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Ligand electronic fine-tuning and its repercussion on the photocatalytic activity and mechanistic pathways of the copper-photocatalysed aza-Henry reaction
A family of six structurally related heteroleptic copper(i) complexes of the form of [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+ bearing a 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline diimine (N^N) ligand and a series of electronically tunable xantphos (P^P) ligands have been synthesized and their optoelectronic properties characterized. The reactivity of these complexes in the copper-photocatalyzed aza-Henry reaction of N-phenyltetrahydroisoquinoline was evaluated, while the related excited state kinetics were comprehensively studied. By subtlety changing the electron-donating properties of the P^P ligands with negligible structural differences, we could tailor the photoredox properties and relate them to the reactivity. Moreover, depending on the exited-state redox potential of the catalysts, the preferred mechanism can shift between reductive quenching, energy transfer and oxidative quenching pathways. A combined study of the structural modulation of copper(i) photocatalysts, optoelectronic properties and photocatalytic reactivity resulted in a clearer understanding of both the rational design of the photocatalyst and the complexity of competing photoinduced electron and energy transfer mechanisms. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Phenazine Radical Cations as Efficient Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Cross-Dehydrogenative Aza-Henry Reaction
The redox activity of molecular phenazine catalysts has been previously exploited for aerobic oxidative amine homo- and cross-coupling reactions. In this contribution, we have extended the reaction scope of this novel type of organocatalyst and used them in the cross-dehydrogenative aza-Henry coupling of isoquinolines with nitromethane under aerobic conditions. Additionally, we have designed and prepared a novel porous organic polymer by cross-linking of tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)silane and dihydrophenazine through Pd-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig cross-coupling. This new type of heterogeneous catalyst, apart from being robust and easily reusable, also showed outstanding catalytic activities and improved selectivity compared to its molecular counterpart. A plausible reaction mechanism was proposed based on spectroscopic and kinetic measurements. © 2020 The Authors. Helvetica Chimica Acta published by Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland