2020, Rabeah, Jabor, Briois, Valérie, Adomeit, Sven, La Fontaine, Camille, Bentrup, Ursula, Breckner, Angelika

Operando EPR, XANES/EXAFS, UV-Vis and ATR-IR spectroscopic methods have been coupled for the first time in the same experimental setup for investigation of unclear mechanistic aspects of selective aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol by a Cu/TEMPO catalytic system (TEMPO=2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl). By multivariate curve resolution with alternating least-squares fitting (MCR-ALS) of simultaneously recorded XAS and UV-Vis data sets, it was found that an initially formed (bpy)(NMI)CuI- complex (bpy=2,2′-bipyridine, NMI=N-methylimidazole) is converted to two different CuII species, a mononuclear (bpy)(NMI)(CH3CN)CuII-OOH species detectable by EPR and ESI-MS, and an EPR-silent dinuclear (CH3CN)(bpy)(NMI)CuII(μ-OH)2⋅CuII (bpy)(NMI) complex. The latter is cleaved in the further course of reaction into (bpy)(NMI)(HOO)CuII-TEMPO monomers that are also EPR-silent due to dipolar interaction with bound TEMPO. Both Cu monomers and the Cu dimer are catalytically active in the initial phase of the reaction, yet the dimer is definitely not a major active species nor a resting state since it is irreversibly cleaved in the course of the reaction while catalytic activity is maintained. Gradual formation of non-reducible CuII leads to slight deactivation at extended reaction times. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

2017, Sherborne, Grant J., Adomeit, Sven, Menzel, Robert, Rabeah, Jabor, Brückner, Angelika, Fielding, Mark R., Willans, Charlotte E., Nguyen, Bao N.

A mechanistic investigation of Ullmann-Goldberg reactions using soluble and partially soluble bases led to the identification of various pathways for catalyst deactivation through (i) product inhibition with amine products, (ii) by-product inhibition with inorganic halide salts, and (iii) ligand exchange by soluble carboxylate bases. The reactions using partially soluble inorganic bases showed variable induction periods, which are responsible for the reproducibility issues in these reactions. Surprisingly, more finely milled Cs2CO3 resulted in a longer induction period due to the higher concentration of the deprotonated amine/amide, leading to suppressed catalytic activity. These results have significant implications on future ligand development for the Ullmann-Goldberg reaction and on the solid form of the inorganic base as an important variable with mechanistic ramifications in many catalytic reactions.