Elliott B. Hulley

Rapid, Reversible Heterolytic Cleavage of Bound H2

Heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen into a proton and a hydride ion is a fundamentally important step in many reactions, including the oxidation of hydrogen by hydrogenase enzymes and ionic hydrogenation of organic compounds. We report the facile, reversible heterolytic cleavage of H2 in a manganese complex bearing a pendant amine, leading to the formation of a manganese hydride and a protonated amine that undergo H(+)/H(-) exchange at an estimated rate of >10(7) s(-1) at 25 °C.

Carbon–Carbon Bond Formation from Azaallyl and Imine Couplings about Metal–Metal Bonds

Typical C-C bond-forming processes feature oxidative addition, insertion, and reductive elimination reactions. An alternative strategy toward C-C bond formation involves the generation of transient radicals that can couple at or around one or more metal centers. Generation of transient azaallyl ligands that reductively couple at CH positions possessing radical character is described. Two C-C bonds form, and the redox non-innocence of the resulting pyridine-imines may be critical to formation of a third C-C bond via dinuclear di-imine oxidative coupling. Unique metal-metal bonds are a consequence of the chelation.

Olefin Substitution in (silox)3M(olefin) (silox = tBu3SiO; M = Nb, Ta): The Role of Density of States in Second vs Third Row Transition Metal Reactivity

The substitution chemistry of olefin complexes (silox)3M(ole) (silox = (t)Bu3SiO; M = Nb (1-ole), Ta (2-ole); ole = C2H4 (as 13C2H4 or C2D4), C2H3Me, C2H3Et, cis-2-C4H8, iso-C4H8, C2H3Ph, cC5H8, cC6H10, cC7H10 (norbornene)) was investigated. For 1-ole, substitution was dissociative (deltaG(double dagger)(diss)), and in combination with calculated olefin binding free energies (deltaG(o)(bind)), activation free energies for olefin association (deltaG(double dagger)(assoc)) to (silox)3Nb (1) were estimated. For 2-ole, substitution was not observed prior to rearrangement to alkylidenes. Instead, activation free energies for olefin association to (silox)3Ta (2) were measured, and when combined with deltaG(o)(bind) (calcd), estimates of olefin dissociation rates from 2-ole were obtained. Despite stronger binding energies for 1-ole vs 2-ole, the dissociation of olefins from 1-ole is much faster than that from 2-ole. The association of olefins to 1 is also much faster than that to 2. Linear free energy relationships (with respect to deltaG(o)(bind)) characterize olefin dissociation from 1-ole, but not olefin dissociation from 2-ole, and olefin association to 2, but not olefin association to 1. Calculated transition states for olefin dissociation from (HO)3M(C2H4) (M = Nb, 1-C2H4; Ta, 2-C2H4) are asymmetric and have orbitals consistent with either singlet or triplet states. The rearrangement of (silox)3Nb(trans-Vy,Ph-cPr) (1-VyPhcPr) to (silox)3Nb=CHCH=CHCH2CH2Ph (3) is consistent with a diradical intermediate akin to the transition state for substitution. The disparity between Nb and Ta in olefin substitution chemistry is rationalized on the basis of a greater density of states (DOS) for the products (i.e., (silox)3M + ole) where M = Nb, leading to intersystem crossing events that facilitate dissociation. At the crux of the DOS difference is the greater 5dz2/6s mixing for Ta vs the 4dz2/5s mixing of Nb. This rationalization is generalized to explain the nominally swifter reactivities of 4d vs 5d elements.

Heterolytic Cleavage of H2 by Bifunctional Manganese(I) Complexes: Impact of Ligand Dynamics, Electrophilicity, and Base Positioning

We report the synthesis, characterization, and reactivity with H2 of a series of MnI complexes of the type [(P–P)Mn(L2)CO]+ (L2 = dppm, bppm, or (CO)2; P–P = PPhNMePPh or PPh2NBn2) that bear pendant amine ligands designed to function as proton relays. The pendant amine was found to function as a hemilabile ligand; its binding strength is strongly affected by the ancillary ligand environment around Mn. Tuning the electrophilicity of the Mn center leads to systems capable of reversible heterolytic cleavage of the H–H bond. The strength of pendant amine binding can be balanced to protect the Mn center while still leading to facile reactivity with H2. Neutral MnIH species bearing pendant amines in the diphosphine ligand were found to react with one-electron oxidants and, after proton and electron transfer reactions, regenerate cationic MnI species. The reactivity presented herein indicates that the Mn complexes we have developed are a promising platform for development of Mn-based H2 oxidation electrocatalysts.

CCDC 1840201: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: William E. Christman, Travis J. Morrow, Navamoney Arulsamy, Elliott B. Hulley|2018|Organometallics|37|2706|doi:10.1021/acs.organomet.8b00348

Tridentate phosphine ligands bearing aza-crown ether lariats

Crown ethers are useful macrocycles that act as size-selective binding sites for alkali metals. These frameworks have been incorporated into a number of macromolecular assemblies that use simple cations as reporters and/or activity triggers. Incorporating crown ethers into secondary coordination sphere ligand frameworks for transition metal chemistry will lead to new potential methods for controlling bond formation steps, and routes that couple traditional ligand frameworks with these moieties are highly desirable. Herein we report the syntheses of a family of tridentate phosphine complexes bearing tethered aza-crown ethers (lariats) designed to modularize the variation of aza-crown size, lariat length, and distal phosphine substituents, followed by the synthesis and solid-state structures of Mo(III) complexes bearing cations in the pendent crown ethers.

Crystal structure of cis,fac-{N,N-bis­[(pyridin-2-yl)meth­yl]methyl­amine-κ3N,N′,N′′}di­chlorido­(dimethyl sulfoxide-κS)ruthenium(II)

The reaction of dichloridotetrakis(dimethyl sulfoxide)ruthenium(II) with N,N-bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]methylamine affords the title complex, [RuCl2(C13H15N3)(C2H6OS)]. The asymmetric unit contains a well-ordered complex molecule. The N,N-bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]methylamine (bpma) ligand binds the cation through its two pyridyl N atoms and one aliphatic N atom in a facial manner. The coordination sphere of the low-spin d 6 RuII is distorted octahedral. The dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso) ligand coordinates to the cation through its S atom and is cis to the aliphatic N atom. The two chloride ligands occupy the remaining sites. The bpma ligand is folded with the dihedral angle between the mean planes passing through its two pyridine rings being 64.55u2005(8)°. The two N—Ru—N bite angles of the ligand at 81.70u2005(7) and 82.34u2005(8)° illustrate the distorted octahedral coordination geometry of the RuII cation. Two neighboring molecules are weakly associated through mutual intermolecular hydrogen bonding involving the O atom and one of the methyl groups of the dmso ligand. One of the chloride ligands is also weakly hydrogen bonded to a pyridyl H atom of another molecule.

CCDC 989954: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Elliott B. Hulley , Kevin D. Welch , Aaron M. Appel , Daniel L. DuBois , and R. Morris Bullock|2013|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|135|11736|doi:10.1021/ja405755j