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Iridium(III) molecular catalysts for water oxidation: the simpler the faster

We report on three Ir(iii) molecular catalysts for water oxidation: 1, [Cp*Ir(ppy)Cl]; 2, [Cp*Ir(bzpy)NO(3)]; 3, [Cp*Ir(H(2)O)(3)](NO(3))(2). 2 and 3 are water-soluble and show a long-term activity ca. 2 and 3 times higher than 1. It is remarkable that 3, having the simplest structure, is the catalyst with the highest activity.

Ion Pairing in Cationic Olefin#Gold(I) Complexes

The relative anion-cation orientation in [(PPh(3))Au(4-Me-styrene)]BF(4) (1BF(4)) and [(NHC)Au(4-Me-styrene)]BF(4) [2BF(4); NHC = 1,3-bis(di-iso-propylphenyl)-imidazol-2-ylidene] has been investigated by combining (19)F,(1)H-HOESY NMR spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations incorporating solvent and relativistic effects. It has been found that BF(4)(-) locates on the side of 4-Me-styrene, close to the olefin region that is opposite to the 4-Me-Ph moiety in 1BF(4). In 2BF(4), the counterion approaches the cation from the side of the NHC ligand and is mainly located close to the imidazole ring. In both cases, the counterion resides far away from the gold site, the latter carrying only a small fraction of the positive charge. This indicates that the preferential position of the counterion is tunable through the choice of the ancillary ligand, and this opens the way to greater control over the properties and activity of these catalysts.

Activity and degradation pathways of pentamethyl-cyclopentadienyl-iridium catalysts for water oxidation

The activity of three [Cp*IrLn] (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) archetypal catalysts ([Cp*Ir (bpy)Cl]Cl (1, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine), [Cp*Ir(bzpy)(NO3)] (2, bzpy = 2-benzoylpyridine) and [Cp*Ir(H2O)3](NO3)2 (3)) for water oxidation to molecular oxygen was compared using cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a sacrificial oxidant. Kinetic studies were carried out by: i) measuring the depletion of Ce4+ through UV-Vis spectroscopy, ii) directly detecting the evolved oxygen through the Clark electrode and iii) measuring the volume of the evolved oxygen. The kinetics of Ce4+ consumption were zero-order in Ce4+ for catalysts 2 and 3, while they were first-order for 1. The order with respect to catalyst was 1 for 1 and 2 while it was 1.5 for 3. As a consequence, 2 (TOFmax = 14.4 min−1) and 3 (TOFmax = 50.4 min−1) were found to be the most active catalysts at low and high catalyst concentration, respectively, while the performance of 1 (TOFmax = 8.6 min−1) increased with increasing the concentration of Ce4+. 1 and 3 were found to be the most robust catalysts at low (3.1 μM, TON = 1240) and high (7.0 μM, TON = 4042) catalyst concentration, respectively. In situNMR studies were performed under exactly the same conditions of the catalytic experiments. It was observed that Cp* underwent an oxidative degradation, ultimately leading to acetic, formic and glycolic acids. Several Ir-containing intermediates of the degradation process were intercepted and fully characterized in solution through 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments. DFT and NMR studies indicated that the degradation proceeds via an initial double oxidative functionalization of both the quanternary carbon and proton of a Cp* C–CH3 moiety.

Intra- and intermolecular NMR studies on the activation of arylcyclometallated hafnium pyridyl-amido olefin polymerization precatalysts.

