N-heterocyclic carbene as a promising metal-free electrocatalyst with high efficiency for nitrogen reduction to ammonia

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)at ambient conditions holds great promise for sustainably synthesizing ammonia(NH3),while developing highly-efficient,long-term stable,and inexpensive catalysts to activate the inert N≡N bond is a key scientific issue.In this work,on the basis of the concept"N-heterocyclic carbenes(NHCs)",we propose a carbon decorated graphitic-carbon nitride(C/g-C3N4)as novel metal-free NRR electrocatalyst by means of density functional theory(DFT)computations.Our results reveal that the introduced C atom in g-C3N4 surface can be regarded as NHCs and catalytic sites for activating N≡N bond,and are stabilized by the g-C3N4 substrate due to sterically disfavored dimerization.Especially,this NHCs-based heterogeneous catalysis can efficiently reduce the activated N2 molecule to NH3 with a low overpotential of 0.05 V via an enzymatic mechanism.Our work is the first report of NHCs-based electrocatalyst for N2 fixation,thus opening an alternative avenue for advancing sustainable NH3 production.

N-Heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed enantioselective(dynamic) kinetic resolutions and desymmetrizations

N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed enantioselective kinetic resolutions,dynamic kinetic resolutions,and desymmetrization reactions are systematically reviewed.The content is organized according to the activation modes involved in these transformations.Future advances within this highly active research field are discussed from our perspectives on the topic.

Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes with Ammonia Borane Catalyzed by Copper N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes

Herein,we present a method for the homogeneous hydrogenation of nitroarenes to produce anilines using low catalyst loading(1 mo%)of copper N-heterocyclic carbene complexes as the catalyst and ammonia borane as the source of hydrogen.A wide range of nitroarenes,featuring diverse functional groups,were selectively transformed into their corresponding primary aromatic amines with high yields.This process can be readily scaled up and exhibits compatibility with various sensitive functional groups,including halogen,trifluoromethyl,aminomethyl,alkenyl,cyano,ester,amide,and hydroxyl.Notably,this catalytic methodology finds application in the synthesis of essential drug compounds.Mechanistic investigations suggest that the in-situ-generated Cu-H species may serve as active intermediates,with reduction pathways involving species such as azobenzene,1,2-diphenylhydrazine,nitrosobenzene,and N-phenylhydroxylamine.

Recent advances in the synthesis and application of N-heterocyclic carbene-based molecular cages

N-Heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-based cages have emerged as a prominent and dynamic research area within the research field of chemistry. Leveraging the distinctive electronic and steric properties of NHC ligands, the design, synthesis, and application of these corresponding cages have garnered substantial scholarly interest. In recent years, we have witnessed the successful fabrication of diverse NHC-based cages through a range of synthetic methodologies, which hold significant potential for applications in molecular recognition and catalysis. In this review, we delve into the foundational synthetic strategies that underlie the creation of NHC-based cages, employing approaches encompassing metal–NHC chelation, coordination assembly,and covalent bonding. Additionally, we compile the diverse applications of these cages within catalytic processes and molecular recognition. Lastly, we shed light on the current limitations of synthesis and outline future trends in the development of NHCbased cages.

Vanadium(V) Complexes Containing Unsymmetrical N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands: Highly Efficient Synthesis and Catalytic Behavior towards Ethylene/Propylene Copolymerization

