Activation of alkanes with organotransition metal complexes

Alkanes, although plentiful enough to be considered for use as feedstocks in large-scale chemical processes, are so unreactive that relatively few chemical reagents have been developed to convert them to molecules having useful functional groups. However, a recently synthesized iridium (lr) complex successfully converts alkanes into hydridoalkylmetal complexes (M + R-H --> R-M-H). This is a dihydride having the formula Cp(*)(L)lrH(2), where Cp(*) and L are abbreviations for the ligands (CH(3))(5)C(5) and (CH(3))(3)P, respectively. Irradiation with ultraviolet light causes the dihydride to lose H(2), generating the reactive intermediate Cp(*)lrL. This intermediate reacts rapidly with C-H bonds in every molecule so far tested (including alkanes) and leads to hydridoalkyliridium complexes Cp(*)(L)lr(R)(H). Evidence has been obtained that this C-H insertion, or oxidative addition, reaction proceeds through a simple three-center transition state and does not involve organic free radicals as intermediates. Thus the intermediate Cp(*)lrL reacts most rapidly with C-H bonds having relatively high bond energies, such as those at primary carbon centers, in small organic rings, and in aromatic rings. This contrasts directly with the type of hydrogen-abstraction selectivity that is characteristic of organic radicals. The hydridoalkyliridium products of the insertion reactions can be converted into functionalized organic molecules-alkyl halides-by treatment with mercuric chloride followed by halogens. Expulsion (reductive elimination) of the hydrocarbon from the hydridoalkyliridium complexes can be induced by Lewis acids or heat, regenerating the reactive intermediate Cp(*)lrL. Oxidative addition of the corresponding rhodium complexes Cp(*)RhL to alkane C-H bonds has also been observed, although the products formed in this case are much less stable and undergo reductive elimination at -20 degrees C. These and other recent observations provide an incentive for reexamining the factors that have been assumed to control the rate of reaction of transition metal complexes with C-H bonds-notably the need for electron-rich metals and the proximity of reacting centers.     

Highly regioselective amination of unactivated alkanes by hypervalent sulfonylimino-λ³-bromane

Amination of alkanes has generally required metal catalysts and/or high temperatures. Here we report that simple exposure of a broad range of alkanes to N-triflylimino-λ(3)-bromane 1 at ambient temperature results in C-H insertion of the nitrogen functionality to afford triflyl-substituted amines in moderate to high yields. Marked selectivity for tertiary over secondary C-H bonds was observed; primary (methyl) C-H bonds were inert. Addition of hexafluoroisopropanol to inhibit decomposition of 1 dramatically improved the C-H amination efficiencies. Second-order kinetics, activation parameters (negative activation entropy), deuterium isotope effects, and theoretical calculations suggest a concerted asynchronous bimolecular transition state for the metal-free C-H amination event.     

Thermal, catalytic, regiospecific functionalization of alkanes

The formation of a single product from terminal functionalization of linear alkanes from a transition metal-catalyzed reaction is reported. The rhodium complex Cp*Rh(eta(4)-C(6)Me(6)) (Cp*, C(5)Me(5); Me, methyl) catalyzes the high-yield formation of linear alkylboranes from commercially available borane reagents under thermal conditions. These reactions now allow catalytic, regiospecific functionalization of alkanes under thermal conditions. The organoborane products are among the most versatile synthetic intermediates in chemistry and serve as convenient precursors to alcohols, amines, and other common classes of functionalized molecules.     

Selective catalytic C-H alkylation of alkenes with alcohols

Alkenes and alcohols are among the most abundant and commonly used organic feedstock in industrial processes. We report a selective catalytic alkylation reaction of alkenes with alcohols that forms a carbon-carbon bond between vinyl carbon-hydrogen (C-H) and carbon-hydroxy centers with the concomitant loss of water. The cationic ruthenium complex [(C(6)H(6))(PCy(3))(CO)RuH](+)BF(4)(-) (Cy, cyclohexyl) catalyzes the alkylation in solution within 2 to 8 hours at temperatures ranging from 75° to 110°C and tolerates a broad range of substrate functionality, including amines and carbonyls. Preliminary mechanistic studies are inconsistent with Friedel-Crafts-type electrophilic activation of the alcohols, suggesting instead a vinyl C-H activation pathway with opposite electronic polarization.     

