Bifunctional catalysis hydrogenation

With some transition-metal complexes, the ligand is not only an ancillary ligand. Similar to the transition-metal, it takes directly part in the hydrogen transfer process. Such ligand-metal bifunctional hydrogenation catalysis is dramatically changing the face of reduction chemistry (Scheme 9) (for reviews of ligand-metal bifunctional catalysis, see [32, 37 0]). 

Feedstock Reactions Catalyst References Acetone Condensation-hydrogenation (bifunctional catalysis) Pd on sulfonated PS-DVB [6] Methanol, Raffinate II Condensation, hydrogenation Pd on sulfonated PS-DVB [61] Dioxygen dissolved in water Hydrogenation Pd on sulfonated PS-DVB [8]... 

Catalytic Hydrogenations with Metal-Ligand Bifunctional Catalysis... 

The concerted delivery of protons from OH and hydride from RuH found in these Shvo systems is related to the proposed mechanism of hydrogenation of ketones (Scheme 7.15) by a series of ruthenium systems that operate by metal-ligand bifunctional catalysis [86]. A series of Ru complexes reported by Noyori, Ohkuma and coworkers exhibit extraordinary reactivity in the enantioselective hydrogenation of ketones. These systems are described in detail in Chapters 20 and 31, and mechanistic issues of these hydrogenations by ruthenium complexes have been reviewed [87]. 

Dehydrogenation of Imines and Alcohols by Shvo Complexes 191 Catalytic Hydrogenations with Metal-Ligand Bifunctional Catalysis 193... 

One of the systems was found to be very efficient catalyzing enantioface-selective hydrogen transfer reactions to aromatic and in particular to aliphatic ketones with up to 95% ee. Regarding the latter reaction these are unprecedented ee values. The reaction mechanism of these transformations is best described as a metal-ligand bifunctional catalysis passing through a pericyclic-like transition state. 

Under the operating conditions, the reaction intermediates (w-hexenes and i-hexenes in n-hexane isomerization) are thermodynamically very adverse, hence appear only as traces in the products. These intermediates (which are generally olefinic) are highly reactive in acid catalysis, which explains that the rates of bifunctional catalysis transformations are relatively high. The activity, stability, and selectivity of bifunctional zeolite catalysts depend mainly on three parameters the zeolite pore structure, the balance between hydrogenating and acid functions, and their intimacy. In most of the commercial processes, the balance is in favor of the hydrogenation function, that is, the transformations are limited by the acid function. 

This reaction encompasses a number of interesting features (general Brpnsted acid/ Brpnsted base catalysis, bifunctional catalysis, enantioselective organocatalysis, very short hydrogen bonds, similarity to serine protease mechanism, oxyanion hole), and we were able to obtain a complete set of DFT based data for the entire reaction path, from the starting catalyst-substrate complex to the product complex. 

Noyori, R., Yamakawa, M. and Hashiquchi, S. Metal-Ligand Bifunctional Catalysis A Nonclassical Mechanism for Asymmetric Hydrogen Transfer between Alcohols and Carbonyl Compounds. J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 7931-7944. 

A highly enantioselective direct Mannich reaction of simple /V-Boc-aryl and alkyl- imines with malonates and /1-kclo esters has been reported.27 Catalysed by cinchona alkaloids with a pendant urea moiety, bifunctional catalysis is achieved, with the urea providing cooperative hydrogen bonding, and the alkaloid giving chiral induction. With yields and ees up to 99% in dichloromethane (DCM) solvent, the mild air- and moisture-tolerant method opens up a convenient route to jV-Boc-amino acids. 

A chiral Ru hydride 23 is formed and it is assumed that the hydrogen transfer occurs via metal-ligand bifunctional catalysis. The N-H linkage may stabilize a transition state 24 by formation of a hydrogen bond to the nitrogen atom. Stereochemistry is determined by formal discrimination of the enantiofaces at the sp2 nitrogen atom of the cyclic imine. 

Cyclodextrin bis-imidazole catalyzes enolization by a bifunctional mechanism in which the ImH+ is hydrogen-bonded to the carbonyl oxygen while the Im removes the neighboring methyl proton (cf. 50). As expected from this, there was a bell-shaped pH vs. rate profile for the process. In the transition state two protons will move simultaneously, as in the hydrolysis reaction described above. Thus we indeed have a powerful tool to determine the geometric requirements for simultaneous bifunctional catalysis, a tool that could be of quite general use. 

Under hydrogen flow, various reactions can be observed during ethylbenzene transformation over bifunctional Pt/acid catalysts. Some of them occur through bifunctional catalysis (reactions 1, 2, 6), the other through acid (reactions 3,4) or metal catalysis (reaction 5). 

As it is generally the case with bifunctional catalysis processes, the balance between hydrogenating and acid functions determines for a large part the catalyst activity. This was quantitatively shown for series of bifunctional catalysts constituted by mechanical mixtures of a well dispersed Pt/Alumina catalyst and of mordenite samples differing by their acidity and their porosity (25). The balance between hydrogenating and acid functions was taken as nPt/nH+ the ratio between the number of accessible platinum atoms and the number of protonic sites determined by pyridine adsorption. 

The effect of hydrogen spillovo on the cracking of n-hexane on Pt/H-erionite was investigated. Changes in selectivities were found in dependence on the nature of the carrier gas and the presence of metal. An extended model of the bifunctional catalysis involving spilt-over hydrogen is proposed. 

When talking about bifunctional catalysis, one thinks immediately of catalysts possessing metal and acid functions. It is well known that traces of olefins accelerate the acid-catalyzed conversion of hydrocarbons and that such a catalysis usually results in rapid deactivation. More stable catalytic activity for the isomerization of paraffins is achieved by bifunctional catalysis, i.e., the association of a hydrogenation function of a metal with an acidic function of a support. In this case, the amount of olefins is controlled by the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation equilibrium. This topic has received considerable attention and has been earlier reviewed by Weisz [130]. However, bifunctional catalysis cannot be restricted to catalysts composed of metal and support with acid sites, but also with supports possessing acid-base pairs, basic or redox sites [131]. This is illustrated by some upcoming short examples. 

The active sites within the zeolite can be either the intrinsic acid sites or others introduced by ion exchange, etc. The function added most often is hydrogenation-dehydrogenation, which then allows bifunctional catalysis, or alternatively hydrogenation/dehydrogenation alone if the acid site is neutralized with base. 

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