No description available.

No description available.

The binding of molecular hydrogen to a metal center leads to the elongation of the H−H bond and subsequently to its cleavage along the reaction coordinate for the oxidative addition of H2. There has been considerable interest in the study of the activation of dihydrogen and map out the reaction coordinate for the homolysis of H2 on a metal center. A large number of H2 complexes reported to date possess H−H distances ranging from 0.8 to 1.0 Å. A relatively fewer examples of elongated dihydrogen complexes wherein the H−H distances fall in the range of 1.0 to 1.5 Å, are known. Study of the elongated dihydrogen complexes is of great significance because of its relevance in important catalytic processes such as hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, and hydroformylation. Objectives The objectives of this work are as follows: (a) Synthesis and characterization of elongated dihydrogen complexes with chelating phosphine coligands by varying the electron donor ability. (b) Trap the various intermediate states in the process of oxidative addition of H2 to a metal center. (c) Map the reaction coordinate for the oxidative addition for the oxidative addition of H2 to a metal center. Results We have synthesized and characterized two new elongated dihydrogen complexes cis-[Ir(H)(η2-S2CH)(η2-H2)(PR3)2][BF4] (PR3 = PCy3, PPh3) wherein hydrogen atom undergoes site exchange between the H2 and the hydride sites. The dynamics of the exchange was studied using NMR spectroscopy. In addition, a series of ruthenium dihydrogen complexes of the type trans-[Ru(Cl)(η2-H2)(PP)][BF4] (PP = 1,2- Synopsis bis(diarylphosphino)ethane) has been synthesized and characterized wherein the aryl group is a benzyl moiety with a substituent (p-fluoro, H, m-methyl, p-methyl, p-isopropyl); in this series of complexes, a small increment in the electron donor ability (decrease in Hammett substituent constants) of the chelating phosphine ligand resulted in an elongation of the H−H bond by a small, yet significant amount. We also synthesized a series of 16-electron dicationic dihydrogen complexes bearing elongated dihydrogen ligand. In addition, we prepared a series of dihydrogen complexes of the type [RuCp/Cp*(PP)(η2-H2)][OTf] (PP = 1,2-bis(diarylphosphino)ethane, 1,2-bis(diarylphosphino)methane, 1,2-bis(dialkylphosphino)methane) bearing elongated H2 ligand (dHH = 1.0 to 1.17 Å); in this series of complexes as well, we found that the H−H bond distances increased as the donor ability of the chelating phosphines increased in small increments, along the reaction coordinate for the oxidative addition of H2 to a metal center. This investigation therefore, has established a very nice correlation between the H−H bond lengths and the Hammett substitutent constants (donor properties) resulting in the construction of dihydrogen complexes along the reaction coordinate for the oxidative addition of H2 to a metal center.

The bite angle of a diphosphine ligand plays an important role in determining the reactivity of a transition metal complex. The coordinated dihydrogen on a transition metal center can be activated toward homolysis or heterolysis depending upon the nature of the metal center and the ancillary ligand environment. The present work deals with our investigations on the effect of the bite angle of the chelating diphosphine ligands in the chemistry of certain ruthenium hydride and dihydrogen complexes. Protonation of the ds-[Ru(H)2(dppm)(PPh3)2] (dppm = Ph2PCH2PPh2) using HBF4-Et2O resulted in the dihydrogen/hydride complex trans-(Formula). This species shows dynamic exchange of the H-atom between the dihydrogen and the hydride ligands. The H-atom site exchange was studied by NMR spectroscopy. Attempts to prepare the ruthenium dihydride complexes, cis-[Ru(H)2(dppe)(PPh3)2] (dppe = Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2) and cw-[Ru(H)2(dppp)(PPh3)2] (dppp = Ph2PCH2CH2CH2PPh2) with larger bite-angled diphosphines dppe and dppp were unsuccessful. Earlier work in our group on the effect of trans nitrile ligands in a series of complexes of the type (Formula)howed that the properties of the bound H2 are almost invariant with a change in the R group of the nitrile. hi an effort to compare those results with analogous ruthenium complexes bearing smaller bite-angled diphosphine, dppm, we synthesized and characterized a series of complexes of the type (Formula). We found that the properties of the bound H2 were once again invariant with a change in the R group of the nitrile. In an effort to compare the effect of having two diphosphine ligands of different bite angles with systems containing symmetrical diphosphine ligands reported by our group,3 we synthesized a series of complexes of the type (Formula). These complexes exhibit hybrid properties in comparison to systems with symmetrical diphosphine ligands in terms of spectroscopic features and chemical reactivity. Thus, the bite angle of the diphosphine ligand has a definite influence on the properties of the bound H2 ligand.

Our aim was to develop the synthetic potential and reaction chemistry of Ir3+ and Ru2+ electrophiles by preparing well-characterized complexes whose properties are controllable by modification of the ancillary ligand environment Specifically, we prepared a series of ruthenium complexes to serve as selective hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis catalysts of furan derivatives. We also expanded the synthesis of electrophilic Ir3+ di-thiolate complexes. These types of compounds could eventually serve as catalysts precursors for the addition of weak nucleophiles to alkynes and nitriles.

