Microwave-Assisted Heterogeneous Cross-Coupling Reactions Catalyzed by Nickel-in-Charcoal (Ni/C)

Biaryl Coupling of Aryldiazonium Salts and Arylboronic Acids Catalysed by Gold

A gold-catalysed coupling of aryldiazonium salts with arylboronic acids is described. The reactions proceed in satisfactory yields under irradiation with blue LEDs in the presence of KF and a catalytic amount of ascorbic acid. Notably, 4-nitrobenzendiazonium tetrafluoro­borate is sufficiently reactive to undergo the coupling with a variety of arylboronic acids in the absence of aryl radical initiators. The coupling is applicable for electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups present at the para, ortho, and meta positions of both substrates.

Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Aryl 2-Pyridyl Ethers with Organozinc Reagents: Removal of the Directing Group via Cleavage of the Carbon-Oxygen Bonds

Reaction of aryl 2-pyridyl ethers with arylzinc reagents under catalysis of NiCl₂(PCy₃)₂ affords aryl-aryl cross-coupling products via selective cleavage of C_Ar-OPy bonds. The reaction features a wide substrate range and good compatibility of functional groups. β-H-free alkylzinc reagents are also applicable as the nucleophiles in the transformation, whereas β-H-containing alkylzinc reagents lead to a mixture of cross-coupling and hydrogenation products.

Computational Approach to Molecular Catalysis by 3d Transition Metals: Challenges and Opportunities

Computational chemistry provides a versatile toolbox for studying mechanistic details of catalytic reactions and holds promise to deliver practical strategies to enable the rational in silico catalyst design. The versatile reactivity and nontrivial electronic structure effects, common for systems based on 3d transition metals, introduce additional complexity that may represent a particular challenge to the standard computational strategies. In this review, we discuss the challenges and capabilities of modern electronic structure methods for studying the reaction mechanisms promoted by 3d transition metal molecular catalysts. Particular focus will be placed on the ways of addressing the multiconfigurational problem in electronic structure calculations and the role of expert bias in the practical utilization of the available methods. The development of density functionals designed to address transition metals is also discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the methods that account for solvation effects and the multicomponent nature of practical catalytic systems. This is followed by an overview of recent computational studies addressing the mechanistic complexity of catalytic processes by molecular catalysts based on 3d metals. Cases that involve noninnocent ligands, multicomponent reaction systems, metal-ligand and metal-metal cooperativity, as well as modeling complex catalytic systems such as metal-organic frameworks are presented. Conventionally, computational studies on catalytic mechanisms are heavily dependent on the chemical intuition and expert input of the researcher. Recent developments in advanced automated methods for reaction path analysis hold promise for eliminating such human-bias from computational catalysis studies. A brief overview of these approaches is presented in the final section of the review. The paper is closed with general concluding remarks.

Ni nanoparticles on RGO as reusable heterogeneous catalyst: effect of Ni particle size and intermediate composite structures in C-S cross-coupling reaction

The present work demonstrates the C–S cross-coupling reaction between aryl halides and thiols using nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) supported on reduced graphene oxide (Ni/RGO) as a heterogeneous catalyst. It is observed that the uniformly dispersed Ni NPs supported on RGO could exhibit excellent catalytic activity in C–S cross-coupling reactions and the catalytic application is generalized with diverse coupling partners. Although the electron-rich planar RGO surface helps in stabilizing the agglomeration-free Ni NPs, the catalytic process is found to occur involving Ni(II) species and the recovered catalyst containing both Ni(0)/Ni(II) species is equally efficient in recycle runs. A correlation of loading of Ni species, size of NPs and the intermediate Ni-related heterostructures formed during the catalytic process has been established for the first time, and found to be best in the C–S cross-coupling reaction for Ni(0) and Ni(II) NPs of the average sizes 11–12 nm and 4 nm, respectively.

Magnetically retrievable silica-based nickel nanocatalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

A new magnetically recoverable silica-based nickel nanocatalyst was synthesized, characterized and applied for the first time as a catalyst in Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction.

