Maria Besora

A combined theoretical and experimental study on the role of spin states in the chemistry of Fe(CO)5 photoproducts.

A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented of several ligand addition reactions of the triplet fragments (3)Fe(CO)(4) and (3)Fe(CO)(3) formed upon photolysis of Fe(CO)(5). Experimental data are provided for reactions in liquid n-heptane and in supercritical Xe (scXe) and Ar (scAr). Measurement of the temperature dependence of the rate of decay of (3)Fe(CO)(4) to produce (1)Fe(CO)(4)L (L = heptane or Xe) shows that these reactions have significant activation energies of 5.2 (+/-0.2) and 7.1 (+/-0.5) kcal mol(-1) respectively. Nonadiabatic transition state theory is used to predict rate constants for ligand addition, based on density functional theory calculations of singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces. On the basis of these results a new mechanism (spin-crossover followed by ligand addition) is proposed for these spin forbidden reactions that gives good agreement with the new experimental results as well as with earlier gas-phase measurements of some addition rate constants. The theoretical work accounts for the different reaction order observed in the gas phase and in some condensed phase experiments. The reaction of (3)Fe(CO)(4) with H(2) cannot be easily probed in n-heptane since conversion to (1)Fe(CO)(4)(heptane) dominates. scAr doped with H(2) provides a unique environment to monitor this reaction--Ar cannot be added to form (1)Fe(CO)(4)Ar, and H(2) addition is observed instead. Again theory accounts for the reactivity and also explains the difference between the very small activation energy measured for H(2) addition in the gas phase (Wang, W. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 8654) and the larger values obtained here for heptane and Xe addition in solution.

Protonation of transition-metal hydrides: a not so simple process

The protonation of a transition-metal hydride is a formally simple process between a proton donor and a proton acceptor with several potential basic centres. The detailed mechanism is however quite subtle, with multistep reactions and involvement of different intermediates. The process is furthermore very sensitive to the nature of both the proton donor and the transition-metal complex, as well as to the solvent and to the presence and identity of eventual counteranions. This tutorial review summarizes the recent progress in the understanding of the reaction, obtained through the joint application of a number of computational and experimental techniques.

Gold(I) Carbenes by Retro-Buchner Reaction: Generation and Fate

The fate of the aryl gold(I) carbenes generated by retro-Buchner reaction of ortho-substituted 7-aryl-1,3,5-cycloheptatrienes is dependent on the constitution of the ortho substituent. Indenes and fluorenes are obtained by intramolecular reaction of highly electrophilic gold(I) carbenes with alkenes and arenes. According to density functional theory calculations, the gold-catalyzed retro-Buchner process occurs stepwise, although the two carbon–carbon cleavages occur on a rather flat potential energy surface.

Competitive and Selective Csp3Br versus Csp2Br Bond Activation in Palladium‐Catalysed Suzuki Cross‐Coupling: An Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Role of Phosphine Ligands

Phosphine ligands have been demonstrated to have an effect on reactivity and selectivity in the competitive intramolecular palladium-catalysed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of dibromo sulfoxide 1a possessing two different hybridised electrophilic carbons. It was found that the bromine bond to the sp(3)-hybridised carbon is selectively replaced in the presence of unhindered phosphines such as PPh(3) or xantphos. The use of hindered phosphine ligands such as P(o-tol)(3) and P(1-naphthyl)(3) reversed the selectivity, conducting the cross-coupling at the Csp(2)-Br. Identical trends were observed in external competition experiments carried out with bromomethyl sulfoxide and different substituted bromoarenes. DFT and DFT/MM calculations showed that the selectivity observed is mainly due to the different facility of the ligands to dissociate. Bisphosphine catalysts favour coupling at the sp(3) carbon, whereas monophosphine catalysts prefer the sp(2) carbon.

Oxidative Additions of Aryl Halides to Palladium Proceed through the Monoligated Complex

Palladium(0) complexes facilitate many catalytic transformations that begin with the oxidative addition of a halobenzene. The ligation state of the palladium during this reaction is a vexing issue, owing to the inherent difficulty of isolating reactive, coordinatively unsaturated metal complexes. By isolating them in the gas phase in an ion‐trap mass spectrometer, the reactivity of mono‐ and bisligated palladium complexes can be directly compared, and the former proved to be several orders of magnitude more reactive towards halobenzenes. Calculations of barrier heights for the oxidative addition led to additional experiments, which demonstrated that although the reaction proceeded to completion for iodobenzene, the reaction was slower for bromobenzene and progressed only as far as an ion–molecule adduct for chloro‐ and fluorobenzene.

