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.

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.

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.

Controlling the solid-state luminescence of gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes through changes in the structure of molecular aggregates

Thermally stable, solid-state luminescent organic materials are highly desired for the development of practical applications.Herein we synthesized new gold(I) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, which have the ability to form strong metalorganic bond. Consequently, their thermochemical stability is enhanced at temperatures around 300 °C. Precise design of the molecular structure of the ligands, with a focus on ensuring low steric hindrance around Au atoms in order to limit disturbances to Au/Au interactions, provided a complex with a densely packed crystal with a shorter intermolecular Au–Au distance(3.17 ?)than the typical distance. In the solid state, this complex exhibited strong aurophilic interactions, which generated intense phosphorescence even in air at room temperature(quantum yield=16%) in spite of absence of any phosphorescence in solution.This behavior is characteristic for solid-state luminescence referred to as aggregation-controlled emission. Furthermore, the gold(I) complex displays capacity for mechano-and vapo-chromism—that is, the ability to change color reversibly in response to the application of external stimuli. We believe that the proposed design framework, which involves controlling thermal stability and luminescence property separately, provides a new opportunity for the development of practical applications using solid-state luminescent organic molecules.

Synthesis and Characterization of Dinuclear Rare Earth Complexes Bearing N-heterocyclic Olefin Moieties

The oxygen-bridged dinuclear rare earth complexes(Ln=Nd(1),Y(2))bearing N-heterocyclic olefin moieties were synthesized by treating the imidazolidinium salt[SIMes-H]Br with potassium amide and rare earth bis(trimethylsilyl)amides.Complex 1 was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and complex 2 was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy.Both complexes were characterized by elemental analysis.Crystal data of complex 1:C74H138O2N8Si8Nd2,Mr=1685.12,orthorhombic,space group Pbca,a=25.1105(7),b=11.9188(2),c=29.6151(7)?,V=8863.4(4)?^3,Z=4,Dc=1.263 g·cm^-3,μ=1.311 mm^-1,F(000)=3544,the final R=0.0418 and wR=0.0770 for all data.The ring-opening of tetrahydrofuran molecule was proven,the possible mechanism for the formation of N-heterocyclic olefin(NHO)-rare earth complexes was speculated and the electronic and steric properties of SIMes and rare earth amides were discussed.This work provides a better understanding of N-heterocyclic carbene rare earth chemistry.

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.

Intramolecular stacking interaction in mixed-ligand complexes containing ATP4-and aromatic N-heterocyclic ligands

The stability constants of the binary ML2+ and ternary M(ATP)L2? complexes, where L=Iq (isoquinoline) or BIm (benzimidazole) and M=Zn2+ or Cd2+, have been determined by potentiometric pH titration in aqueous solution at I=0.1 mol/L (NaClO4), T=25°C. The stability of the ternary complexes characterized by ΔlogKM=logKM(ATP)LM(ATP)L- logKMML corresponding to the equilibrium M(ATP)2? + ML2+ = M(ATP)L2? + M2+ in higher than what would be expected on statistical grounds. The increase may be related to the stacking interaction between the aromatic ring of the ligands L and the purine moiety of ATP4–. 1H NMR studies of Zn2+/ATP4?/L confirm the presence of stacking in the ternary complexes. It is concluded that the strength of the intramolecular stacking interaction ia dependent on the structure of the aromatic ring of the ligand L and the formation of a metal ion bridge. Possible implications an discussed briefly.

Highly active binuclear Cu(Ⅱ) catalyst bearing an unsymmetrical bipyridine-pyrazole-amine ligand for the azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction

Ligands containing NH groups often show special characteristics.In this paper,a well-defined dinuclear Cu（II） complex bearing an unsymmetrical bipyridine-pyrazole-amine ligand was synthesized by the condensation of N–H to release H2O.Using sodium L-ascorbate as a reductant,the binuclear complex showed excellent activity in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between alkynes and azides to obtain 1,4-disubstituted triazoles in 95%–99% isolated yields.

