Search Results
Activation, deactivation and reversibility phenomena in homogeneous catalysis : A showcase based on the chemistry of rhodium/phosphine catalysts
2019, Alberico, Elisabetta, Möller, Saskia, Horstmann, Moritz, Drexler, Hans-Joachim, Heller, Detlef
In the present work, the rich chemistry of rhodium/phosphine complexes, which are applied as homogeneous catalysts to promote a wide range of chemical transformations, has been used to showcase how the in situ generation of precatalysts, the conversion of precatalysts into the actually active species, as well as the reaction of the catalyst itself with other components in the reaction medium (substrates, solvents, additives) can lead to a number of deactivation phenomena and thus impact the efficiency of a catalytic process. Such phenomena may go unnoticed or may be overlooked, thus preventing the full understanding of the catalytic process which is a prerequisite for its optimization. Based on recent findings both from others and the authors’ laboratory concerning the chemistry of rhodium/diphosphine complexes, some guidelines are provided for the optimal generation of the catalytic active species from a suitable rhodium precursor and the diphosphine of interest; for the choice of the best solvent to prevent aggregation of coordinatively unsaturated metal fragments and sequestration of the active metal through too strong metal–solvent interactions; for preventing catalyst poisoning due to irreversible reaction with the product of the catalytic process or impurities present in the substrate. © 2019 by the authors.
Towards a general ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of secondary and tertiary amides to amines
2016, Cabrero-Antonino, Jose R., Alberico, Elisabetta, Junge, Kathrin, Junge, Henrik, Beller, Matthias
A broad range of secondary and tertiary amides has been hydrogenated to the corresponding amines under mild conditions using an in situ catalyst generated by combining [Ru(acac)3], 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane (Triphos) and Yb(OTf)3. The presence of the metal triflate allows to mitigate reaction conditions compared to previous reports thus improving yields and selectivities in the desired amines. The excellent isolated yields of two scale-up experiments corroborate the feasibility of the reaction protocol. Control experiments indicate that, after the initial reduction of the amide carbonyl group, the reaction proceeds through the reductive amination of the alcohol with the amine arising from collapse of the intermediate hemiaminal.
Efficient and selective hydrogenation of amides to alcohols and amines using a well-defined manganese-PNN pincer complex
2017, Papa, Veronica, Cabrero-Antonino, Jose R., Alberico, Elisabetta, Spanneberg, Anke, Junge, Kathrin, Junge, Henrik, Beller, Matthias
Novel well-defined NNP and PNP manganese pincer complexes have been synthetized and fully characterized. The catalyst Mn-2 containing an imidazolyaminolphosphino ligand shows high activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of a wide range of secondary and tertiary amides to the corresponding alcohols and amines, under relatively mild conditions. For the first time, more challenging substrates like primary aromatic amides including an actual herbicide can also be hydrogenated using this earth-abundant metal-based pincer catalyst.
Immobilized Ru‐Pincer Complexes for Continuous Gas‐Phase Low‐Temperature Methanol Reforming‐Improving the Activity by a Second Ru‐Complex and Variation of Hydroxide Additives
2021, Schwarz, Christian H., Kraus, Dominik, Alberico, Elisabetta, Junge, Henrik, Haumann, Marco
Ru-pincer complexes were immobilized as supported liquid phase (SLP) materials to allow the methanol reforming reaction as continuous gas phase process. Under reaction conditions, the liquid phase forms from the hydroxide coating. Several hydroxides were screened and CsOH showed highest activity compared to the standard KOH coating. The well-known Ru-pincer complex carbonylchlorohydrido [bis(2-di-i-propylphosphinoethyl)amine]ruthenium(II) is limited in catalyzing the final step of the methanol reforming. Addition of a second complex, having a methylated backbone in the pincer-ligand, could overcome these limitations. Significant enhancement of the overall catalytic activity was observed.
Cyclometalated Ruthenium Pincer Complexes as Catalysts for the α-Alkylation of Ketones with Alcohols
2020, Piehl, Patrick, Amuso, Roberta, Alberico, Elisabetta, Junge, Henrik, Gabriele, Bartolo, Neumann, Helfried, Beller, Matthias
Ruthenium PNP pincer complexes bearing supplementary cyclometalated C,N-bound ligands have been prepared and fully characterized for the first time. By replacing CO and H− as ancillary ligands in such complexes, additional electronic and steric modifications of this topical class of catalysts are possible. The advantages of the new catalysts are demonstrated in the general α-alkylation of ketones with alcohols following a hydrogen autotransfer protocol. Herein, various aliphatic and benzylic alcohols were applied as green alkylating agents for ketones bearing aromatic, heteroaromatic or aliphatic substituents as well as cyclic ones. Mechanistic investigations revealed that during catalysis, Ru carboxylate complexes are predominantly formed whereas neither the PNP nor the CN ligand are released from the catalyst in significant amounts. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
Hydrogen production from formic acid catalyzed by a phosphine free manganese complex: Investigation and mechanistic insights
2020, Léval, Alexander, Agapova, Anastasiya, Steinlechner, Christoph, Alberico, Elisabetta, Junge, Henrik, Beller, Matthias
Formic acid dehydrogenation (FAD) is considered as a promising process in the context of hydrogen storage. Its low toxicity, availability and convenient handling make FA attractive as a potential hydrogen carrier. To date, most promising catalysts have been based on noble metals, such as ruthenium and iridium. Efficient non-noble metal systems like iron were designed but manganese remains relatively unexplored for this transformation. In this work, we present a panel of phosphine free manganese catalysts which showed activity and stability in formic acid dehydrogenation. The most promising results were obtained with Mn(pyridine-imidazoline)(CO)3Br yielding >14 l of the H2/CO2 mixture and proved to be stable for more than 3 days. Additionally, this study provides insights into the mechanism of formic acid dehydrogenation. Kinetic experiments, Kinetic Isotopic Effect (KIE), in situ observations, NMR labeling experiments and pH monitoring allow us to propose a catalytic cycle for this transformation.