No description available.

This thesis work is based on an investigation of intermediates involved in various metal mediated catalytic reactions such as hydrogenation, hydroboration, functionalization of methane etc. An intermediate dictates the energetics of the catalytic cycle of these reactions. Therefore, it is important to study such types of intermediates in order to design a better catalyst. These intermediates are called σ-complexes in which a σ-bond is coordinated to the metal center at some stage of the reaction coordinate. These species are rarely stable at ambient conditions which create difficulties in exploring their chemistry. Our aim is to study the effect of ancillary ligands on the coordination properties of a σ-bond ligand. We chose two different classes of σ-complexes – one contains a B–H σ-bond as a ligand, i.e., σ-borane complex and another contains a H–H σ-bond as a ligand, i.e., σ-dihydrogen complex. Both M–H–B and M–H2 interactions are 3-center-2-electron coordination bonds comprised of two bonding components. One is σ-donation, which is present in both and another is π-back donation from the metal center, which is negligible in the σ-borane complexes contrary to the σ-dihydrogen complexes. The bonding characteristics of M–H–B and M–H2 interactions suggest that an electron deficient metal center is necessary to study the σ-borane complexes with reasonable stability. Thus, we selected an early transition metal, i.e., Cr(0) bearing arene and CO ancillary ligands, for studying the σ-borane complexes. On the other hand, the cis-dihydrogen/hydride and cis-dihydrogen chloride complexes were studied on a late transition metal center, i.e., Ru(II) bearing phosphine and N–N bidentate ligands. Ammonia-borane is known to be a potential hydrogen storage material. Therefore, we picked up the catalytic dehydrogenation reaction of this compound and intended to investigate the interaction between a metal center and the BH σ-bonds of amine-boranes. We characterized the σ-borane complexes [(η6-arene)Cr(CO)2(η1-H–BH2•NMe3)] (arene = fluorobenzene, benzene, and mesitylene), and observed an interesting correlation between the electronics and stability of these species. This was the first report of σ-borane systems possessing an η6-arene ligand. A prototype homobimetallic σ-borane complex, [(η6-C6H5CH2NMe2•BH2–HCr(CO)5)Cr(CO)3] was characterized using single crystal X-ray crystallography. An intramolecular σ-borane complex, (η1-(η6-C6H5CH2NMe2•BH2–H))Cr(CO)2 was found to possess an interesting chelation of the η6-arene, and BH coordination sites of its amine-borane moiety with the Cr(0) center. These σ-borane complexes showed an interesting dynamics in the binding interface between the metal center and the borane ligand. Free energy of activation (ΔG#) for this process was estimated to be 30-40 kJ/mol. To explore certain σ-dihydrogen complexes we investigated the chemistry of cis-dihydrogen/hydride complexes of Ru(II) bearing phosphine and N-N bidentate ligands cis,trans-[RuH(η2-H2)(PPh3)2(N-N)][OTf] (N-N = 2, 2′-bipyridyl, 2, 2′-bipyrimidine) in detail. In those cases, we established that the adjacent hydride ligand has large influence on the dihydrogen coordination. The η2-H2 and hydride ligands showed a single 1H NMR spectral signal due to fast site exchange among each other. We established the mechanism and calculated the free energy of activation (ΔG# = 8-13 kJ/mol) of this dynamics. These complexes were found to be stable at ambient conditions although, a labile dihydrogen ligand is present in the coordination sphere of the metal center. In fact, we could obtain the single crystals of cis,trans-[RuH(η2-H2)(PPh3)2(bpy)][OTf]. The molecular structure of a σ-complex in which a σ-bond (before it gets completely formed or broken) acts as a ligand is what fascinates this area in chemistry. A cis-dihydrogen chloride complex, cis,trans-[RuCl(η2-H2)(PPh3)2(bpm)][OTf] was characterized unambiguously using NMR spectroscopy. The H-H distance (dHH) for the η2-H2 ligand of these complexes were estimated to be 0.9-1.0 Å. We attempted to observe some σ-methane species spectroscopically at low temperatures. Unfortunately, these species were quite unstable for exhibiting the NMR spectral signals even at low temperatures. Nevertheless, we investigated the reactivity of cis,trans-[RuHX(PPh3)2(N-N)] (X = H, Cl; N-N = 2, 2′-bipyridyl, 2, 2′-bipyrimidine) towards a methylating agent, CH3OTf. This reaction resulted in methane evolution by the combination of the hydride ligand of a Ru(II) complex and the CH3+ moiety of CH3OTf. This reaction was carried out in a sealed tube inside a NMR probe at ~183 K and monitored for a long period of time; however, the methane bound metal species was not observed. Perhaps, the longevity of this class of σ-methane complex falls below the NMR time scale.