Linear alkane polymerization on a gold surface

In contrast to the many methods of selectively coupling olefins, few protocols catenate saturated hydrocarbons in a predictable manner. We report here the highly selective carbon-hydrogen (C-H) activation and subsequent dehydrogenative C-C coupling reaction of long-chain (>C(20)) linear alkanes on an anisotropic gold(110) surface, which undergoes an appropriate reconstruction by adsorption of the molecules and subsequent mild annealing, resulting in nanometer-sized channels (1.22 nanometers in width). Owing to the orientational constraint of the reactant molecules in these one-dimensional channels, the reaction takes place exclusively at specific sites (terminal CH(3) or penultimate CH(2) groups) in the chains at intermediate temperatures (420 to 470 kelvin) and selects for aliphatic over aromatic C-H activation.     

Net oxidative addition of C(sp3)-F bonds to iridium via initial C-H bond activation

Carbon-fluorine bonds are the strongest known single bonds to carbon and as a consequence can prove very hard to cleave. Alhough vinyl and aryl C-F bonds can undergo oxidative addition to transition metal complexes, this reaction has appeared inoperable with aliphatic substrates. We report the addition of C(sp(3))-F bonds (including alkyl-F) to an iridium center via the initial, reversible cleavage of a C-H bond. These results suggest a distinct strategy for the development of catalysts and promoters to make and break C-F bonds, which are of strong interest in the context of both pharmaceutical and environmental chemistry.     

C-H bond functionalization in complex organic synthesis

Direct and selective replacement of carbon-hydrogen bonds with new bonds (such as C-C, C-O, and C-N) represents an important and long-standing goal in chemistry. These transformations have broad potential in synthesis because C-H bonds are ubiquitous in organic substances. At the same time, achieving selectivity among many different C-H bonds remains a challenge. Here, we focus on the functionalization of C-H bonds in complex organic substrates catalyzed by transition metal catalysts. We outline the key concepts and approaches aimed at achieving selectivity in complex settings and discuss the impact these reactions have on synthetic planning and strategy in organic synthesis.     

Vibrationally quantum-state-specific reaction dynamics of H atom abstraction by CN radical in solution

Solvent collisions can often mask initial disposition of energy to the products of solution-phase chemical reactions. Here, we show with transient infrared absorption spectra obtained with picosecond time resolution that the nascent HCN products of reaction of CN radicals with cyclohexane in chlorinated organic solvents exhibit preferential excitation of one quantum of the C-H stretching mode and up to two quanta of the bending mode. On time scales of approximately 100 to 300 picoseconds, the HCN products undergo relaxation to the vibrational ground state by coupling to the solvent bath. Comparison with reactions of CN radicals with alkanes in the gas phase, known to produce HCN with greater C-H stretch and bending mode excitation (up to two and approximately six quanta, respectively), indicates partial damping of the nascent product vibrational motion by the solvent. The transient infrared spectra therefore probe solvent-induced modifications to the reaction free energy surface and chemical dynamics.     

A predictably selective aliphatic C-H oxidation reaction for complex molecule synthesis

Realizing the extraordinary potential of unactivated sp3 C-H bond oxidation in organic synthesis requires the discovery of catalysts that are both highly reactive and predictably selective. We report an iron (Fe)-based small molecule catalyst that uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to oxidize a broad range of substrates. Predictable selectivity is achieved solely on the basis of the electronic and steric properties of the C-H bonds, without the need for directing groups. Additionally, carboxylate directing groups may be used to furnish five-membered ring lactone products. We demonstrate that these three modes of selectivity enable the predictable oxidation of complex natural products and their derivatives at specific C-H bonds with preparatively useful yields. This type of general and predictable reactivity stands to enable aliphatic C-H oxidation as a method for streamlining complex molecule synthesis.     