Visible-light-induced N-heterocyclic carbene mediated cascade transformation of N-alkenoxypyridinium salts

While N-alkenoxypyridinium salts are widely used for the synthesis ofα-functionalized ketones via umpolung strategy,such approaches are usually limited to special nucleophiles at high temperatures.Herein,we developed an alternative photoinduced N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-mediated functionalization of N-alkenoxypyridinium salts with various nucleophiles,including tetramethylammonium azide,secondary amines,aryl and alkyl thiols,and even the challenging C(sp^(3))-nucleophiles,under mild conditions.A cascade radical-radical coupling/nucleophilic substitution sequence was proposed,wherein the NHC enabled the formation of a photoactive electron donor-acceptor complex forα-iodo ketone synthesis.

Photoluminescent nickel(Ⅱ)carbene complexes with ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer excited states

While nickel(II)complexes have been widely used as catalysts for carbon-carbon coupling reactions,the exploration of their photophysical and photochemical properties is still in the infancy.Here,a series of square-planar Ni(II)complexes[(diNHC)NiX2]bearing chelating benzimidazole-based bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)ligands and varying anionic coligands(1,X=Cl;2,X=Br;3,X=I)are synthesized and structurally characterized.In solid state,both 1 and 2 exhibit orange-red photoluminescence under ambient conditions.The photophysical and electrochemical measurements along with density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the low-energy emissions can be attributed to singlet excited states with ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer(LLCT)character.This work suggests that strong-field N-heterocyclic carbene ligands play a crucial role to achieve the luminescence of Ni(II)complexes.

A Simple and Efficient Copper（Ⅱ） Complex as a Catalyst for N-Arylation of Imidazoles

Four inexpensive and air-/moisture-stable pyrrolecarbaldiminato-Cu complexes 1-4 were synthesized and evaluated to be a novel class of catalysts for the N-arylation of imidazoles with aryl halides. A variety of aryl iodides, bromides and activated aryl chlorides underwent the coupling with imidazoles, promoted by the catalyst 4, in moderate to good yields without the protection by an inert gas.

Synthesis, Spectral Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of New Pd (Ⅱ) Complexes Involving 5,6-Dimethylbenzimidazole

In this study,firstly,3-bromopropanenitrile(2a),ethyl bromoacetate(2b),and 2-bromoethan-1-amine(2c)were added to 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole(1)and symmetrically-connected N-heterocyclic carbenes(NHC)[(3a-3c)]were synthesized.Then,the NHC precursor compounds were reacted with PdCl2 and Pd(Ⅱ)-NHC complexes[(4a—4c)]were obtained.The synthesized NHC precursors(3a-3c)and Pd(Ⅱ)-NHC complexes(4a—4c)were characterized by different spectroscopic methods.The antibacterial activities of these products were measured against bacteria and fungus with the disc diffusion method.Pd(Ⅱ)-NHC complexes had higher antibacterial activity than the NHC precursors.The synthesized compounds showed antimicrobial activity with different properties from each other.In vitro biological activities of salts and metal complexes on selected bacteria were determined by the broth dilution method based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.1,3-Bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)imidazolinium bromide and 3-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-1-(3-aminopropyl)-^(1)H-imidazole-3-ium bromide had activity against Escherichia coli.

Mechanism of trifluoromethylation reactions with well-defined NHC copper trifluoromethyl complexes and iodobenzene:A computational exploration

Computational calculation was performed to investigate the mechanism of trifluoromethylation reactions of iodobenzene with well-defined N-heterocyclic carbene （NHC）-supported Cu~ trifiuor- omethyl complexes. Four proposed reaction pathways, namely cr-bond metathesis （BM）, concerted oxidative addition-reductive elimination （OARE）, iodine atom transfer （IAT） and single-electron transfer （SET）, have been computed by density functional theory （DFT）. The result indicated that the concerted OARE mechanism is favored among the four reaction pathways, suggesting the trifluoromethylation may occur via concerted OARE mechanism involving Ar-X oxidative addition to the Cu（1） center as the rate determining step.

