Mechanistic Investigation of the Ce(III) Chloride Photoredox Catalysis System: Understanding the Role of Alcohols as Additives

Photocatalytic C-H activation is an emerging area of research. While cerium chloride photocatalysts have been extensively studied, the role of alcohol additives in these systems remains a subject of ongoing discussion. It was demonstrated that the photocatalyst [NEt4]2[CeIVCl6] (1) produces •Cl and added alcohols exhibit zero-order kinetics. Prior studies by other researchers suggested that 1 and alcohols lead to cerium alkoxide [Ce-OR] and alkoxy radical intermediates. To understand these seemingly divergent mechanistic proposals, an expanded investigation comparing cerium(IV) catalyst 1 and cerium(III) complex [NEt4]3[CeIIICl6] (2), which exhibit markedly different reactivity and C-H selectivity, is disclosed. Our findings reveal that alcohol additives accelerate the conversion of cerium(III) to cerium(IV) catalysts, forming key intermediates such as [NEt4]2[CeIIICl5(HOCH3)] (5) and [NEt4]2[CeIVCl5(OCH3)] (6), driven by excited-state di-tert-butyl azodicarboxylate under blue light irradiation. The active complex 6 releases the •OCH3 radical, in sharp contrast to •Cl radicals initiated by cerium(IV) photoredox catalyst 1. These different reactivity and selectivity profiles can be understood in the context of complex 5 generation and in situ formation of base to afford complex 6. Experimental validation shows enhanced selectivity toward C-H bonds with different reactivity with catalyst 1 and methanol upon the addition of base and decreased selectivity with catalyst 2 and methanol upon the addition of acid. These findings unify the previously contrasting observations of cerium halide/alkoxide photocatalytic systems and provide a comprehensive understanding on the essential role of base/acid and alcohol in selectivity and reactivity.

Energy transfer-mediated multiphoton synergistic excitation for selective C(sp3)-H functionalization with coordination polymer

Activation and selective oxidation of inert C(sp3)-H bonds remain one of the most challenging tasks in current synthetic chemistry due to the inherent inertness of C(sp3)-H bonds. In this study, inspired by natural monooxygenases, we developed a coordination polymer with naphthalenediimide (NDI)-based ligands and binuclear iron nodes. The mixed-valence FeIIIFeII species and chlorine radicals (Cl•) are generated via ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) between FeIII and chlorine ions. These Cl• radicals abstract a hydrogen atom from the inert C(sp3)-H bond of alkanes via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). In addition, NDI converts oxygen to 1O2 via energy transfer (EnT), which then coordinates to FeII, forming an FeIV = O intermediate for the selective oxidation of C(sp3)-H bonds. This synthetic platform, which combines photoinduced EnT, LMCT and HAT, provides a EnT-mediated parallel multiphoton excitation strategy with kinetic synergy effect for selective C(sp3)-H oxidation under mild conditions and a blueprint for designing coordination polymer-based photocatalysts for C(sp3)-H bond oxidation.

Periodic Trends in Intra-ionic Excited State Quenching by Halide

The preassociation of reactants in a photoinitiated redox reaction through the use of noncovalent interactions can have a significant impact on excited state reactivity. As these noncovalent interactions render some stabilization to the associated species, they impact the kinetics and thermodynamics of photoinitiated electron transfer. Reported herein is a novel iridium(III) photocatalyst, equipped with an anion-sensitive, amide-substituted bipyridine ligand, and its reactivity with the halides (X = I-, Br-, Cl-) in acetonitrile and dichloromethane. A noteworthy periodic trend was observed, where the size and electron affinity dramatically altered the observed photoredox behavior. The binding affinity for the halides increased with decreasing ionic radius (Keq ∼103 to >106) in a polar medium but association was stoichiometric for each halide in a nonpolar medium. Evidence for the static quenching of iodide and bromide is presented while dynamic quenching was observed with all halides. These results highlight how the photophysics of halide adducts and the thermodynamics of intra-ionic photo-oxidation are impacted as a consequence of preassociation of a quencher through hydrogen bonding.

