Tunable Metal-Free Imidazole-Benzimidazole Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Aqueous Solutions

A series of metal-free imidazole-benzimidazole catalysts (ImBenz-H, ImBenz-NO2 , ImBenz-OCH3 ) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared. We demonstrate that the electrocatalytic O2 reduction by ImBenz-NO2 with the electron-withdrawing group showed high selectivity toward H2 O with the number of electrons transferred (n=3.7) in a neutral aqueous solution. The highest ORR selectivity toward H2 O2 was achieved using ImBenz-H (n=2.4) in an alkaline solution. Electrochemical studies of reaction kinetics disclosed that the highest turnover frequencies were obtained from ImBenz-H in both neutral and alkaline aqueous solutions. The results prove that the ORR selectivity is tunable by modulating the substituent of the ImBenz catalysts. Furthermore, DFT calculations suggested that the ORR mechanism of ImBenz-H involves the electron transfer from imidazole-benzimidazole to O2 resulting in the formation of H2 O2 which supports the redox active properties of the catalysts ImBenz.

Copper Complexes with N,N,N-Tridentate Quinolinyl Anilido-Imine Ligands: Synthesis and Their Catalytic Application in Chan-Lam Reactions

The treatment of 2-(ArNC(H))C6H4-HNC9H6N with n-BuLi and the subsequent addition of CuCl2 afforded the anilido-aldimine Cu(II) complexes 1-5 Cu[{2-[ArN=C(H)]C6H4}N(8-C9H6N)]Cl (Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3 (1), 2,4,6-(CH3)3C6H2 (2), 4-OCH3C6H4 (3), 4-BrC6H4 (4), 4-ClC6H4 (5)), respectively. All the copper complexes were fully characterized by IR, EPR and HR-MS spectra. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 2 and 4 are mononuclear complexes, and the Cu atom is sitting in a slightly square-planar geometry. These Cu(II) complexes have exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the Chan-Lam coupling reactions of benzimidazole derivatives with arylboronic acids, achieving the highest yields of up to 96%.

A turn-on bis-BODIPY chemosensor for copper recognition based on the in situ generation of a benzimidazole–triazole receptor and its applications in bioimaging

A bis-BODIPY-based fluorescent probe (BODIPY-NN) is developed for Cu2+ detection in aqueous solutions and living cells. The sensing mechanism is based on the in situ generation of a benzimidazole–triazole receptor induced by Cu2+ ions.

Unusual Effect of Impurities on the Spectral Characterization of 1,2,3-Triazoles Synthesized by the Cu-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Click Reaction

The analysis of products synthesized by Cu-catalyzed click reactions can be complicated due to the presence of metal impurities in isolated substances, which may "selectively" distort some signals in NMR spectra. Such a pronounced impurity effect was found in both ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra for a number of 1,4-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. Recording of the full undistorted spectra is possible with additional product treatment, with more thorough purification, or by recording the spectra at low temperatures. The reasons for the distortion and disappearance of signals have been thoroughly studied; it was shown that impurities of paramagnetic metal ions in small amounts lead to this effect. Here, we want to deliver a warning message to the community: when all NMR signals in a spectrum are distorted, this situation is easy to detect. However, if only a few signals are "selectively" removed by impurities and the rest of the spectrum appears normal, this situation is much harder to notice. Therefore, incorrect conclusions about chemical structure may be obtained. Here, we demonstrated the example of Cu²⁺ ions, but one may anticipate a similar effect for other paramagnetic metal contaminants if the organic molecule has a functional group capable of coordination (heteroatom or a multiple bond).

1,2-Disubstituted Benzimidazoles by the Iron Catalyzed Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of Isomeric o-Phenylenediamine Substrates

Benzimidazoles are common in nature, medicines, and materials. Numerous strategies for preparing 2-arylbenzimidazoles exist. In this work, 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles were prepared from various mono- and disubstituted ortho-phenylenediamines (OPD) by iron-catalyzed oxidative coupling. Specifically, O₂ and FeCl₃·6H₂O catalyzed the cross-dehydrogenative coupling and aromatization of diarylmethyl and dialkyl benzimidazole precursors. N,N'-Disubstituted-OPD substrates were significantly more reactive than their N,N-disubstituted isomers, which appears to be relative to their propensity for complexation and charge transfer with Fe³⁺. The reaction also converted N-monosubstituted OPD substrates to 2-substituted benzimidazoles; however, electron-poor substrates produce 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles by intermolecular imino-transfer. Kinetic, reagent, and spectroscopic (UV-vis and EPR) studies suggest a mechanism involving metal-substrate complexation, charge transfer, and aerobic turnover, involving high-valent Fe(IV) intermediates. Overall, comparative strategies for the relatively sustainable and efficient synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles are demonstrated.

Influence of catalyst nuclearity on copper-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation

Reactions of CuX with the bis(triazolyl) ligand Hbtm [bis(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)phenylmethanol] in CH2Cl2 afforded trinuclear copper(ii) complexes with a core structure (μ-X)Cu3(μ-κ3-N,O,N-btm)3(L)2+ [X = Cl, L = CH3OH (1); X = Br, L = H2O (2)], while a similar reaction of [Cu(CH3CN)4](PF6) with the mono(triazolyl) ligand HPhtm [(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)diphenylmethanol] resulted in the mononuclear complex [Cu(κ2-N,O-Phtm)(κ2-N,O-HPhtm)(κ1-N-HPhtm)][PF6] (3). The structural characterization of these complexes was made by single-crystal X-ray crystallography in combination with elemental and ESI mass analyses. Catalytic studies toward aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde revealed that the trinuclear 1 and 2 exhibited higher activities than the mononuclear 3 in both CH3CN and EtOH/H2O solvent systems.

Revisiting ring-degenerate rearrangements of 1-substituted-4-imino-1,2,3-triazoles

The 1-substituted-4-imino-1,2,3-triazole motif is an established component of coordination compounds and bioactive molecules, but depending on the substituent identity, it can be inherently unstable due to Dimroth rearrangements. This study examined parameters governing the ring-degenerate rearrangement reactions of 1-substituted-4-imino-1,2,3-triazoles, expanding on trends first observed by L’abbé et al. The efficiency of condensation between 4-formyltriazole and amine reactants as well as the propensity of imine products towards rearrangement was each strongly influenced by the substituent identity. It was observed that unsymmetrical condensation reactions conducted at 70 °C produced up to four imine products via a dynamic equilibrium of condensation, rearrangement and hydrolysis steps. Kinetic studies utilizing 1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbaldehyde with varying amines showed rearrangement rates sensitive to both steric and electronic factors. Such measurements were facilitated by a high throughput colorimetric assay to directly monitor the generation of a 4-nitroaniline byproduct.

Effects of appended hydroxyl groups and ligand chain length on copper coordination and oxidation activity

The effects of appended hydroxyl groups and the chain length of a series of (imino)pyridine ligands on copper coordination and copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols were investigated.