Pyridyl-amido catalysts have emerged recently with great promise for olefin polymerization. Insights into the activation chemistry are presented in an initial attempt to understand the polymerization mechanisms of these important catalysts. The activation of C1-symmetric arylcyclometallated hafnium pyridyl-amido precatalysts, denoted Me2Hf{N(-),N,C(-)} (1, aryl = naphthyl; 2, aryl = phenyl), with both Lewis (B(C6F5)3 and [CPh3][B(C6F5)4]) and Brønsted ([HNR3][B(C6F5)4]) acids is investigated. Reactions of 1 with B(C6F5)3 lead to abstraction of a methyl group and formation of a single inner-sphere diastereoisomeric ion pair [MeHf{N(-),N,C(-)}][MeB(C6F5)3] (3). A 1:1 mixture of the two possible outer-sphere diastereoisomeric ion pairs [MeHf{N(-),N,C(-)}][B(C6F5)4] (4) is obtained when [CPh3][B(C6F5)4] is used. [HNR3][B(C6F5)4] selectively protonates the aryl arm of the tridentate ligand in both precatalysts 1 and 2. A remarkably stable [Me2Hf{N(-),N,C2}][B(C6F5)4] (5) outer-sphere ion pair is formed when the naphthyl substituent is present. The stability is attributed to a hafnium/eta(2)-naphthyl interaction and the release of an eclipsing H-H interaction between naphthyl and pyridine moieties, as evidenced through extensive NMR studies, X-ray single crystal investigation and DFT calculations. When the aryl substituent is phenyl, [Me2Hf{N(-),N,C2}][B(C6F5)4] (10) is originally obtained from protonation of 2, but this species rapidly undergoes remetalation, methane evolution, and amine coordination, giving a diastereomeric mixture of [MeHf{N(-),N,C(-)}NR3][B(C6F5)4] (11). This species transforms over time into the trianionic-ligated [Hf{N(-),C(-),N,C(-)}NR3][B(C6F5)4] (12) through activation of a C-H bond of an amido-isopropyl group. In contrast, ion pair 5 does not spontaneously undergo remetalation of the naphthyl moiety; it reacts with NMe2Ph leading to [MeHf{N(-),N}NMe2C6H4][B(C6F5)4] (7) through ortho-metalation of the aniline. Ion pair 7 successively undergoes a complex transformation ultimately leading to [Hf{N(-),C(-),N,C(-)}NMe2Ph][B(C6F5)4] (8), strictly analogous to 12. The reaction of 5 with aliphatic amines leads to the formation of a single diastereomeric ion pair [MeHf{N(-),N,C(-)}NR3][B(C6F5)4] (9). These differences in activation chemistry are manifested in the polymerization characteristics of these different precatalyst/cocatalyst combinations. Relatively long induction times are observed for propene polymerizations with the naphthyl precatalyst 1 activated with [HNMe3Ph][B(C6F5)4]. However, no induction time is present when 1 is activated with Lewis acids. Similarly, precatalyst 2 shows no induction period with either Lewis or Brønsted acids. Correlation of the solution behavior of these ion pairs and the polymerization characteristics of these various species provides a basis for an initial picture of the polymerization mechanism of these important catalyst systems.

Probing the Association of Frustrated Phosphine–Borane Lewis Pairs in Solution by NMR Spectroscopy

(19)F,(1)H HOESY, diffusion, and temperature-dependent (19)F and (1)H NMR studies allowed us to unequivocally probe the association between the frustrated PR3/B(C6F5)3 (1, R = CMe3; 2, R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2) Lewis pairs in aromatic solvents. No preferential orientation is favored, as deduced by combining (19)F,(1)H HOESY and DFT results, suggesting association via weak dispersion rather than residual acid/base interactions. The association process is slightly endoergonic [K = 0.5 M(-1), ΔG(0)(298 K) = +0.4 kcal/mol for 2], as derived from diffusion NMR measurements.

Composition changes of dissolved organic matter in a soil amended with municipal waste compost

A spectroscopic study was carried out to determine the changes in composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a soil repeatedly amended with a municipal waste compost. In addition to humic-like substances, composted products contain dissolved organic matter composed ofa complex mixture of relatively low molecular weight polymeric materials. The FT-IR and 1 H-NMR spectra of DOM extracted from a clay-loam soil (SDOM), municipal waste compost (CDOM), and soil-compost mixtures incubated for varying time periods are reported. One ofthe incubated samples was taken from a freshly prepared laboratory mixture (LASDOM); the rest were taken from a 6-year field experiment on the soil collected at four months (6YASDOM) after the last amendment. The analyses were carried out also on a CDOM sample after being kept in contact with the soil for 24 h (BEER). The main findings ofthe IR and 1 H-NMR spectra concern polysaccharides and olefinic groups. The former increased in concentration in both 6YASDOM (vs. SDOM and LASDOM), and BEER (vs. CDOM). The 6YASDOM finding proves that the increase in polysaccharides was caused by the evolution of the added municipal waste compost rather than by a direct addition of the compost. The polysaccharide increase in BEER testifies to a selective adsorption by the soil of humus-like organic macromolecules containing COOH groups, thereby increasing the concentration of the less adsorbed hydrophilic polysaccharide molecules, which would also explain the increase in polysaccharides in the 6YASDOM. Conversely, the concentration of olefinic groups was high in SDOM and low in CDOM, LASDOM, and BEER. This finding supports the hypothesis that the highly reactive olefinic groups present in SDOM react rapidly with CDOM molecules, thus lowering their concentration. In conclusion, compared with soil DOM, the increase of polysaccharides and the decrease of olefinic groups seem to be the most important characteristic of DOM in soils amended with municipal waste compost.

