4-Halomethyl-Substituted Imidazolium Salts: A Versatile Platform for the Synthesis of Functionalized NHC Precursors.

N,N'-Diarylimidazolium salts containing haloalkyl functional groups that are reactive with various nucleophiles are considered to be promising reagents for the preparation of functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, which are in demand in catalysis, materials science, and biomedical research. Recently, 4-chloromethyl-functionalized N,N'-diarylimidazolium salts became readily available via the condensation of N,N'-diaryl-2-methyl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadienes with ethyl orthoformate and MeSiCl, but these compounds were found to have insufficient reactivity in reactions with many nucleophiles. These chloromethyl salts were studied as precursors in the synthesis of bromo- and iodomethyl-functionalized imidazolium salts by halide anion exchange.

Revealing the Mechanism of Combining Best Properties of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis in Hybrid Pd/NHC Systems.

The formation of transient hybrid nanoscale metal species from homogeneous molecular precatalysts has been demonstrated by in situ NMR studies of catalytic reactions involving transition metals with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (M/NHC). These hybrid structures provide benefits of both molecular complexes and nanoparticles, enhancing the activity, selectivity, flexibility, and regulation of active species. However, they are challenging to identify experimentally due to the unsuitability of standard methods used for homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis.

Quantitative Determination of Active Species Transforming the R-NHC Coupling Process under Catalytic Conditions.

Palladium complexes with -heterocyclic carbenes (Pd/NHC) serve as prominent precatalysts in numerous Pd-catalyzed organic reactions. While the evolution of Pd/NHC complexes, which involves the cleavage of the Pd-C(NHC) bond via reductive elimination and dissociation, is acknowledged to influence the catalysis mechanism and the performance of the catalytic systems, conventional analytic techniques [such as NMR, IR, UV-vis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)] frequently fail to quantitatively monitor the transformations of Pd/NHC complexes at catalyst concentrations typical of real-world conditions (below approximately 1 mol %). In this study, for the first time, we show the viability of using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).

New class of RSO-NHC ligands and Pd/RSO-NHC complexes with tailored electronic properties and high performance in catalytic C-C and C-N bonds formation.

Imidazolium salts have found ubiquitous applications as N-heterocyclic carbene precursors and metal nanoparticle stabilizers in catalysis and metallodrug research. Substituents directly attached to the imidazole ring can have a significant influence on the electronic, steric, and other properties of NHC-proligands as well as their metal complexes. In the present study, for the first time, a new type of Pd/NHC complex with the RSO group directly attached to the imidazol-2-ylidene ligand core was designed and synthesized.

One-Step Access to Heteroatom-Functionalized Imidazol(in)ium Salts.

Imidazolium salts have ubiquitous applications in energy research, catalysis, materials and medicinal sciences. Here, we report a new strategy for the synthesis of diverse heteroatom-functionalized imidazolium and imidazolinium salts from easily available 1,4-diaza-1,3-butadienes in one step. The strategy relies on a discovered family of unprecedented nucleophilic addition/cyclization reactions with trialkyl orthoformates and heteroatomic nucleophiles.

The key role of R-NHC coupling (R = C, H, heteroatom) and M-NHC bond cleavage in the evolution of M/NHC complexes and formation of catalytically active species.

Complexes of metals with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (M/NHC) are typically considered the systems of choice in homogeneous catalysis due to their stable metal-ligand framework. However, it becomes obvious that even metal species with a strong M-NHC bond can undergo evolution in catalytic systems, and processes of M-NHC bond cleavage are common for different metals and NHC ligands. This review is focused on the main types of the M-NHC bond cleavage reactions and their impact on activity and stability of M/NHC catalytic systems.

Ionic Pd/NHC Catalytic System Enables Recoverable Homogeneous Catalysis: Mechanistic Study and Application in the Mizoroki-Heck Reaction.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Valentine P. Ananikov and co-workers. The image depicts the dynamic behaviour of a Pd/NHC catalytic system with easy transition from molecular to ionic complex.

Relative stabilities of M/NHC complexes (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) against R-NHC, X-NHC and X-X couplings in M(0)/M(ii) and M(ii)/M(iv) catalytic cycles: a theoretical study.

The complexes of Ni, Pd, and Pt with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) catalyze numerous organic reactions via proposed typical M/M catalytic cycles comprising intermediates with the metal center in (0) and (II) oxidation states. In addition, M/M catalytic cycles have been proposed for a number of reactions. The catalytic intermediates in both cycles can suffer decomposition via R-NHC coupling and the side reductive elimination of the NHC ligand and R groups (R = alkyl, aryl, etc.

Ionic Pd/NHC Catalytic System Enables Recoverable Homogeneous Catalysis: Mechanistic Study and Application in the Mizoroki-Heck Reaction.

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are ubiquitously utilized in catalysis. A common catalyst design model assumes strong M-NHC binding in this metal-ligand framework. In contrast to this common assumption, we demonstrate here that lability and controlled cleavage of the M-NHC bond (rather than its stabilization) could be more important for high-performance catalysis at low catalyst concentrations.

Sustainable Utilization of Biomass Refinery Wastes for Accessing Activated Carbons and Supercapacitor Electrode Materials.

Biomass processing wastes (humins) are anticipated to become a large-tonnage solid waste in the near future, owing to the accelerated development of renewable technologies based on utilization of carbohydrates. In this work, the utility of humins as a feedstock for the production of activated carbon by various methods (pyrolysis, physical and chemical activation, or combined approaches) was evaluated. The obtained activated carbons were tested as potential electrode materials for supercapacitor applications and demonstrated combined micro- and mesoporous structures with a good capacitance of 370 F g (at a current density of 0.

