The reaction mechanism of the enantioselective Tsuji allylation: inner-sphere and outer-sphere pathways, internal rearrangements, and asymmetric C-C bond formation.

We use first principles quantum mechanics (density functional theory) to report a detailed reaction mechanism of the asymmetric Tsuji allylation involving prochiral nucleophiles and nonprochiral allyl fragments, which is consistent with experimental findings. The observed enantioselectivity is best explained with an inner-sphere mechanism involving the formation of a 5-coordinate Pd species that undergoes a ligand rearrangement, which is selective with regard to the prochiral faces of the intermediate enolate. Subsequent reductive elimination generates the product and a Pd(0) complex.

Rhodium complexes bearing tetradentate diamine-bis(phenolate) ligands.

Using tetradentate, dianionic ligands, several new rhodium complexes have been prepared. Some of these diamine-bis(phenolate) compounds, are active for C-H activation of benzene. These complexes are air and thermally stable.

Experimental realization of catalytic CH4 hydroxylation predicted for an iridium NNC pincer complex, demonstrating thermal, protic, and oxidant stability.

A discrete, air, protic, and thermally stable (NNC)Ir(III) pincer complex was synthesized that catalytically activates the CH bond of methane in trifluoroacetic acid; functionalization using NaIO4 and KIO3 gives the oxy-ester.

Temperature dependence of blue phosphorescent cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes.

The photophysical properties for a series of facial (fac) cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes (fac-Ir(C--N)(3) (C--N = 2-phenylpyridyl (ppy), 2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridyl (F2ppy), 1-phenylpyrazolyl (ppz), 1-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyrazolyl) (F2ppz), and 1-(2-(9,9'-dimethylfluorenyl))pyrazolyl (flz)), fac-Ir(C--N)(2)(C--N') (C--N = ppz or F2ppz and C--N' = ppy or F2ppy), and fac-Ir(C--C')(3) (C--C' = 1-phenyl-3-methylbenzimidazolyl (pmb)) have been studied in dilute 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) solution in a temperature range of 77-378 K. Photoluminescent quantum yields (Phi) for the 10 compounds at room temperature vary between near zero and unity, whereas all emit with high efficiency at low temperature (77 K). The quantum yield for fac-Ir(ppy)(3) (Phi = 0.

Oxy-functionalization of nucleophilic rhenium(I) metal carbon bonds catalyzed by selenium(IV).

We report that SeO2 catalyzes the facile oxy-functionalization of (CO)5Re(I)-Me(delta-) with IO4(-) to generate methanol. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations reveal that catalysis involves methyl group transfer from Re to the electrophilic Se center followed by oxidation and subsequent reductive functionalization of the resulting CH3Se(VI) species. Furthermore, (CO)3Re(I)(Bpy)-R (R = ethyl, n-propyl, and aryl) complexes show analogous transfer to SeO2 to generate the primary alcohols.

Acid-catalyzed nucleophilic aromatic substitution: experimental and theoretical exploration of a multistep mechanism.

The mechanism for the acid-mediated substitution of a phenolic hydroxyl group with a sulfur nucleophile has been investigated by a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. We conclude that the mechanism is distinctively different in nonpolar solvents (i.e.

Methylrhenium trioxide revisited: mechanisms for nonredox oxygen insertion in an M-CH3 bond.

Methylrhenium trioxide (MTO) has the rare ability to stoichiometrically generate methanol at room temperature with an external oxidant (H2O2) under basic conditions. In order to use this transformation as a model for nonredox oxidative C-O coupling, the mechanisms have been elucidated using density functional theory (DFT). Our studies show several possible reaction pathways to form methanol, with the lowest net barrier (DeltaH++) being 23.

Pd-mediated activation of molecular oxygen: Pd(0) versus direct insertion.

In developing environmentally benign chemistries, it is most important to use dioxygen directly in lieu of toxic and/or corrosive stoichiometric oxidants. Unfortunately, for many processes such direct oxidations have not yet become practical. To help develop such processes, we elucidate here the mechanism for the reaction of molecular oxygen with toluene-solvated palladium-hydride complex using quantum mechanics (B3LYP/LACVP** with the PBF polarizable continuum solvent model) for Pd(II-)((-)sparteine)(H)(Cl) in the presence of base, specifically focusing on the pathways proceeding through Pd(0).

Cyclometallated iridium and platinum complexes with noninnocent ligands.

The electronic properties of the cyclometalated (CwedgeN) complexes of iridium and platinum metals with a catechol ligand have been studied experimentally and computationally. The synthesis and characterization of (p-tolylpyridine)Ir(3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol) (abbreviated Ir-sq) and (2,4-diflorophenylpyridine)Pt(3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol) (abbreviated Pt-sq) are reported along with their structural, spectral, and electrochemical properties. Reaction of the 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (DTBCat) ligand with the prepared cyclometalated metal complex was carried out in air in the presence of a base.

Mechanism of direct molecular oxygen insertion in a palladium(II)-hydride bond.

The mechanism of the direct insertion of molecular oxygen into a palladium hydride bond has been elucidated using quantum mechanics (B3LYP/LACVP** with the PBF continuum solvent model). The key step is found to be the abstraction of the hydrogen atom resulting in the formation of a PdI/HO2 (triplet) radical pair, which then proceeds to form a singlet palladium hydroperoxo species. Potential palladium(0) pathways were explored and were found to be inaccessible.

Facile functionalization of a metal carbon bond by O-atom transfer.

The facile conversion of M-R to M-OR that could be useful for the functionalization of electron-rich metal alkyl intermediates is shown to proceed via a Baeyer-Villiger-type pathway involving a nonredox, electrophilic, O-atom insertion in reactions with non-peroxo O-donors.