NHC-gold(Ⅰ)-alkyne complexes induced hepatocellular carcinoma cell death through bioorthogonal activation by palladium complex in living system

Bioorthogonal reactions can take place in biological environments without interfering with biochemical processes.In this study,Pd(PPh_(3))_(2)Cl_(2)was used as a bioorthogonal catalyst to in situ transform the stable N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-gold(Ⅰ)-alkyne complex 5 to its active species which can effectively inhibit thioredoxin reductase(TrxR)and exhibit significant anticancer bioactivity in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).

Synthesis and Optical Properties of Polyaryl 2-(Pyridin-2-yl)phenol-Based Four-Coordinate Organoboron Complexes

Comprehensive Summary A family of polyaryl 2-(pyridin-2-yl)phenol-based four-coordinate organoboron complexes were prepared in good yields via deconstructive cycloaromatization of indolizines,cyclopropenones,and boric acids.The photoluminescence measurements have revealed that these N,Oπ-conjugated tetracoordinate boron complexes display bright fluorescence,large Stokes shifts,and good quantum yields(Φlum=0.15-0.45).In addition,the DFT calculations were carried out to deepen the understanding of the electronic structures and optoelectronic properties of these structurally unprecedented tetracoordinate boron complexes.

Unusual selective reactivity of the rare-earth metal complexes bearing a ligand with multiple functionalities

Ligands play a key role in controlling activity of organometallic complexes so that development of new ligands to overcome the challenge is the main topic of modern chemistry.The first example of 1,1-hydride migratory insertion and intramolecular redox reaction has been realized in this work by applying a new ligand in rare-earth metal chemistry.The novel rare-earth metal complexes L^(Mes)RECH2TMS(THF)(RE=Y(1a),Dy(1b),Er(1c),Yb(1d),L^(Mes)=1-(3-(2,6-iPr_(2)C_(6)H_(3)N=CH)C8H4N)-CH_(2)CH_(2)-3-(2-CH2–4,6-Me_(2)C_(6)H_(2))-(N(CH)_(2)NC),THF=tetrahydrofuran)bearing a ligand with imino,indolyl,NHC(N-heterocyclic carbene)multiple functionalities were synthesized and characterized.Treatment of complexes 1 with silanes(PhSiH3or PhSiH2Me or PhSiD3)selectively produced the unprecedented 1,1-hydride(or deuterated H)migratory insertion of the indolyl moiety of the novel unsymmetrical dinuclear rare-earth metal complexes 2.The complex 2a reacts with Ph_(2)C=O to give the selective C=O double bond insertion to the RE–Co-methylene-Mesbond product 3a which further reacts with another Ph_(2)C=O(or DMAP,4-N,N-dimethylaminopyridine)affording the novelμ-η^(2):η^(3)-dianionic 3-iminoindolyl dinuclear rare-earth metal complex 4a.The latter is formed through an unusual intramolecular redox reaction(through electron migration from the 2-carbanion of the indolyl ring to the imino motif)resulting in the re-aromatization of the indolyl ring.

Palladium/Phosphine Complex Catalyzed[4+4]Annulations of Morita-Baylis-Hillman Carbonates and 1-Azadienes

A[4+4]annulation reaction for the construction of medium-sized N-heterocycles is reported.This process involves the generation of all-carbon 1,4-dipoles containing aπ-allylpalladium complex from Morita-Baylis-Hillman(MBH)carbonates under the catalysis of Pd/Synphos,which then undergo Michael addition/N-allylic alkylation with 1-azadienes.A spectrum of eight-membered N-heterocycles featuring a trisubstituted exo-cyclic double bond is furnished efficiently with moderate to good E/Z selectivity and moderate atroposelectivity.In addition,moderate enantioselectivity can be realized by using a chiral ligand or with the assistant of a chiral quaternary ammonium salt.