The highly efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of NHC·VOCl_(3) containing symmetrical or unsymmetrical Nheterocyclic carbene(NHC) ligands by the transmetallation reaction of NHC·AgCl with VOCl_(3).The total isolated yield of VOCl_(3)[1,3-(2,4,6-Me_(3)C_(6)H_(2))_(2)(NCH=)_(2)C:](V4') reached 86% by transmetallation reaction,which is much higher than that(48%) by direct coordination method.This methodology has also been used to synthesize the novel vanadium complexes containing unsymmetrical NHC ligands of VOCl_(3)[PhCH_(2)NCH=CHNR)C:](V5',R=2,4,6-Me_(3)C_(6)H_(2);V6',R=2,4-Me_(2)-6-Ph-C_(6)H_(2);V7',R=2,6-^(i)Pr_(2)-C_(6)H_(3)) with high yield,which could not be obtained by direct coordination method.The catalytic activity and copolymerization ability would be improved by introducing unsymmetrical NHC ligands due to their less steric bulky effect.The vanadium complex V5' containing unsymmetrical NHC ligand exhibits higher catalytic activity(3.7×10^(5)g_(copolymer)·mol^(-1) of V·h^(-1)) than that of V4' containing symmetrical NHC ligand.Moreover,the higher propylene incorporation ratio(45.6 mol%) in the copolymers of ethylene with propylene could be obtained by using V5' than that(39.9%) by using V4'.The results would provide a highly efficient strategy for the synthesis of early transition metal complexes containing versitile NHC ligands,affording the catalyst with both high catalytic activity and copolymerization ability for the synthesis of high performance polyolefin elastomers.

Enantioselective Alkylation of Aldehydes with Organoborons Enabled by Nickel/N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric alkylation of aldehydes represents a straightforward strategy for the synthesis of chiral secondary alcohols.However,efficient methods using organoborons as coupling reagents are rare.Herein,we report a highly enantioselective nickel-catalyzed alkylation reaction of aldehydes,using readily available alkylborons as nucleophiles.A wide variety of chiral secondary alcohols were prepared from commercially available aldehydes with high yields.The key to the excellent enantioselectivity and chemoselectivity was the employment of a bulky C2-symmetric chiral NHC ligand.This protocol features excellent enantiocontrol,mild conditions,and good functional group compatibility.

双核Pd-NHC配合物的合成及其催化Heck偶联反应

以1,4-二溴甲基苯和1,2,4-1H-三氮唑合成N-取代苄基三氮唑盐,通过PdCl3、N-取代苄基三氮唑盐与吡啶耦合,合成了一种新型苄基型双核Pd-NHC催化剂。产物通过IR、1HNMR、13CNMR和元素分析等进行了表征。综合考察了催化剂对Heck偶联反应的催化性能。结果表明,这种新型苄基型双核Pd-NHC催化剂对Heck偶联反应表现出较高的催化产率和选择性。最佳工艺条件为：物质的量分数0. 5%的Pd-NHC为催化剂,4 mL DMF为溶剂,3 mmol K3PO4碱性介质,温度控制在100℃,反应时间为4 h,催化产率可达89%,顺反异构选择性可控制在17∶1。

An Ultralong Low-Temperature Phosphorescent Pentagonal-Prismatic Organometallic Cylinder Featuring Pentaphenylpyrrole-N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

A pentagonal-prismatic cylinder[Ag5(L)2](PF6)5 obtained from the pentaphenylpyrrole-bridged pentaimidazolium salt H5-L(PF6)5 and AgI ions was determined by X-ray diffraction analyses.The target organometallic cylinder not only exhibited enhanced fluorescence emission in dilute solution at room temperature but also showed an improved phosphorescence ratio compared with the free precursor and maintained a long lifetime(1.39 s)in the solid state at 77 K.Furthermore,the experimental results and DFT calculations confirmed that the formation of the organometallic cylinder promoted intersystem crossing.Meanwhile,the frontier orbitals of[Ag5(L)2](PF6)5 showed the main contribution of building block PPP as the luminescence source of[Ag5(L)2](PF6)5 by a modest heavy-atom effect.These results provide a strategy for constructing enhanced phosphorescent emission and long lifetime organometallic supramolecular phosphorescent materials.

Stereoselective Ring-opening Polymerization of rac-Lactide by Bulky Chiral and Achiral N-heterocyclic Carbenes

Despite the extraordinary success has been achieved in metal catalyst-promoted stereoselective ring-opening polymerization（ROP） of rac-lactide（rac-LA）, well-controlled stereoselective rac-LA ROP by organic catalyst still remains a scientific challenge. Here we report our investigations into organocatalytic stereoselective ROP of rac-LA by utilizing novel bulky chiral and achiral N-heterocyclic carbenes（NHC）, 1,3-bis-（1′-naphthylethyl）imidazolin-2-ylidene. The effect of polymerization conditions（e.g. solvent, temperature, alcohol initiator） on ROP behavior by these bulky NHCs has been fully studied, leading to the formation of isotactic-rich stereoblock polylactide（Pi = 0.81） under optimized conditions with high activity（Conv. = 98% in 30 min） and narrow molecular weight dispersity（D = 1.05）.