Bioinspired amphiphilic phosphate block copolymers as non-fluoride materials to prevent dental erosion

Inspired by the fact that certain natural proteins, e.g. casein phosphopeptide or amelogenin, are able to prevent tooth erosion (mineral loss) and to enhance tooth remineralization, a synthetic amphiphilic diblock copolymer, containing a hydrophilic methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate block (MOEP) and a hydrophobic methyl methacrylate block (MMA), was designed as a novel non-fluoride agent to prevent tooth erosion under acidic conditions. The structure of the polymer, synthesized by reversible addition-fragment transfer (RAFT) polymerization, was confirmed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). While the hydrophilic PMOEP block within the amphiphilic block copolymer strongly binds to the enamel surface, the PMMA block forms a hydrophobic shell to prevent acid attack on tooth enamel, thus preventing/reducing acid erosion. The polymer treatment not only effectively decreased the mineral loss of hydroxyapatite (HAP) by 36-46% compared to the untreated control, but also protected the surface morphology of the enamel specimen following exposure to acid. Additionally, experimental results confirmed that low pH values and high polymer concentrations facilitate polymer binding. Thus, the preliminary data suggests that this new amphiphilic diblock copolymer has the potential to be used as a non-fluoride ingredient for mouth-rinse or toothpaste to prevent/reduce tooth erosion.

Suzuki Cross-Coupling of Aryl Halides with Phenylboronic Acid Catalysed by an Amidoxime Fibres-Nickel(0) Complex

Amidoxime fibres–nickel(0) complexes [Ni(0)–AOFs] were synthesised by combining a Ni2+-solution with amidoxime fibres and reduced by NaH2PO2. The Ni(0)–AOFs are inexpensive phosphine-free recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for the Suzuki coupling reaction of aryl halides with phenylboronic acid to provide the corresponding biphenyls in high yields. The heterogeneous catalyst can be readily recovered by simple filtration and reused several times without significant loss of activity.

Efficient Negishi coupling reactions of aryl chlorides catalyzed by binuclear and mononuclear nickel-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

We describe the first nickel-N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed Negishi cross-coupling reaction of a variety of unactivated aryl chlorides, heterocyclic chlorides, aryl dichlorides, and vinyl chloride. The mononuclear and binuclear nickel-NHC complexes supported by heteroarene-functionalized NHC ligands are found to be highly efficient for the coupling of unactivated aryl chlorides and organozinc reagents, leading to biaryls and terphenyls in good to excellent yields under mild conditions. For all aryl chlorides, the binuclear nickel catalysts show activities higher than those of mononuclear nickel complexes because of possible bimetallic cooperative effect.

Copper + nickel-in-charcoal (Cu-Ni/C): a bimetallic, heterogeneous catalyst for cross-couplings

A new heterogeneous catalyst composed of copper and nickel oxide particles supported within charcoal has been developed. It catalyzes cross-couplings that traditionally use palladium, nickel, or copper, including Suzuki-Miyaura reactions, Buchwald-Hartwig aminations, vinylalane alkylations, etherifications of aryl halides, aryl halide reductions, asymmetric conjugate reductions of activated olefins, and azide-alkyne "click" reactions.

Microwave dielectric heating in synthetic organic chemistry

First described more than two decades ago, microwave-assisted organic synthesis has matured from a laboratory curiosity to an established technique that today is heavily used in both academia and industry. One of the most valuable advantages of using controlled microwave dielectric heating for chemical synthesis is the dramatic reduction in reaction times: from days and hours to minutes and seconds. As will be explained in this tutorial review, there are many more good reasons why organic chemists are nowadays incorporating dedicated microwave reactors into their daily work routine.

Heterogeneous multifunctional catalysts for tandem processes: an approach toward sustainability

The development of sustainable organometallic chemistry is one of the many challenges that chemists must address to solve environmental issues. Until now, the classical approach was to develop highly selective homogeneous catalysts for a single transformation. However, a new area of research focuses on the execution of two or more reactions in the same vessel using heterogeneous multitask catalysts. This approach results in a reduced number of operations leading to time and cost benefits. Moreover, owing to the scarcity of natural resources and the recent dramatic cost increase of these resources and metals, the development of recyclable heterogeneous catalysts is urgent. This Minireview focuses on the latest developments in tandem reactions promoted by heterogeneous multitask catalysts.

Efficient Cross-Coupling of Aryl Chlorides with Arylzinc Reagents Catalyzed by Amido Pincer Complexes of Nickel

The nickel-catalyzed Negishi cross-coupling reaction of aryl chlorides with arylzinc compounds was investigated. The nickel complexes with the amido pincer type of ligands exhibited high catalytic activity and good functional group tolerance.

Copper-in-Charcoal (Cu/C) Promoted Diaryl Ether Formation

Copper impregnated into charcoal efficiently catalyzes cross-couplings between aryl bromides and phenols. The etherifications were conveniently promoted by microwave heating. [structure: see text]