Raphael Horvath

Applying green chemistry to the photochemical route to artemisinin

Artemisinin is an important antimalarial drug, but, at present, the environmental and economic costs of its semi-synthetic production are relatively high. Most of these costs lie in the final chemical steps, which follow a complex acid- and photo-catalysed route with oxygenation by both singlet and triplet oxygen. We demonstrate that applying the principles of green chemistry can lead to innovative strategies that avoid many of the problems in current photochemical processes. The first strategy combines the use of liquid CO2 as solvent and a dual-function solid acid/photocatalyst. The second strategy is an ambient-temperature reaction in aqueous mixtures of organic solvents, where the only inputs are dihydroartemisinic acid, O2 and light, and the output is pure, crystalline artemisinin. Everything else-solvents, photocatalyst and aqueous acid-can be recycled. Some aspects developed here through green chemistry are likely to have wider application in photochemistry and other reactions.

Complete Family of Mono-, Bi-, and Trinuclear ReI(CO)3Cl Complexes of the Bridging Polypyridyl Ligand 2,3,8,9,14,15-Hexamethyl-5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinapthalene: Syn/Anti Isomer Separation, Characterization, and Photophysics

The syn and anti isomers of the bi- and trinuclear Re(CO)(3)Cl complexes of 2,3,8,9,14,15-hexamethyl-5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinapthalene (HATN-Me(6)) are reported. The isomers are characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The formation of the binuclear complex from the reaction of HATN-Me(6) with 2 equiv of Re(CO)(5)Cl in chloroform results in a 1:1 ratio of the syn and anti isomers. However, synthesis of the trinuclear complex from the reaction of HATN-Me(6) with 3 equiv of Re(CO)(5)Cl in chloroform produces only the anti isomer. syn-{(Re(CO)(3)Cl)(3)(μ-HATN-Me(6))} can be synthesized by reacting 1 equiv of Re(CO)(5)Cl with syn-{(Re(CO)(3)Cl)(2)(μ-HATN-Me(6))} in refluxing toluene. The product is isolated by subsequent chromatography. The X-ray crystal structures of syn-{(Re(CO)(3)Cl)(2)(μ-HATN-Me(6))} and anti-{(Re(CO)(3)Cl)(3)(μ-HATN-Me(6))} are presented both showing severe distortions of the HATN ligand unit and intermolecular π stacking. The complexes show intense absorptions in the visible region, comprising strong π → π* and metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) transitions, which are modeled using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The energy of the MLCT absorption decreases from mono- to bi- to trinuclear complexes. The first reduction potentials of the complexes become more positive upon binding of subsequent Re(CO)(3)Cl fragments, consistent with changes in the energy of the MLCT bands and lowering of the energy of relevant lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, and this is supported by TD-DFT. The nature of the excited states of all of the complexes is also studied using both resonance Raman and picosecond time-resolved IR spectroscopy, where it is shown that MLCT excitation results in the oxidation of one rhenium center. The patterns of the shifts in the carbonyl bands upon excitation reveal that the MLCT state is localized on one rhenium center on the IR time scale.

Remote-controlled experiments with cloud chemistry

Developing cleaner chemical processes often involves sophisticated flow-chemistry equipment that is not available in many economically developing countries. For reactions where it is the data that are important rather than the physical product, the networking of chemists across the internet to allow remote experimentation offers a viable solution to this problem.

Excited-state spectroscopic investigations of multinuclear complexes based on [Ru(bpy)3]2+ moieties connected to 2,2′-bipyridine and 2,2′;6′,2′′-terpyridine ligands