Three derivatives of phenacyldiphenylphosphine oxide: influence of aromatic and alkyl substituents on the luminescence sensitization of four Ln(NO3)3 salts

A series of four β-carbonylphosphine oxide compounds have been synthesized, and their complexes with the nitrate salts of Sm3+, Eu3+, Tb3+ and Dy3+ have been characterized in solution and in the solid state. Analysis of the complexes using IR and NMR suggests that metal-ligand binding occurs mainly through the phosphine oxide group of the ligand, with some involvement of the carbonyl group. All 16 complexes luminesce in solutions of acetonitrile, albeit with varying degrees of intensity. The highest quantum yield values obtained for this series are those where the ligand contains an aryl carbonyl group paired with an electron rich phosphine oxide group (29.8 and 11% for the Tb3+ and Eu3+ complexes, respectively). In contrast, the longest emission lifetime values were found for complexes where the ligand contains a bulky substituent on the carbonyl group paired with an electron rich phosphine oxide (1.86, 1.402, 0.045 ms for the Tb3+, Eu3+ and Sm3+ complexes, respectively).

A Plant Dye for Photocatalytic Methane Conversion

A metal-free natural dye has been developed to selectively convert methane to methyl trifluoroacetate (CH3 TFA) using visible light, probably due to the formation of a chloride-bridged dimer undergoing fast intra-complex charge transfer.

Nanosecond Intra-Ionic Chloride Photo-Oxidation

Transition-metal photocatalysts capable of oxidizing chloride are rare yet serve as an attractive means to controllably generate chlorine atoms, which have continued to garner the interest of researchers for notable applications in photoredox catalysis and solar energy storage. Herein, a new series of four Ir-photocatalysts with different dicationic chloride-sequestering ligands were synthesized and characterized to probe the relationship between chloride binding affinities, ion pair solution structures, and rate constants for chloride photo-oxidation in acetonitrile at room temperature. The substituents on the quaternary amines of dicationic bipyridine ligands had negligible effects on the photocatalyst excited-state reduction potential, yet dramatically influenced the affinity for chloride binding, indicating that synthetic design can be utilized to independently tune these important properties. An inverse correlation was observed between the equilibrium constant for chloride ion pairing and the rate constant for intra-ionic chloride oxidation. Exceptions to this trend suggest structural differences in the ion-paired solution structures, which were probed by 1H NMR binding experiments. This study provides new insights into light-induced oxidation of ion-paired substrates, a burgeoning approach that offers to circumvent diffusional constraints of photocatalysts with short excited-state lifetimes. Ground-state association of chloride with these photocatalysts enables intra-ionic chloride oxidation on a rapid nanosecond timescale.

Controlled monodefluorination and alkylation of C(sp3)-F bonds by lanthanide photocatalysts: importance of metal-ligand cooperativity

The controlled functionalization of a single fluorine in a CF3 group is difficult and rare. Photochemical C-F bond functionalization of the sp3-C-H bond in trifluorotoluene, PhCF3, is achieved using catalysts made from earth-abundant lanthanides, (CpMe4)2Ln(2-O-3,5- t Bu2-C6H2)(1-C{N(CH)2N(iPr)}) (Ln = La, Ce, Nd and Sm, CpMe4 = C5Me4H). The Ce complex is the most effective at mediating hydrodefluorination and defluoroalkylative coupling of PhCF3 with alkenes; addition of magnesium dialkyls enables catalytic C-F bond cleavage and C-C bond formation by all the complexes. Mechanistic experiments confirm the essential role of the Lewis acidic metal and support an inner-sphere mechanism of C-F activation. Computational studies agree that coordination of the C-F substrate is essential for C-F bond cleavage. The unexpected catalytic activity for all members is made possible by the light-absorbing ability of the redox non-innocent ligands. The results described herein underscore the importance of metal-ligand cooperativity, specifically the synergy between the metal and ligand in both light absorption and redox reactivity, in organometallic photocatalysis.