Yasuhiro Ohki

Cooperative Catalytic Activation of Si―H Bonds by a Polar Ru―S Bond: Regioselective Low-Temperature C—H Silylation of Indoles under Neutral Conditions by a Friedel—Crafts Mechanism

Merging cooperative Si-H bond activation and electrophilic aromatic substitution paves the way for C-3-selective indole C-H functionalization under electronic and not conventional steric control. The Si-H bond is heterolytically split by the Ru-S bond of a coordinatively unsaturated cationic ruthenium(II) complex, forming a sulfur-stabilized silicon electrophile. The Wheland intermediate of the subsequent Friedel-Crafts-type process is assumed to be deprotonated by the sulfur atom, no added base required. The overall catalysis proceeds without solvent at low temperature, only liberating dihydrogen.

Catalytic Generation of Borenium Ions by Cooperative B–H Bond Activation: The Elusive Direct Electrophilic Borylation of Nitrogen Heterocycles with Pinacolborane

The B-H bond of typical boranes is heterolytically split by the polar Ru-S bond of a tethered ruthenium(II) thiolate complex, affording a ruthenium(II) hydride and borenium ions with a dative interaction with the sulfur atom. These stable adducts were spectroscopically characterized, and in one case, the B-H bond activation step was crystallographically verified, a snapshot of the σ-bond metathesis. The borenium ions derived from 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane dimer [(9-BBN)2], pinacolborane (pinBH), and catecholborane (catBH) allowed for electrophilic aromatic substitution of indoles. The unprecedented electrophilic borylation with the pinB cation was further elaborated for various nitrogen heterocycles.

Reversible Heterolysis of H2 Mediated by an M−S(Thiolate) Bond (M = Ir, Rh): A Mechanistic Implication for [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Facile H2 heterolysis was found to be mediated by coordinatively unsaturated Cp*Ir and Cp*Rh thiolate complexes. The reaction of iridium complex is reversible, and the formation of an intermediary Ir-H/thiol complex was detected. The reversible conversion between thiolate complex+H2 and hydride complex+thiol provides an intriguing functional model of [NiFe] hydrogenase.

Base-Free Dehydrogenative Coupling of Enolizable Carbonyl Compounds with Silanes

A dehydrogenative coupling between enolizable carbonyl compounds and equimolar amounts of triorganosilanes catalyzed by a tethered ruthenium complex with a Ru-S bond is reported. The complex is assumed to fulfill a dual role by activating the Si-H bond to release a silicon electrophile and by abstracting an α-proton from the intermediate silylcarboxonium ion, only liberating dihydrogen as the sole byproduct. Reaction rates are exceedingly high at room temperature with very low loadings of the ruthenium catalyst.

Thiolate-bridged dinuclear iron(tris-carbonyl)–nickel complexes relevant to the active site of [NiFe] hydrogenase

The reaction of NiBr2(EtOH)4 with a 1:2–3 mixture of FeBr2(CO)4 and Na(SPh) generated a linear trinuclear Fe–Ni–Fe cluster (CO)3Fe(μ-SPh)3Ni(μ-SPh)3Fe(CO)3, 1, whereas the analogous reaction system FeBr2(CO)4/Na(StBu)/NiBr2(EtOH)4 (1:2–3:1) gave rise to a linear tetranuclear Fe–Ni–Ni–Fe cluster [(CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni(μ-Br)]2, 2. By using this tetranuclear cluster 2 as the precursor, we have developed a new synthetic route to a series of thiolate-bridged dinuclear Fe(CO)3–Ni complexes, the structures of which mimic [NiFe] hydrogenase active sites. The reactions of 2 with SC(NMe2)2 (tmtu), Na{S(CH2)2SMe} and ortho-NaS(C6H4)SR (R = Me, tBu) led to isolation of (CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3NiBr(tmtu), 3, (CO)3Fe(StBu)(μ-StBu)2Ni{S(CH2)2SMe}, 4, and (CO)3Fe(StBu)(μ-StBu)2Ni{S(C6H4)SR}, 5a (R = Me) and 5b (R = tBu), respectively. On the other hand, treatment of 2 with 2-methylthio-phenolate (ortho-O(C6H4)SMe) in methanol resulted in (CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni(MeOH){O(C6H4)SMe}, 6a. The methanol molecule bound to Ni is labile and is readily released under reduced pressure to afford (CO)3Fe(StBu)(μ-StBu)2Ni{O(C6H4)SMe}, 6b, and the coordination geometry of nickel changes from octahedral to square planar. Likewise, the reaction of 2 with NaOAc in methanol followed by crystallization from THF gave (CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni(THF)(OAc), 7. The dinuclear complexes, 3-7, are thermally unstable, and a key to their successful isolation is to carry out the reactions and manipulations at −40°C.

