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    Cooperative catalytic methoxycarbonylation of alkenes: Uncovering the role of palladium complexes with hemilabile ligands
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Dong, Kaiwu; Sang, Rui; Wei, Zhihong; Liu, Jie; Dühren, Ricarda; Spannenberg, Anke; Jiao, Haijun; Neumann, Helfried; Jackstell, Ralf; Franke, Robert; Beller, Matthias
    Mechanistic studies of the catalyst [Pd2(dba)3/1,1′-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphanyl)ferrocene, L2] for olefin alkoxycarbonylation reactions are described. X-ray crystallography reveals the coordination of the pyridyl nitrogen atom in L2 to the palladium center of the catalytic intermediates. DFT calculations on the elementary steps of the industrially relevant carbonylation of ethylene (the Lucite α-process) indicate that the protonated pyridyl moiety is formed immediately, which facilitates the formation of the active palladium hydride complex. The insertion of ethylene and CO into this intermediate leads to the corresponding palladium acyl species, which is kinetically reversible. Notably, this key species is stabilized by the hemilabile coordination of the pyridyl nitrogen atom in L2. The rate-determining alcoholysis of the acyl palladium complex is substantially facilitated by metal-ligand cooperation. Specifically, the deprotonation of the alcohol by the built-in base of the ligand allows a facile intramolecular nucleophilic attack on the acyl palladium species concertedly. Kinetic measurements support this mechanistic proposal and show that the rate of the carbonylation step is zero-order dependent on ethylene and CO. Comparing CH3OD and CH3OH as nucleophiles suggests the involvement of (de)protonation in the rate-determining step.
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    Highly selective hydrogenation of amides catalysed by a molybdenum pincer complex : Scope and mechanism
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2019) Leischner, Thomas; Suarez, Lluis Artús; Spannenberg, Anke; Nova, Ainara; Junge, Kathrin; Nova, Ainara; Beller, Matthias
    A series of molybdenum pincer complexes has been shown for the first time to be active in the catalytic hydrogenation of amides. Among the tested catalysts, Mo-1a proved to be particularly well suited for the selective C-N hydrogenolysis of N-methylated formanilides. Notably, high chemoselectivity was observed in the presence of certain reducible groups including even other amides. The general catalytic performance as well as selectivity issues could be rationalized taking an anionic Mo(0) as the active species. The interplay between the amide CO reduction and the catalyst poisoning by primary amides accounts for the selective hydrogenation of N-methylated formanilides. The catalyst resting state was found to be a Mo-alkoxo complex formed by reaction with the alcohol product. This species plays two opposed roles-it facilitates the protolytic cleavage of the C-N bond but it encumbers the activation of hydrogen. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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    1-Titanacyclobuta-2,3-diene-an elusive four-membered cyclic allene
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2019) Reiß, Fabian; Reiß, Melanie; Bresien, Jonas; Spannenberg, Anke; Jiao, Haijun; Baumann, Wolfgang; Arndt, Perdita; Beweries, Torsten
    The synthesis of an unusual 1-metalla-2,3-cyclobutadiene complex [rac-(ebthi)Ti(Me3SiC3SiMe3)] (rac-ebthi = rac-1,2-ethylene-1,1′-bis(η5-tetrahydroindenyl)), a formal metallacyclic analogue of a non-existent four-membered 1,2-cyclobutadiene, is described. By variation of the cyclopentadienyl ligand of the titanocene precursor it was possible to stabilise this highly exotic compound which selectively reacts with ketones and aldehydes to yield enynes by oxygen transfer to titanium. Analysis of the bonding and electronic structure of the metallacycle shows that the complex is best described as an unusual antiferromagnetically coupled biradicaloid system, possessing a formal Ti(iii) centre coordinated with a monoanionic radical ligand. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.