Low-Temperature Nonoxidative Activation of Methane over H-Galloaluminosilicate (MFI) Zeolite

Conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons by its low-temperature activation without forming undesirable carbon oxides is of great scientific and practical importance. Methane can be highly activated, yielding high rates of conversion to higher hydrocarbons and aromatics (10 to 45 percent) at low temperatures (400° to 600°C), by its reaction over H-galloaluminosilicate ZSM-5 type (MFI) zeolite in the presence of alkenes or higher alkanes. The methane activation results from its hydrogen-transfer reaction with alkenes.     

Reversible control of hydrogenation of a single molecule

Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy was used to selectively break the N-H bond of a methylaminocarbyne (CNHCH3) molecule on a Pt(111) surface at 4.7 kelvin, leaving the C-H bonds intact, to form an adsorbed methylisocyanide molecule (CNCH3). The methylisocyanide product was identified through comparison of its vibrational spectrum with that of directly adsorbed methylisocyanide as measured with inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy. The CNHCH3 could be regenerated in situ by exposure to hydrogen at room temperature. The combination of tip-induced dehydrogenation with thermodynamically driven hydrogenation allows a completely reversible chemical cycle to be established at the single-molecule level in this system. By tailoring the pulse conditions, irreversible dissociation entailing cleavage of both the C-H and N-H bonds can also be demonstrated.     

Cytochrome P450 compound I: capture, characterization, and C-H bond activation kinetics

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are responsible for the phase I metabolism of approximately 75% of known pharmaceuticals. P450s perform this and other important biological functions through the controlled activation of C-H bonds. Here, we report the spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of the long-sought principal intermediate involved in this process, P450 compound I (P450-I), which we prepared in approximately 75% yield by reacting ferric CYP119 with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. The M?ssbauer spectrum of CYP119-I is similar to that of chloroperoxidase compound I, although its electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum reflects an increase in |J|/D, the ratio of the exchange coupling to the zero-field splitting. CYP119-I hydroxylates the unactivated C-H bonds of lauric acid [D(C-H) ~ 100 kilocalories per mole], with an apparent second-order rate constant of k(app) = 1.1 × 10(7) per molar per second at 4°C. Direct measurements put a lower limit of k ≥ 210 per second on the rate constant for bound substrate oxidation, whereas analyses involving kinetic isotope effects predict a value in excess of 1400 per second.     

Coordinated nonvectorial folding in a newly synthesized multidomain protein

The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) is a typical example of a multidomain protein, for which in vivo folding is assumed to occur vectorially from the amino terminus to the carboxyl terminus. Using a pulse-chase approach in intact cells, we found instead that newly synthesized LDL-R molecules folded by way of "collapsed" intermediates that contained non-native disulfide bonds between distant cysteines. The most amino-terminal domain acquired its native conformation late in folding instead of during synthesis. Thus, productive LDL-R folding in a cell is not vectorial but is mostly posttranslational, and involves transient long-range non-native disulfide bonds that are isomerized into native short-range cysteine pairs.     

The validity of the "diradical" hypothesis: direct femtoscond studies of the transition-state structures

Direct studies of diradicals, the molecular species hypothesized to be archetypal of chemical bond transformations in many classes of reactions, have been made using femtosecond laser techniques with mass spectrometry in a molecular beam. These studies are aimed at "freezing" the diradicals in time and in the course of the reaction. The passage of these species through the transition-state region was observed and the effect of total energy and alkyl substitution on the rates of bond closure and cleavage was examined. The results establish the nature of these intermediates and define their existence during reactions.     

Efficient activation of aromatic C-H bonds for addition to C-C multiple bonds

Efficient electrophilic metalation of aromatic C-H bonds leading to new C-C bond formation through regio- and stereoselective addition to alkynes and alkenes has been realized by a catalytic amount (0.02 to 5 mole percent) of palladium(II) or platinum(II) compounds in a mixed solvent containing trifluoroacetic acid at room temperature. Various arenes undergo unexpected selective trans hydroarylation to terminal or internal C&cjs0812;C bonds inter- and intramolecularly with high efficiency (up to a turnover number of 4500 for palladium), especially for electron-rich arenes, giving thermodynamically unfavorable cis-alkenes, and the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The simplicity, generality, and efficiency of this process should be very attractive to the possible industrial application for the functionalization of arenes.     

Molecular recognition in the selective oxygenation of saturated C-H bonds by a dimanganese catalyst

Although enzymes often incorporate molecular recognition elements to orient substrates selectively, such strategies are rarely achieved by synthetic catalysts. We combined molecular recognition through hydrogen bonding with C-H activation to obtain high-turnover catalytic regioselective functionalization of sp3 C-H bonds remote from the -COOH recognition group. The catalyst contains a Mn(mu-O)2Mn reactive center and a ligand based on Kemp's triacid that directs a -COOH group to anchor the carboxylic acid group of the substrate and thus modify the usual selectivity for oxidation. Control experiments supported the role of hydrogen bonding in orienting the substrate to achieve high selectivity.     

Selective bond dissociation and rearrangement with optimally tailored, strong-field laser pulses

We used strong-field laser pulses that were tailored with closed-loop optimal control to govern specified chemical dissociation and reactivity channels in a series of organic molecules. Selective cleavage and rearrangement of chemical bonds having dissociation energies up to approximately 100 kilocalories per mole (about 4 electron volts) are reported for polyatomic molecules, including (CH3)2CO (acetone), CH3COCF3 (trifluoroacetone), and C6H5COCH3 (acetophenone). Control over the formation of CH(3)CO from (CH3)2CO, CF3 (or CH3) from CH3COCF3, and C6H5CH3 (toluene) from C6H5COCH3 was observed with high selectivity. Strong-field control appears to have generic applicability for manipulating molecular reactivity because the tailored intense laser fields (about 10(13) watts per square centimeter) can dynamically Stark shift many excited states into resonance, and consequently, the method is not confined by resonant spectral restrictions found in the perturbative (weak-field) regime.     

Quantification of the influence of surface structure on C--h bond activation by iridium and platinum

The trapping-mediated dissociative chemisorption of ethane on the closest packed Ir(111) surface has been investigated, and the activation energy and preexponential factor of the surface reaction rate coefficient have been measured. These results are compared to those of ethane activation on Pt(111) and on the missing row reconstructed Ir(110)-(1x2) and Pt(110)-(1x2) surfaces, allowing a quantitative determination of the effect surface structure has on the catalytic activation of C-H bonds. In the order Pt(111), Pt(110)-(1x2), Ir(111), and Ir(110)-(1x2), the activation energies for the dissociative chemisorption of ethane are 16.6, 10.5, 10.3, and 5.5 kilocalories per mole, demonstrating that the electronic and geometric effects are of approximately equal importance for ethane activation on these catalysts.     

Spectroscopic Observation of the Formyl Cation in a Condensed Phase

The formyl cation, HCO+, has long been believed to be an important intermediate in the chemistry of carbon monoxide (CO) in acidic environments, but its spectroscopic observation in solution has been elusive. This species was generated by the reaction of CO with the liquid superacid hydrofluoric acid-antimony pentafluoride (HF-SbF5) under pressure and was observed by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. Equilibria between CO in the gas phase, CO dissolved in HF-SbF5, the SbF5 adduct of formyl fluoride, and HCO+ associated with several equilibrating anions of the type [SbxF5x+1]- are proposed to describe the system.