Revealing the unusual role of bases in activation/deactivation of catalytic systems: O-NHC coupling in M/NHC catalysis.

Numerous reactions are catalyzed by complexes of metals (M) with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, typically in the presence of oxygen bases, which significantly shape the performance. It is generally accepted that bases are required for either substrate activation (exemplified by transmetallation in the Suzuki cross-coupling), or HX capture ( in a variety of C-C and C-heteroatom couplings, the Heck reaction, C-H functionalization, heterocyclizations, ). This study gives insights into the behavior of M(ii)/NHC (M = Pd, Pt, Ni) complexes in solution under the action of bases conventionally engaged in catalysis (KOH, NaOH, -BuOK, CsCO, KCO, ).

Selective Synthesis of 2,5-Diformylfuran by Sustainable 4-acetamido-TEMPO/Halogen-Mediated Electrooxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

A new method was developed for the selective gram-scale synthesis of 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), which is an important chemical with a high application potential, via oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF) catalyzed by 4-acetylamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (4-AcNH-TEMPO) in a two-phase system consisting of a methylene chloride and aqueous solution containing sodium hydrogen carbonate and potassium iodide. The key feature of this method is the generation of the I2 (co-)oxidant by anodic oxidation of iodide anions during pulse electrolysis. In addition, the electrolyte can be successfully recycled five times while maintaining a 62-65 % yield of DFF.

Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Polycyclic Heterocycles through the Condensation of 2-Amino[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with 1,3-Diketones.

The acid-catalyzed condensation between 2-aminosubstituted [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines and their analogues with various saturation of the pyrimidine ring and 1,3-diketones or 1,1,3,3-tetramethoxypropane was evaluated as a new approach for the synthesis of diversely substituted polycyclic derivatives of triazolopyrimidine. The reaction of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro- or aromatic aminotriazolopyrimidines results in selective formation of the corresponding [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a:4,3-a']dipyrimidin-5-ium salts, and the condensation of substrates containing the 4,7-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine fragment is accompanied by a cascade rearrangement with unusual recyclization of the dihydropyrimidine ring to yield partially hydrogenated [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a:4,3-a']dipyrimidin-5-ium or pyrimido[1',2':1,5][1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b]quinazolin-5-ium salts. The proposed methodology exhibits a wide scope, providing rapid access to polycondensed derivatives of the [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffold.

Crystal structure of bis-[(5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-κN (4))acetato-κO]di-aqua-nickel(II) dihydrate.

The title compound, [Ni(C4H5N4O2)2(H2O)2]·2H2O, represents the first transition metal complex of the novel chelating triazole ligand, 2-(5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)acetic acid (ATAA), to be structurally characterized. In the mol-ecule of the title complex, the nickel(II) cation is located on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two water mol-ecules in axial positions and two O and two N atoms from two trans-oriented chelating anions of the deprotonated ATAA ligand, forming a slightly distorted octa-hedron. The trans angles of the octa-hedron are all 180° due to the inversion symmetry of the mol-ecule.

Reactivity of C-Amino-1,2,4-triazoles toward Electrophiles: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study of Alkylation by Halogen Alkanes.

A combination of computational and experimental methods was used to examine the structure-reactivity relationships in the reactions of C-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazoles with electrophiles. The global nucleophilicity of 3-amino- and 3,5-diamino-1H-1,2,4-triazoles was predicted to be higher than that of 5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazoles. Fukui functions and molecular electrostatic potential indicate that reactions involving an amino group should occur more easily for the 3-amino- than for the 5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazoles.

3-Methyl-4-(2-phenyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-yl)furazan.

In the title mol-ecule, C14H10N6O, the planes of the methyl-furazan fragment and the phenyl ring attached to the triazolo-pyrimidine bicycle are twisted from the mean plane of the bicycle at angles of 45.92 (5) and 5.45 (4)°, respectively.

6-(3,5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetra-zin-3(2H)-one.

The title compound, C7H8N6O, represents the keto form and adopts a nearly planar structure (r.m.s.

A direct approach to a 6-hetarylamino[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazine library.

The synthesis of 6-hetarylamino[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazines is reported. The functionalized secondary amines were constructed via a K2CO3-mediated SNAr reaction of weakly basic hetarylamines with 3-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b][1,2,4,5]tetrazines, which allowed displacement 3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl leaving group. Significantly, the reaction exhibited a broad substrate scope and proceeded in good yields.

2-Amino-5-methyl-3-(2-oxo-2-phenyl-eth-yl)-7-phenyl-4,5,6,7-tetra-hydro-3H-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-8-ium bromide ethanol monosolvate.

In the title compound, C20H22N5O(+)·Br(-)·C2H6O, the tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring of the bicyclic cation adopts a half-chair conformation with an equatorial orientation of the phenyl and methyl substituents. The amino group is nearly coplanar with the 1,2,4-triazole ring [interplanar angle = 4.08 (8)°] and has a slightly pyramidal configuration.

4-Benzyl-3-[(1-oxidoethylidene)amino]-1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-iminium.

The title compound, C(17)H(17)N(5)O, exists in the zwitterionic form with the amide group deprotonated. The mean planes of the 1,2,4-triazole and N-phenyl rings form a dihedral angle of 39.14 (8)°.

4-(5-Amino-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)pyridinium chloride monohydrate.

In the cation of the title compound, C(7)H(8)N(5) (+)·Cl(-)·H(2)O, the mean planes of the pyridine and 1,2,4-triazole rings form a dihedral angle of 2.3 (1)°. The N atom of the amino group adopts a trigonal-pyramidal configuration.