A number of multinuclear assemblies based on [Ru(bpy)3](2+) photosensitive moieties covalently linked to Fe(II), Co(II) or Zn(II) polypyridyl complexes are investigated regarding their initial and thermally equilibrated excited states. Ground state absorption and vibrational spectroscopic techniques are carried out, along with resonance Raman, transient absorption, and time resolved resonance Raman measurements. These methods are also supplemented by computational modelling. In all systems, the results clearly show that under visible irradiation, the substituted bpy linker ligand is involved in the initial (1)MLCT excitation of the Ru(II) subunit. For the Ru(II)/Fe(II) linked assemblies, absorption due to [Ru(bpy)3](2+) and [Fe(tpy)2](2+) subunits are identified to give rise to differing resonance Raman spectra. Transient absorption spectra of complexes containing two [Ru(bpy)3](2+) and one [Fe(tpy)2](2+) subunits show a strong depletion for the [Fe(tpy)2](2+) absorption peaks, which decay on a much faster timescale than the remainder of the transient features. This is consistent with a single excitation of the multimetallic assembly, followed by fast depletion (<10 ns) of the spectral signal from the bpy ligand bound to the Fe subunit. The results are supported by time resolved resonance Raman measurements where a number of features assigned to the linker are found at early time-scales. Using transient absorption this process can be followed for most complexes.

Photocatalytic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids using continuous flow reactors

The photocatalytic oxidation of mono- and di-substituted arylboronic acids to phenols has been investigated using a continuous flow photoreactor fitted with white LEDs. An EtOH–H2O solvent system accelerated conversion at 2 MPa; whereas reactions at atmospheric pressure allowed for moderately efficient desymmetrisation.

Photoaquation Mechanism of Hexacyanoferrate(II) ions: Ultrafast 2D UV and Transient Visible and IR Spectroscopies.

Ferrous iron(II) hexacyanide in aqueous solutions is known to undergo photoionization and photoaquation reactions depending on the excitation wavelength. To investigate this wavelength dependence, we implemented ultrafast two-dimensional UV transient absorption spectroscopy, covering a range from 280 to 370 nm in both excitation and probing, along with UV pump/visible probe or time-resolved infrared (TRIR) transient absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As far as photoaquation is concerned, we find that excitation of the molecule leads to ultrafast intramolecular relaxation to the lowest triplet state of the [Fe(CN)6]4- complex, followed by its dissociation into CN- and [Fe(CN)5]3- fragments and partial geminate recombination, all within <0.5 ps. The subsequent time evolution is associated with the [Fe(CN)5]3- fragment going from a triplet square pyramidal geometry, to the lowest triplet trigonal bipyramidal state in 3-4 ps. This is the precursor to aquation, which occurs in ∼20 ps in H2O and D2O solutions, forming the [Fe(CN)5(H2O/D2O)]3- species, although some aquation also occurs during the 3-4 ps time scale. The aquated complex is observed to be stable up to the microsecond time scale. For excitation below 310 nm, the dominant channel is photooxidation with a minor aquation channel. The photoaquation reaction shows no excitation wavelength dependence up to 310 nm, that is, it reflects a Kasha Rule behavior. In contrast, the photooxidation yield increases with decreasing excitation wavelength. The various intermediates that appear in the TRIR experiments are identified with the help of DFT calculations. These results provide a clear example of the energy dependence of various reactive pathways and of the role of spin-states in the reactivity of metal complexes.

Dual charge-transfer in rhenium(I) thioether substituted hexaazanaphthalene complexes.

The ligand 2,3,8,9,14,15-hexa(octyl-thioether)-5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinaphthalene (HATN-(SOct)6) and its mono-, bi-, and trinuclear Re(CO)3Cl complexes are reported. These are characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and electrochemistry, and show broad, intense absorption across the visible wavelength region. Using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations and resonance Raman spectroscopy these absorption bands are shown to be π → π*, MLCT, ILCT(sulfur → HATN), or mixed MLCT/ILCT in nature. Time-resolved infrared spectroscopy is used to probe structural changes and dynamics on short time scales and supports the assignment of a mixed MLCT/ILCT state in which both sulfur groups and one metal center act as electron donors to the HATN core.

