Carlos Calle

Facile C−H Bond Cleavage via a Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Involving a C−H···CuII Interaction

The present study provides mechanistic details of a mild aromatic C-H activation effected by a copper(II) center ligated in a triazamacrocylic ligand, affording equimolar amounts of a Cu(III)-aryl species and Cu(I) species as reaction products. At low temperatures the Cu(II) complex 1 forms a three-center, three-electron C-H...Cu(II) interaction, identified by pulse electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and supported by density functional theory calculations. C-H bond cleavage is coupled with copper oxidation, as a Cu(III)-aryl product 2 is formed. This reaction proceeds to completion at 273 K within minutes through either a copper disproportionation reaction or, alternatively, even faster with 1 equiv of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO), quantitatively yielding 2. Kinetic studies of both reactions strongly implicate a rate-limiting proton-coupled electron transfer as the key C-H activation step, a mechanism that does not conform to the C-H activation mechanism in a Ni(II) analogue or to any previously proposed C-H activation mechanisms.

Matrix effects on copper(II)phthalocyanine complexes. A combined continuous wave and pulse EPR and DFT study

The effect of the electron withdrawing or donating character of groups located at the periphery of the phthalocyanine ligand, as well as the influence of polar and nonpolar solvents are of importance for the redox chemistry of metal phthalocyanines. Continuous wave and pulse electron paramagnetic resonance and pulse electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy at X- and Q-band are applied to investigate the electronic structure of the complexes Cu(II)phthalocyanine (CuPc), copper(II) 2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butyl-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (CuPc(t)), and copper(II) 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11,15,16,17,18,22,23,24,25-hexadecafluoro-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (CuPc(F)) in various matrices. Isotope substitutions are used to determine the g values, the copper hyperfine couplings and the hyperfine interactions with the 14N, 1H and 19F nuclei of the macrocycle and the surrounding matrix molecules. Simulations and interpretations of the spectra are shown and discussed, and a qualitative analysis of the data using previous theoretical models is given. Density functional computations facilitate the interpretation of the EPR parameters. The experimental g, copper and nitrogen hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole values are found to be sensitive to changes of the solvent and the structure of the macrocycle. To elucidate the electronic, structural and bonding properties the changes in the g principal values are related to data from UV/Vis spectroscopy and to density functional theory (DFT) computations. The analysis of the EPR data indicates that the in-plane metal-ligand sigma bonding is more covalent for CuPc(t) in toluene than in sulfuric acid. Furthermore, the out-of-plane pi bonding is found to be less covalent in the case of a polar sulfuric acid environment than with nonpolar toluene or H2Pc environment, whereby the covalency of this bonding is increased upon addition of tert-butyl groups. No contribution from in-plane pi bonding is found.

Dendritic metalloporphyrins with a distal H-bond donor as mimics of haemoglobin.

We report the synthesis of iron(II) porphyrins functionalised with first- and second-generation dendrons as mimics of haemoglobin. The porphyrin core bears an ethynyl linker pointing towards the centre of the molecule, in an ideal position for the introduction of a series of distal ligands as potential H-bond donors by Pd0-catalysed Sonogashira cross-coupling.

Probing Hydrogen Bonding to Bound Dioxygen in Synthetic Models for Heme Proteins : The Importance of Precise Geometry

Distal hydrogen bonding in natural dioxygen binding proteins is crucial for the discrimination between different potential ligands such as O(2) or CO. In the present study, we probe the chemical requirements for proper distal hydrogen bonding in a series of synthetic model compounds for dioxygen-binding heme proteins. The model compounds 1-Co to 7-Co bear different distal residues. The hydrogen bonding in their corresponding dioxygen adducts is directly measured by pulse EPR spectroscopy. The geometrical requirements for this interaction to take place were found to be narrow and very specific. Only two model complexes, 1-Co and 7-Co, form a hydrogen bond to bound dioxygen, which was characterized in terms of geometry and nature of the bond. The geometry and dipolar nature of this interaction in 1-Co-O(2) is more similar to the one in natural cobalt myoglobin (Co-Mb), making 1-Co the best model compound in the entire series.