Iridium(I) Complexes with Hemilabile N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Efficient and Versatile Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts

Autor: M. Victoria Jiménez, Jesús J. Pérez-Torrente, Fernando J. Lahoz, Carmen Cunchillos, Sonja Winterle, Francisco J. Modrego, Luis A. Oro, Javier Fernández-Tornos
Přispěvatelé: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España), RWTH Aachen University, European Commission
Rok vydání: 2011
Předmět:
Zdroj: Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
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ISSN: 1520-6041
0276-7333
DOI: 10.1021/om200747k
Popis: 16 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas, 3 esquemas.
A series of neutral and cationic rhodium and iridium(I) complexes based on hemilabile O-donor- and N-donor-functionalized NHC ligands having methoxy, dimethylamino, and pyridine as donor functions have been synthesized. The hemilabile fragment is coordinated to the iridium center in the cationic complexes [Ir(cod)(MeImR)]+ (R = pyridin-2-ylmethyl, 3-dimethylaminopropyl) but remains uncoordinated in the complexes [MBr(cod)(MeImR)], [M(NCCH3)(cod)(MeImR)]+ (M = Rh, Ir; R = 2-methoxyethyl and 2-methoxybenzyl) and [IrX(cod)(MeImR)] (X = Br, R = pyridin-2-ylmethyl; X = Cl, R = 2-dimethylaminoethyl, 3-dimethylaminopropyl). The structure of [IrBr(cod)(MeIm(2-methoxybenzyl))] has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The iridium complexes are efficient precatalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of cyclohexanone in 2-propanol/KOH. A comparative study has shown that cationic complexes are more efficient than the neutral and also that complexes having O-functionalized NHC ligands provide much more active systems than the corresponding N-functionalized ligands with TOFs up to 4600 h–1. The complexes [Ir(NCCH3)(cod)(MeImR)]+ (R = 2-methoxyethyl and 2-methoxybenzyl) have been successfully applied to the reduction of several unsaturated substrates as ketones, aldehydes, α,β-unsaturated ketones, and imines. The investigation of the reaction mechanism by NMR and MS has allowed the identification of relevant alkoxo intermediates [Ir(OR)(cod)(MeImR)] and the unsaturated hydride species [IrH(cod)(MeImR)]. The β-H elimination in the alkoxo complex [Ir(OiPr)(cod)(MeIm(2-methoxybenzyl))] leading to hydrido species has been studied by DFT calculations. An interaction between the β-H on the alkoxo ligand and the oxygen atom of the methoxy fragment of the NHC ligand, which results in a net destabilization of the alkoxo intermediate by a free energy of +1.0 kcal/mol, has been identified. This destabilization facilitates the β-H elimination step in the catalytic process and could explain the positive effect of the methoxy group of the functionalized NHC ligands on the catalytic activity.
Financial support from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN/FEDER) is gratefully acknowledged (Projects: CTQ2010-15221, CSD2006-0015, and CSD2009-00050). J.F. T. thanks the Spanish MICINN for a predoctoral fellowship, and S.W. thanks the Eramus program (Univ. RWTH-Aachen, Germany).
Databáze: OpenAIRE