Long-Lived Charge Transfer Excited States in HBC-Polypyridyl Complex Hybrids

The synthesis of two bipyridine-hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (bpy-HBC) ligands functionalized with either (t)Bu or C12H25 and their Re(I) tricarbonyl chloride complexes are reported and their electronic properties investigated using spectroscopic and computational methods. The metal complexes show unusual properties, and we observed the formation of a long-lived excited state using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. Depending on the solvent, this appears to be of the form Rebpy(•-)HBC(•+) or a bpy-centered π,π* state. TD-DFT calculations support the donor-acceptor charge transfer character of these systems, in which HBC is the donor and bpy is the acceptor. The ground state optical properties are dominated by the HBC chromophore with additional distinct transitions of the complexes, one associated with MLCT 450 nm (ε > 17 000 L mol(-1) cm(-1)) and another with a HBC/metal to bpy charge transfer, termed the MLLCT band (373 nm, ε = 66 000 L mol(-1) cm(-1)). These assignments are also supported by resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Dramatic Alteration of 3ILCT Lifetimes Using Ancillary Ligands in [Re(L)(CO)3(phen-TPA)]n+ Complexes: An Integrated Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study

The ground and excited state photophysical properties of a series of fac-[Re(L)(CO)3(α-diimine)] n+ complexes, where L = Br-, Cl-, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (dmap) and pyridine (py) have been extensively studied utilizing numerous electronic and vibrational spectroscopic techniques in conjunction with a suite of quantum chemical methods. The α-diimine ligand consists of 1,10-phenanthroline with the highly electron donating triphenylamine (TPA) appended in the 5 position. This gives rise to intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) states lying lower in energy than the conventional metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state, the energies of which are red and blue-shifted, respectively, as the ancillary ligand, L becomes more electron withdrawing. The emitting state is 3ILCT in nature for all complexes studied, characterized through transient absorption and emission, transient resonance Raman (TR2), time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy and TDDFT calculations. Systematic modulation of the ancillary ligand causes unanticipated variation in the 3ILCT lifetime by 2 orders of magnitude, ranging from 6.0 μs for L = Br- to 27 ns for L = py, without altering the nature of the excited state formed or the relative order of the other CT states present. Temperature dependent lifetime measurements and quantum chemical calculations provide no clear indication of close lying deactivating states, MO switching, contributions from a halide-to-ligand charge transfer (XLCT) state or dramatic changes in spin-orbit coupling. It appears that the influence of the ancillary ligand on the excited state lifetime could be explained in terms of energy gap law, in which there is a correlation between ln( knr) and Eem with a slope of -21.4 eV-1 for the 3ILCT emission.

Photochemistry of framework-supported M(diimine)(CO)3X complexes in three-dimensional lithium carboxylate metal–organic frameworks: monitoring the effect of framework cations

The structures and photochemical behaviour of two new metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are reported. Reaction of Re(2,2′-bipy-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid)(CO)3Cl or Mn(2,2′-bipy-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid)(CO)3Br with LiCl or LiBr, respectively, produces single crystals of {Li2(DMF)2 [(2,2′-bipy-5,5′-dicarboxylate)Re(CO)3Cl]}n (ReLi) or {Li2(DMF)2[(2,2′-bipy-5,5′-dicarboxylate)Mn(CO)3Br]}n (MnLi). The structures formed by the two MOFs comprise one-dimensional chains of carboxylate-bridged Li(I) cations that are cross-linked by units of Re(2,2′-bipy-5,5′-dicarboxylate)(CO)3Cl (ReLi) or Mn(2,2′-bipy-5,5′- dicarboxylate)(CO)3Br (MnLi). The photophysical and photochemical behaviour of both ReLi and MnLi are probed. The rhenium-containing MOF, ReLi, exhibits luminescence and the excited state behaviour, as established by time-resolved infrared measurements, is closer in behaviour to that of unsubstituted [Re(bipy)(CO)3Cl] rather than a related MOF where the Li(I) cations are replaced by Mn(II) cations. These observations are further supported by density functional theory calculations. Upon excitation MnLi forms a dicarbonyl species which rapidly recombines with the dissociated CO, in a fashion consistent with the majority of the photoejected CO not escaping the MOF channels. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks: materials by design’.