A New Palladium Complex Containing the Mixture of Carbene and Phosphine Ligands: Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Spectral FT-IR, NMR and UV-Vis Researches

In this paper,a new Pd-based complex that contains A^-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)and triphenylphosphine(PPh?)ligands was synthesized.The c/5-(NHC)PdBr2(PPh3)complex has been prepared by the substitution of 3?chloropyridine ligand in(NHC)PdBr2(3-chloropyridine)complex with triphenylphosphine.This complex has been characterized by using 1^H NMR,^31P{^1H}NMR,^13C{^1H}NMR,FTIR,UV-Vis spectroscopy and elemental analysis techniques.The molecular and crystal structures of the cz5-(NHC)PdBr2(PPh3)complex were determined by singlecrystal X-ray diffraction method.

N-Heterocyclic Carbenes Catalyzed Phospho-Aldol Reaction of Aldehydes

An efficient phospho-aldol reaction of aldehydes catalyzed by N-heterocyclic carbenes （NHCs） has been developed. With 10 mol% stable NHC 1,3-bis（2,6-diisopropylphenyl）imidazol-2-ylidene, various aldehydes reacted with dialkylphosphites smoothly to provide a-hydroxy phosphonates in 59%--99% yield. In this process, NHC was assumed to function as a carbon-centered bronsted base.

Axially Chiral C2-Symmetric N-Heterocyclic Carbene （NHC） Palladium Complex-Catalyzed Asymmetric Fluorination and Amination of Oxindoles

Chiral C2-symmetric N-heterocyclic carbene （NHC） palladium diaquo complex 5b prepared from （S）-BINAM was found to be a fairly effective catalyst for the enantioselective asymmetric fluorination of oxindoles to give the corresponding products in moderate enantioselectivities along with good to excellent yields.

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water at low overpotentials with cobalt complexes supported by redox-active bipyridyl-NHC donors

Three cobalt complexes bearing tunable,redox-active bipyridyl N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-based ligands have been studied for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution from aqueous solutions.The effect of structural modifications to the ligand framework is investigated across the catalyst series,which includes a non-macrocyclic derivative(1-Co)and 16-(2-Co)and 15-(3-Co)membered macrocycles.A structure-activity relationship is demonstrated,in which the macrocyclic complexes have greater activity compared to their non-macrocyclic counterpart with the most rigid catalyst,supported by the 15-membered macrocycle,performing best overall.Indeed,3-Co catalyzes H2 evolution from aqueous pH 4 acetate buffer with a Faradaic efficiency of 97%at a low overpotential of 330 mV.Mechanistic studies are consistent with formation of a cobalt-hydride species that is subsequently protonated to evolve H2 via a heterolytic pathway.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of an Indenylnickel(II) NHC Complex (Ind)NiBr(1,3-bisbenzylimidazol-2-ylidene)

The complex （Ind）NiBr（1,3-bisbenzylimidazol-2-ylidene） （Ind = indenyl） 1 has been prepared in ca. 65% yield via the reaction of （Ind）2Ni with an equivalent of 1,3-bis-benzylimidazolium bromide in THF/CH2Cl2 at 45℃, supported by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystal determination. The crystal belongs to the triclinic system, space group Pi with a = 7.072（1）, b = 11.264（2）, c = 14.541（3）°A, α = 102.21（3）,β = 93.44（3）,γ = 90.81（3）°, V = 1129.7（4）°A^3, Z = 2, Mr = 502.08, Dc = 1.476 g/cm^3, F（000） = 512, μ= 2.642 mm^-1, R = 0.0490 and wR = 0.1137 for 3913 observed reflections （I〉 2σ（I））. The center nickel atom is coordinated by a bromide ligand, a carbene carbon and three carbon atoms of the five-membered indenyl group to form either a highly distorted square pyramid or a highly distorted square plane.

