Heteroleptic copper(I) complexes with coumarin-substituted aminodiphosphine and diimine ligands: synthesis and photophysical studies

The synthesis of heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes with coumarin-functionalized aminodiphosphine and diimine ligands is described. The complexes show yellow to deep-red phosphorescence in the solid state at ambient temperature with quantum yields up to 21%. The emission color of the complexes can be tuned by systematic modifications in the ligand system.

Halogen-induced Core Structural Evolution of Four Dinuclear Copper(Ι) Luminescent Coordination Compounds

Reaction of [Cu(CH3CN)4]ClO4 and 2-(diphenylphosphino) pyridine (dppy) along with different halogen reagents NH4X (X = Cl-, Br- and I-), four luminescent di-copper(I) coordination compounds, namely [Cu2(μ-dppy)3Cl]ClO4·H2O (1a), [Cu2(μ-dppy)3Br]ClO4 (2a), Cu2(μ-Br)2(μ-dppy)(η-dppy)2...

Computational exploration of copper catalyzed vinylogous aerobic oxidation of unsaturated compounds

Selective oxidation is one of the most important and challenging transformations in both academic research and chemical industry. Recently, a highly selective and efficient way to synthesize biologically active γ-hydroxy-α,β-unsaturated molecules from Cu-catalyzed vinylogous aerobic oxidation of α,β- and β,γ-unsaturated compounds has been developed. However, the detailed reaction mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we report a density functional theory study on this Cu-catalyzed vinylogous aerobic oxidation of γ,γ-disubstituted α,β- and β,γ-unsaturated isomers. Our computational study unveils detailed mechanism for each elementary step, i.e. deprotonation, O2 activation, and reduction. Besides, the origin of regioselectivity, divergent reactivities of substrates as well as reducing agents, and the byproduct generation have also been investigated. Notably, the copper catalyst retains the + 2 oxidation state through the whole catalytic cycle and plays essential roles in multiple steps. These findings would provide hints on mechanistic studies and future development of transition metal-catalyzed aerobic oxidation reactions.