Synthesis, structures, and electronic properties of [8Fe-7S] cluster complexes modeling the nitrogenase P-cluster.

High-yield synthesis of the iron-sulfur cluster [{N(SiMe(3))(2)}{SC(NMe(2))(2)}Fe(4)S(3)](2)(mu(6)-S) {mu-N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2) (1), which reproduces the [8Fe-7S] core structure of the nitrogenase P(N)-cluster, has been achieved via two pathways: (1) Fe{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2) + HSTip (Tip = 2,4,6-(i)Pr(3)C(6)H(2)) + tetramethylthiourea (SC(NMe(2))(2)) + elemental sulfur (S(8)); and (2) Fe(3){N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2)(mu-STip)(4) (2) + HSTip + SC(NMe(2))(2) + S(8). The thiourea and terminal amide ligands of 1 were found to be replaceable by thiolate ligands upon treatment with thiolate anions and thiols at -40 degrees C, respectively, and a series of [8Fe-7S] clusters bearing two to four thiolate ligands have been synthesized and their structures were determined by X-ray analysis. The structures of these model [8Fe-7S] clusters all closely resemble that of the reduced form of P-cluster (P(N)) having 8Fe(II) centers, while their 6Fe(II)-2Fe(III) oxidation states correspond to the oxidized form of P-cluster (P(OX)). The cyclic voltammograms of the [8Fe-7S] clusters reveal two quasi-reversible one-electron reduction processes, leading to the 8Fe(II) state that is the same as the P(N)-cluster, and the synthetic models demonstrate the redox behavior between the two major oxidation states of the native P-cluster. Replacement of the SC(NMe(2))(2) ligands in 1 with thiolate anions led to more negative reduction potentials, while a slight positive shift occurred upon replacement of the terminal amide ligands with thiolates. The clusters 1, (NEt(4))(2)[{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(SC(6)H(4)-4-Me)Fe(4)S(3)](2)(mu(6)-S){mu-N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2) (3a), and [(SBtp){SC(NMe(2))(2)}Fe(4)S(3)](2)(mu(6)-S){mu-N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2) (5; Btp = 2,6-(SiMe(3))(2)C(6)H(3)) are EPR silent at 4-100 K, and their temperature-dependent magnetic moments indicate a singlet ground state with antiferromagnetic couplings among the iron centers. The (57)Fe Mössbauer spectra of these clusters are consistent with the 6Fe(II)-2Fe(III) oxidation state, each exhibiting two doublets with an intensity ratio of ca. 1:3, which are assignable to Fe(III) and Fe(II), respectively. Comparison of the quadrupole splittings for 1, 3a, and 5 has led to the conclusion that two Fe(III) sites of the clusters are the peripheral iron atoms.

A dithiolate-bridged (CN)2(CO)Fe-Ni complex reproducing the IR bands of [NiFe] hydrogenase.

A dithiolate-bridged dinuclear Fe-Ni complex, which has the desired fac-(CN)(2)(CO) ligand set at iron, has been synthesized. Its CN/CO bands in the IR spectrum reproduce those of the Ni-A, Ni-B, and Ni-SU states, which indicate that these octahedral Fe(II) centers have similar electronic properties. This result verifies the assignment of a (CN)(2)(CO)Fe(II) moiety in the active site of [NiFe] hydrogenase.