Coordination Modes and Hydride Exchange Dynamics in Transition Metal Tetrahydroborate Complexes

This contribution reviews the structural and dynamical properties of mononuclear transition metal complexes with tetrahydroborate ligands. Three different coordination modes involving one (η1), two (η2) or three (η3) bridging hydrogen atoms are possible for the BH4 – ligand. A structural classification of the X-ray characterised complexes is presented. The metal-boron distances and the vibrational frequencies of the coordinated borohydrides, which are the key experimental data usually used to determine the hapticity of tetrahydroborate binding, have been surveyed and trends along the Periodic Table established. Electronic factors governing the coordination mode have been rationalized by means of simple orbital arguments supported by quantitative calculations. In solution, most of the transition metal tetrahydroborate complexes show fluxional behaviour, displaying a single resonance for the four B–H hydrogens in the 1H NMR spectrum at ambient temperature. This fast intramolecular exchange between bridging and terminal hydrogens has been analysed. Experimental and computational data for these processes have been collected and the exchange mechanisms are discussed. In summary, several examples illustrating the perspectives on the field are presented.

Effect of the nature of the metal atom on hydrogen bonding and proton transfer to [Cp*MH3(dppe)]: tungsten versus molybdenum.

The hydrogen-bonding and proton-transfer pathway to complex [Cp*W(dppe)H(3)] (Cp*=eta(5)-C(5)Me(5); dppe=Ph(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PPh(2)) was investigated experimentally by IR, NMR, UV/Vis spectroscopy in the presence of fluorinated alcohols, p-nitrophenol, and HBF(4), and by using DFT calculations for the [CpW(dhpe)H(3)] model (Cp=eta(5)-C(5)H(5); dhpe=H(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PH(2)) and for the real system. A study of the interaction with weak acids (CH(2)FCH(2)OH, CF(3)CH(2)OH, (CF(3))(2)CHOH) allowed the determination of the basicity factor, E(j)=1.73+/-0.01, making this compound the most basic hydride complex reported to date. A computational investigation revealed several minima for the [CpW(dhpe)H(3)] adducts with CF(3)CH(2)OH, (CF(3))(2)CHOH, and 2(CF(3))(2)CHOH and confirms that these interactions are stronger than those established by the Mo analogue. Their geometries and relative energies are closely related to those of the homologous Mo systems, with the most stable adducts corresponding to H bonding with M-H sites, however, the geometric and electronic parameters reveal that the metal center plays a greater role in the tungsten systems. Proton-transfer equilibria are observed with the weaker proton donors, the proton-transfer step for the system [Cp*W(dppe)H(3)]/HOCH(CF(3))(2) in toluene having DeltaH=(-3.9+/-0.3) kcal mol(-1) and DeltaS=(-17+/-2) cal mol(-1) K(-1). The thermodynamic stability of the proton-transfer product is greater for W than for Mo. Contrary to the Mo system, the protonation of the [Cp*W(dppe)H(3)] appears to involve a direct proton transfer to the metal center without a nonclassical intermediate, although assistance is provided by a hydride ligand in the transition state.

Reaction of Alkynes and Azides: Not Triazoles Through Copper–Acetylides but Oxazoles Through Copper–Nitrene Intermediates

Well-defined copper(I) complexes of composition [Tpm*(,Br) Cu(NCMe)]BF4 (Tpm*(,Br) =tris(3,5-dimethyl-4-bromo-pyrazolyl)methane) or [Tpa(*) Cu]PF6 (Tpa(*) =tris(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazolylmethyl)amine) catalyze the formation of 2,5-disubstituted oxazoles from carbonyl azides and terminal alkynes in a direct manner. This process represents a novel procedure for the synthesis of this valuable heterocycle from readily available starting materials, leading exclusively to the 2,5-isomer, attesting to a completely regioselective transformation. Experimental evidence and computational studies have allowed the proposal of a reaction mechanism based on the initial formation of a copper-acyl nitrene species, in contrast to the well-known mechanism for the copper-catalyzed alkyne and azide cycloaddition reactions (CuAAC) that is triggered by the formation of a copper-acetylide complex.

Some critical issues in the application of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods to the study of transition metal complexes

The application of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods in transition metal chemistry is growing steadily. It becomes therefore appropriate to assess the importance of a number of technical issues associated to their implementation. This work presents the discussion of several of these issues, including the eventual need for conformational searches, the choice of the MM force field and the possibility of its tuning. The examples presented here prove that a proper handling of these technical aspects can lead to an improvement in the efficiency and quality of QM/MM calculations.

Computational Characterization of the Origin of Selectivity in Cycloaddition Reactions Catalyzed by Phosphoric Acid Derivatives

The mechanism of the organocatalyzed [4+2] cycloaddition of ο-hydroxybenzaldimines to 2,3-dihydro-2 H-furan (DHF) to form furanobenzopyrans has been investigated by using computational methods. Experiments have shown that this reaction produces different products (trans-fused or cis-fused) if different phosphoric acid derivatives are applied. Our study shows the reaction proceeds through a mechanism in which the imine re-arranges into an amine, which subsequently reacts with DHF with mediation from the catalyst. The rate-limiting step in this process is the formation of two new bonds, which is also the key step in determining the reaction selectivity. The selectivity is controlled by a balance of noncovalent interactions between the catalyst and the substrates. The discriminating factor between the two catalysts is the presence of a triflyl substituent on one of catalysts, which constraints the relative orientations of the substrates.