst. In this paper, we present a computational and experimental mechanistic study supporting this hypothesis. Our DFT analysis shows that the minimum-energy pathways for hydrogen activation, ester hydrogenolysis, and aldehyde hydrogenation rely on the key involvement of the nascent N-H group. We have isolated and crystallographically characterized two catalytic intermediates, a ruthenium dihydride and a ruthenium hydridoalkoxide, the latter of which is the catalyst resting state. A detailed kinetic study shows that catalytic ester hydrogenation is first-order in ruthenium and hydrogen, shows saturation behavior in ester, and is inhibited by the product alcohol. A global fit of the kinetic data to a simplified model incorporating the hydridoalkoxide and dihydride intermediates and three kinetically relevant transition states showed excellent agreement with the results from DFT. <b></b></p><br>