A model for the CO-inhibited form of [NiFe] hydrogenase: synthesis of (CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni{SC6H3-2, 6-(mesityl)2} and reversible CO addition at the Ni site

A [NiFe] hydrogenase model compound having a distorted trigonal-pyramidal nickel center, (CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni(SDmp), 1 (Dmp = C6H3-2,6-(mesityl)2), was synthesized from the reaction of the tetranuclear Fe-Ni-Ni-Fe complex [(CO)3Fe(μ-StBu)3Ni]2(μ-Br)2, 2 with NaSDmp at -40 °C. The nickel site of complex 1 was found to add CO or CNtBu at -40 °C to give (CO)3Fe(StBu)(μ-StBu)2Ni(CO)(SDmp), 3, or (CO)3Fe(StBu)(μ-StBu)2Ni(CNtBu)(SDmp), 4, respectively. One of the CO bands of 3, appearing at 2055 cm-1 in the infrared spectrum, was assigned as the Ni-CO band, and this frequency is comparable to those observed for the CO-inhibited forms of [NiFe] hydrogenase. Like the CO-inhibited forms of [NiFe] hydrogenase, the coordination of CO at the nickel site of 1 is reversible, while the CNtBu adduct 4 is more robust.

Synthesis of Coordinatively Unsaturated Mesityliron Thiolate Complexes and Their Reactions with Elemental Sulfur

The reactions of Fe(2)Mes(4) (1; Mes = mesityl) with bulky thiols, namely, HSDmp (Dmp = 2,6-dimesitylphenyl), HSDxp (Dxp = 2,6-dixylylphenyl), and HSBtip [Btip = 2,6-(2,4,6-(i)Pr(3)C(6)H(2))(2)C(6)H(3)], provided a series of iron(II) mesityl complexes bearing bulky thiolate ligands. These iron complexes are the thiolate-bridged dinuclear complexes Fe(2)Mes(2)(mu-SAr)(mu-Mes) (2a, Ar = Dmp; 2b, Ar = Dxp), the 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) adducts (DME)Fe(SAr)(Mes) (3a, Ar = Dmp; 3b, Ar = Dxp), the mixed-valence Fe(I)-Fe(II) dinuclear complexes (Mes)Fe(mu-SAr)(mu-S Ar) Fe (4a, Ar = Dmp; 4b, Ar = Dxp), and a low-coordinate mononuclear complex (B tipS) Fe(Mes) (5). An [Fe(8)S(7)] cluster [Fe(4)S(3)(SDmp)](2)(mu-SDmp)(2)(mu-SMes)(mu(6)-S) (6), the core structure of which is topologically relevant to that of the FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase, was obtained from the reaction of 3a or 4a with S(8). The mu-SMes ligand in 6 is formed via insertion of a sulfur atom into the Fe-C(Mes) bond. The formation of cluster 6 from 3a or 4a demonstrates that organoiron complexes are applicable as precursors for iron-sulfur clusters.

A nitrogenase cluster model [Fe8S6O] with an oxygen unsymmetrically bridging two proto-Fe4S3 cubes: relevancy to the substrate binding mode of the FeMo cofactor.

An oxygen-encapsulated iron sulfido cluster, [(DmpS)Fe(4)S(3)O][(DmpS)Fe(4)S(3)](μ-SDmp)(2)(μ-OCPh(3)) (2; Dmp = 2,6-(mesityl)(2)C(6)H(3)), has been synthesized by the reaction of the preformed dinuclear iron thiolate/alkoxide [(Ph(3)CO)Fe](2)(μ-SDmp)(2) (1) with (1/8)S(8) and (1/4)H(2)O in toluene. In the [Fe(8)S(6)O] core, the oxygen atom bridges unsymmetrically two incomplete Fe(4)S(3) cubes, and two coordinatively unsaturated iron atoms are weakly bound to mesityl rings. Relevance of the cluster structure of 2 to the nitrogenase FeMo cofactor and its substrate binding mode is discussed.