Cyclometalated IrIII Complexes with Substituted 1,10‐Phenanthrolines: A New Class of Efficient Cationic Organometallic Second‐Order NLO Chromophores

Cyclometalated cationic Ir(III) complexes with substituted 1,10-phenanthrolines (1,10-phen), such as [Ir(ppy)(2)(5-R-1,10-phen)]Y (ppy=cyclometalated 2-phenylpyridine; R=NO(2), H, Me, NMe(2); Y(-)=PF(6) (-), C(12)H(25)SO(3) (-), I(-)) and [Ir(ppy)(2)(4-R,7-R-1,10-phen)]Y (R=Me, Ph) are characterized by a significant second-order optical non linearity (measured by the electrical field induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) technique). This nonlinearity is controlled by MLCT processes from the cyclometalated Ir(III), acting as a donor push system, to pi* orbitals of the phenanthroline, acting as an acceptor pull system. Substitution of cyclometalated 2-phenylpyridine by the more pi delocalized 2-phenylquinoline (pq) or benzo[h]quinoline (bzq) or by the sulfur-containing 4,5-diphenyl-2-methyl-thiazole (dpmf) does not significantly affect the mubeta absolute value, which instead is affected by the nature of the R substituents on the phenanthroline, the higher value being associated with the electron-withdrawing NO(2) group. By using a combined experimental (the EFISH technique and (1)H and (19)F PGSE NMR spectroscopy) and theoretical (DFT, time-dependent-DFT (TDDFT), sum over states (SOS) approach) investigation, evidence is obtained that ion pairing, which is controlled by the nature of the counterion and by the concentration, may significantly affect the mubeta values of these cationic NLO chromophores. In CH(2)Cl(2), concentration-dependent high absolute values of mubeta are obtained for [Ir(ppy)(2)(5-NO(2)-1,10-phen)]Y if Y is a weakly interacting anion, such as PF(6) (-), whereas with a counterion, such as C(12)H(25)SO(3) (-) or I(-), which form tight ion-pairs, the absolute value of mubeta is lower and quite independent of the concentration. This mubeta trend is partially due to the perturbation of the counterion on the LUMO pi* levels of the phenanthroline. The correlation between the mubeta value and dilution shows that the effect of concentration is a factor that must be taken into careful consideration.

Structure-activity relationship in olefin polymerization catalysis: is entropy the key?

Activation parameters for propene polymerization mediated by a bis(phenoxyamine)Zr-dibenzyl catalyst in combination with MAO have been measured experimentally and calculated by DFT; experiment and calculation consistently indicate that the entropic term is the most important reason for the low chain propagation rate with this system. Based on this finding and a review of literature data on a variety of olefin polymerization catalysts, we propose a strong correlation between the propagation rate and how catalysts deal with the entropy loss of monomer capture.

When the Tolman Electronic Parameter Fails: A Comparative DFT and Charge Displacement Study of [(L)Ni(CO)3]0/– and [(L)Au(CO)]0/+

In this study we have examined 42 [(L)M(CO)n](±/0) complexes (M = Ni and Au), including neutral ligands, such as phosphines and carbenes, and anionic ones. For each complex, the carbonyl stretching frequency (ν(CO)) and the amount of charge donated from the ligand to the metal (CT) have been computed on the basis of DFT calculations. For nickel complexes, the two observables nicely correlate with each other, as expected from the theory underlying the Tolman electronic parameter. On the contrary, for gold complexes a more complex pattern can be observed, with an apparent differentiation between phosphine ligands and carbon-based ones. Such differences have been explained analyzing the Au-L bond in terms of Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson bonding constituents (σ donation and π back-donation). Our analysis demonstrates that in linear gold(I) complexes, ν(CO) depends only on the metal-to-ligand π back-donation.

Application of NOE and PGSE NMR Methodologies to Investigate Non-Covalent Intimate Inorganic Adducts in Solution

NOE and PGSE NMR experiments provide crucial information for the structural characterization of non-covalent intimate adducts in solution. The possible presence and the favorite relative orientation of the interacting units can be deduced from NOE results, while the size of the non-covalent adducts can be estimated through PGSE measurements. The complementarity of the two methodologies has been successfully used to investigate transition metal complex ion pairs and, to a lesser extent, intermolecular adducts. The main results concerning the solution structures of non-covalent inorganic adducts are reported and compared with those in the solid state and those from theoretical calculations.