Heterolytic activation

Both modes of hydrogen activation, heterolytic and homolytic, may be achieved either directly or through a two-step mechanism involving the intermediate formation of ri -H2 complexes. 

Next to the rich oxygenation chemistry of Mn in Mn-Pc and Mn-POR complexes, there exists catalytic chemistry of Mn with non-heme-type ligands, mostly bioinspired. In Photosystem II, a non-heme multinuclear Mn redox center allows to oxidize water, while in catalase the active center is a dinuclear Mn species [34], Biomimctic models for these biological redox centers use ligands such as 2,2 -bipyridine (BPY), triaza- and tetraazacycloalkanes and Schiff bases such as Me(Salen) and Mc(saloph) (structure sec below) [23J. Usually, the complexes activate heterolytically peroxides, with Mn valency changes such as ... 

Reactions between cations and anions in the gas phase generally proceed with no activation energy. The simplest example is heterolytic bond dissociation. 

Differentiation between inner- and outer-sphere complexes may be possible on the basis of determination of activation volumes of dediazoniations catalyzed by various metal complexes, similar to the differentiation between heterolytic and homolytic dediazoniations in DMSO made by Kuokkanen, 1989 (see Sec. 8.7). If outer-sphere complexes are involved in a dediazoniation, larger (positive) volumes of activation are expected than those for the comparable reactions with inner-sphere complexes. Such investigations have not been made, however, so far as we are aware. 

Szele and Zollinger (1978 b) have found that homolytic dediazoniation is favored by an increase in the nucleophilicity of the solvent and by an increase in the elec-trophilicity of the P-nitrogen atom of the arenediazonium ion. In Table 8-2 are listed the products of dediazoniation in various solvents that have been investigated in detail. Products obtained from heterolytic and homolytic intermediates are denoted by C (cationic) and R (radical) respectively for three typical substituted benzenediazonium salts and the unsubstituted salt. A borderline case is dediazoniation in DMSO, where the 4-nitrobenzenediazonium ion follows a homolytic mechanism, but the benzenediazonium ion decomposes heterolytically, as shown by product analyses by Kuokkanen (1989) the homolytic process has an activation volume AF = + (6.4 0.4) xlO-3 m-1, whereas for the heterolytic reaction AF = +(10.4 0.4) x 10 3 m-1. Both values are similar to the corresponding activation volumes found earlier in methanol (Kuokkanen, 1984) and in water (Ishida et al., 1970). 

Heterolytic activation of hydrogen by transition metal complexes. P. J. Brothers, Prog. Inorg. Chem., 1981,28,1-61 (168). 

Higher water coverages and the presence of solution both act to lower the barriers to activate water. The intermolecular interactions that result from hydrogen bonding with other water molecules stabilize the activated HO—H complex over the entire dissociation reaction coordinate. For metals with high workfunctions, the aqueous phase can enable heterolytic water activation... 

The results here clearly demonstrate some of the important differences between reactions in the vapor phase and those in the aqueous phase. Water solvates the ions that form and thus enhances the heterolytic bond activation processes. This leads to more significant stabilization of the charged transition and product states over the neutral reactant state. The changes that result in the overall energies and the activation barriers of particular elementary steps can also act to alter the reaction selectivity and change the mechanism. 

The hydrogenation of simple alkenes using cationic rhodium precatalysts has been studied by Osborn and Schrock [46-48]. Although kinetic analyses were not performed, their collective studies suggest that both monohydride- and dihydride-based catalytic cycles operate, and may be partitioned by virtue of an acid-base reaction involving deprotonation of a cationic rhodium(III) dihydride to furnish a neutral rhodium(I) monohydride (Eq. 1). This aspect of the mechanism finds precedent in the stoichiometric deprotonation of cationic rhodium(III) dihydrides to furnish neutral rhodium(I) monohydrides (Eq. 2). The net transformation (H2 + M - X - M - H + HX) is equivalent to a formal heterolytic activation of elemental... 

The reaction of OsHCl(CO)(P Pr3)2 with HC1 gives the dichloro derivative OsCl2( n2-H2)(CO)(PIPr3)2.35 In solution, this complex is stable under argon for a matter of days. However, the dihydrogen unit is highly activated toward heterolytic cleavage, as demonstrated by deprotonation with NaH and by reactions with carbon monoxide and /ert-butyl isocyanide, which afford OsHCl(CO)L(P Pr3)2 (L = CO, r-BuNC) and HC1. 

The manifestation of noncovalent catalysis as a microsolvent effect is illustrated by cycloamylose-catalyzed decarboxylations of activated carboxylic acid anions. Anionic decarboxylations, as illustrated in scheme VII, are generally assumed to proceed by a rate-determining heterolytic... 

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