[(NHC)CrCl(μ-Cl)(THF)]_2 and(NHC)_2CrCl_2(NHC=1,3-Diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazole-2-ylidene):Syntheses,Structures,and Polymerization Activities

The preparation of divalent chromium N-heterocyclic carbene（NHC,1,3-diisopropyl4,5-dimethylimidazole-2-ylidene） compounds is reported.The reaction of 1：1 molar ratio of NHC with CrCl2 led to an isolation of [（NHC）CrCl（μ-Cl）（THF）]2（1）,while that of 2：1 ratio resulted in the formation of（NHC）2CrCl2（2）.1 can be considered as an intermediate in the formation of 2 and further converted into 2 by the addition of another equiv.of NHC.The reaction of 2 with CpNa afforded an ion pair compound [（NHC）2CrCp]＋[Cp]-（3）,indicating a strong coordination ability of NHC supplanting one of the ionic Cr-Cp bonding.In combination of methylalumoxane（MAO） as cocatalyst 1 and 2 both are active for catalyzing ethylene polymerization.

NHC-CO_(2)两性离子催化CO_(2)参与有机反应进展

介绍由N-杂环卡宾(NHCs)与CO_(2)亲核加成得到的两性离子在CO_(2)转化方面的应用,并讨论这些内盐的合成途径和稳定性.总结NHC-CO_(2)两性离子在催化CO_(2)转化为有机物领域中已报道的反应(包括羧酸或羧酸盐、环状碳酸酯化合物、α-亚烷基环状碳酸酯、恶唑烷酮、α-亚烷基恶唑烷酮的合成、CO_(2)还原生成CO、喹唑啉-2,4(1 H,3H)-二酮和羧酸酯的合成等),并概述各类反应的特点(包括底物的适用范围和相应的反应机理),更新了大多数反应在原文中的机理图,且针对个别反应机理提出了新的观点.

N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed arene formation reactions

N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed reactions for the formation of aromatic compounds are reviewed.The reactions are subdivided into 4 types based on their activation modes.A brief summary on the achievements and the challenges remaining in Nheterocyclic carbene(NHC)-catalyzed arene construction processes is provided at the end of this review.An outlook into the future research direction within this field is also given based on our own opinion and knowledge on the trends of the development of NHC organocatalysis.

Recent advances in N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed radical reactions

The N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-catalyzed reactions involving two-electron reaction pathway have been well-established.However,the development of NHC-catalyzed radical reactions is still in its infancy in terms of reaction types and enantioselectivity.In the past decade,several elegant NHC-catalyzed radical reactions have been developed,including NHC-catalyzed oxidation of aldehydes to esters,reductive coupling reactions using Breslow intermediate as SET reductant and NHC-catalyzed reactions via radical homoenolates,dienoaltes and trienolates.This review summarizes the recent advances in NHC-catalyzed reactions involving radical intermediates.

N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed radical reactions

While N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)catalyzed electron-pair-transfer processes have been developed into an important tool for synthetically important bond formations during the past decades,the corresponding radical reactions via NHC catalysis have only received growing attention in the past six years.Taking into account the advantages NHC-catalyzed radical reactions might bring,such as creating new activation modes that were previously unobtainable,it is worthwhile to provide a conceptual understanding of this emerging area.Therefore,herein we give an overview of NHC-catalyzed radical reactions via different synthetic techniques.

Synthesis of a Dichlorosilaimine Coordinated by an N-Heterocyclic Carbene from ArN（SiMe3）SiHCl2

NHC-stabilized dichlorosilaimine ArN=Si（IiPr）Cl2 （2） （Ar=2,6-iPr2C6H3, IiPr=1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimeth- ylimidazol-2-ylidene） and disilane LSiHCl-SiCl2L （L=ArNSiMe3） （3） could be synthesized from the reaction of aminodichlorosilane ArN（SiMe3）SiHCl2 （1） with IiPr under different conditions. This represents the first route to the generation of donor-stabilized dichlorosilaimine from substituted chlorosilane in the presence of an NHC via dehydrosilylation.