Development of the ReaxFF reactive force field for describing transition metal catalyzed reactions, with application to the initial stages of the catalytic formation of carbon nanotubes.

With the aim of developing a computationally inexpensive method for modeling the high-temperature reaction dynamics of transition metal catalyzed reactions we have developed a ReaxFF reactive force field in which the parameters are fitted to a substantial quantum mechanics (QM) training set, containing full reaction pathways for relevant reactions. In this paper we apply this approach to reactions involving carbon materials plus Co, Ni, and Cu atoms. We find that ReaxFF reproduces the QM reaction data with good accuracy while also reproducing the binding characteristics of Co, Ni, and Cu atoms to hydrocarbon fragments.

Carboxylic solvents and O-donor ligand effects on CH activation by Pt(II).

We report on the design of more efficient C-H activation catalysts based on DFT calculations. The first examples of well-defined, N,O-donor ligated platinum complexes that are competent for fast C-H activation are detailed. These complexes exhibit thermal and protic stability and are efficient catalysts for H/D exchange reactions with benzene.

Inaccessibility of beta-hydride elimination from -OH functional groups in Wacker-type oxidation.

Quantum mechanics calculations (B3LYP and MPW1K density functional theory) on mechanisms relevant to the Wacker process for dehydrogenation of alcohol to ketone show that the commonly accepted mechanism for product formation (beta-hydride elimination (BHE) leading to Pd-H formation) is not energetically feasible (36.2 kcal/mol). An alterative pathway involving a five-bodied reductive elimination (RE) leads to an activation enthalpy of 18.

CH activation with an O-donor iridium-methoxo complex.

A thermally and air stable O-donor, iridium-methoxo complex is reported that undergoes stoichiometric, intermolecular C-H activation of benzene with co-generation of methanol and the iridium-phenyl complex.

Pd-mediated activation of molecular oxygen in a nonpolar medium.

The mechanism for direct insertion of O(2) in a toluene-solvated palladium-hydride bond (avoiding palladium zero) has been elucidated using quantum mechanics (B3LYP/LACVP** with the PBF polarizable continuum solvent model) for Pd(II)(-)-sparteine)(Cl)(H) and the model compound Pd(II)(bipyridine)(Cl)(H). We find that the process involves (1) the abstraction of the hydrogen atom by triplet oxygen, (2) the formation of a stable L(2)XPd(I)OOH triplet species, (3) a spin transition resulting in a stable L(2)XPd(II)OOH singlet species, and (4) the loss of H(2)O(2)and completion of the catalytic cycle upon the addition of HX. The limitations involved in the spin transition, the formation of the triplet Pd(I)-OOH species and the stability of that triplet species are all dependent on the presence of an H-bond acceptor cis to the hydride and the electronic characteristics of the other ligands which may or may not stabilize the Pd(I) species.

Synthesis, structure, and reactivity of O-donor Ir(III) complexes: C-H activation studies with benzene.

Various new thermally air- and water-stable alkyl and aryl analogues of (acac-O,O)2Ir(R)(L), R-Ir-L (acac-O,O = kappa2-O,O-acetylacetonate, -Ir- is the trans-(acac-O,O)2Ir(III) motif, R = CH3, C2H5, Ph, PhCH2CH2, L = Py) have been synthesized using the dinuclear complex [Ir(mu-acac-O,O,C3)-(acac-O,O)(acac-C3)]2, [acac-C-Ir]2, or acac-C-Ir-H2O. The dinuclear Ir (III) complexes, [Ir(mu-acac-O,O,C3)-(acac-O,O)(R)]2 (R = alkyl), show fluxional behavior with a five-coordinate, 16 electron complex by a dissociative pathway. The pyridine adducts, R-Ir-Py, undergo degenerate Py exchange via a dissociative mechanism with activation parameters for Ph-Ir-Py (deltaH++ = 22.

Ligand-field excited states of metal hexacarbonyls.

Over 35 years ago, the low-lying bands in the absorption spectra of metal hexacarbonyls were assigned to ligand-field (LF) excitations. Recent time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations on M(CO)6 (M = Cr, Mo, W) are not in accord with this interpretation. Here we extend TDDFT calculations to the isoelectronic series V(CO)6-, Cr(CO)6, and Mn(CO)6+.

Thermal decomposition of RDX from reactive molecular dynamics.

We use the recently developed reactive force field ReaxFF with molecular dynamics to study thermal induced chemistry in RDX [cyclic-[CH(2)N(NO(2))](3)] at various temperatures and densities. We find that the time evolution of the potential energy can be described reasonably well with a single exponential function from which we obtain an overall characteristic time of decomposition that increases with decreasing density and shows an Arrhenius temperature dependence. These characteristic timescales are in reasonable quantitative agreement with experimental measurements in a similar energetic material, HMX [cyclic-[CH(2)N(NO(2))](4)].

Mechanistic analysis of hydroarylation catalysts.

Recently, two organometallic systems ([Ir(micro-acac-O)(acac-O,O)(acac-C(3))](2) and (Tp)Ru(CO)(Ph)(NCCH(3))) have been discovered that catalyze hydroarylation of unactivated olefins. Herein, we use density functional theory (B3LYP) to study the factors underlying this class of catalysts. In addition, we calculate the key steps for Rh, Pd, Os, and Pt with similar ligand sets.

Mechanism of Ru(II)-catalyzed olefin insertion and C-H activation from quantum chemical studies.

The mechanism of catalytic hydroarylation of olefins by the homogeneous Ru(Tp)(CO)(Ph)(NCCH3) catalyst recently reported by Gunnoe et al. is characterized using quantum mechanics (density functional theory). The catalytic cycle features two key steps, 1,2-olefin insertion and C-H activation via an unusual mechanism, oxidative hydrogen migration.