Catalytic cycles supported

Other metals can also be used as a catalytic species. For example, Feringa and coworkers <96TET3521> have reported on the epoxidation of unfunctionalized alkenes using dinuclear nickel(II) catalysts (i.e., 16). These slightly distorted square planar complexes show activity in biphasic systems with either sodium hypochlorite or t-butyl hydroperoxide as a terminal oxidant. No enantioselectivity is observed under these conditions, supporting the idea that radical processes are operative. In the case of hypochlorite, Feringa proposed the intermediacy of hypochlorite radical as the active species, which is generated in a catalytic cycle (Scheme 1). 

The discovery of a new heterodinuclear active site in [NiFe] hydro-genases opens the way for the proposal of catalytic cycles based on the available spectroscopic data on the different active site redox states, namely EXAFS studies that reveal that the Ni-edge energy upon reduction of the enzyme supports an increase in the charge density of the nickel (191). 

The above-postulated overall mechanism considers two alternative pathways depending on the nature of the acetylene derivative. Region A outlines a proposal in which the formation of the a-complex intermediate is supported by the fact that the treatment of aliphatic terminal acetylenes with FeCl3 led to 2-chloro-l-alkenes or methyl ketones (Scheme 12). The catalytic cycle outlined in region B invoked the formation of the oxetene. Any attempt to control the final balance of the obtained... 

The proposed catalytic cycle is shown in Scheme 31. Hence, FeCl2 is reduced by magnesium and subsequently coordinates both to the 1,3-diene and a-olefin (I III). The oxidative coupling of the coordinated 1,3-diene and a-olefin yields the allyl alkyl iron(II) complex IV. Subsequently, the 7i-a rearrangement takes place (IV V). The syn-p-hydride elimination (Hz) gives the hydride complex VI from which the C-Hz bond in the 1,4-addition product is formed via reductive elimination with regeneration of the active species II to complete the catalytic cycle. Deuteration experiments support this mechanistic scenario (Scheme 32). 

The catalytic cycle, which is supported by stoichiometric and labeling experiments, is shown in Scheme 38. Loss of 2 equiv. of N2 from 5 affords the active species a. Reaction of a with the 1,6-enyne gives the metallacycle complex b. Subsequently, b reacts with H2 to give the alkenyl hydride complex c or the alkyl hydride complex d. Finally, reductive elimination constructs the C-H bond in the cyclization product and regenerates intermediate a to complete the catalytic cycle. 

The carbonate species seen on the supports irrespective of the presence of Pt do not seem to play a key role in the catalytic cycle. 

The catalytic cycle in Fig. 18.20 also rationalizes the potential-dependent av of series 2 catalysts (Fig. 18.19). The primary partially reduced oxygen species was determined to be superoxide, 02, by using 02 scavengers incorporated in catalytic films. Superoxide is produced by autoxidation, i.e., heterolysis of the Fe-O bond in the ferric-superoxo intermediate [Shikama, 1998], probably induced by protonation of the terminal O atom in bound O2. The hypothesis of protonation-assisted autoxidation was supported by the observation that av at the rising part of catalytic curves was smaller in acidic media (more superoxide was produced), whereas no partially reduced oxygen species were detected at any potentials in basic (pH > 8) electrolytes. The autoxidation rate constant at pH 7 was estimated to be 0.03 s (for the Fe-only forms of series 2 catalysts) and <0.01 s for the FeCu forms. 

Scheme 14 Top Plausible catalytic cycle as supported by deuterium labeling. Bottom ESI mass spectrum of a reaction mixture aliquot diluted 5000-fold in methanol from the hydrogen-mediated coupling of gaseous acetylene to an a-ketoester (Ar = p-N02Ph)...

Extensive studies have established that the catalytic cycle for the reduction of hydroperoxides by horseradish peroxidase is the one depicted in Figure 6 (38). The resting enzyme interacts with the peroxide to form an enzyme-substrate complex that decomposes to alcohol and an iron-oxo complex that is two oxidizing equivalents above the resting state of the enzyme. For catalytic turnover to occur the iron-oxo complex must be reduced. The two electrons are furnished by reducing substrates either by electron transfer from substrate to enzyme or by oxygen transfer from enzyme to substrate. Substrate oxidation by the iron-oxo complex supports continuous hydroperoxide reduction. When either reducing substrate or hydroperoxide is exhausted, the catalytic cycle stops. 

Insertion of the alkyne into the Pd-H bond is the first step in the proposed catalytic cycle (Scheme 8), followed by insertion of the alkene and /3-hydride elimination to yield either the 1,4-diene (Alder-ene) or 1,3-diene product. The results of a deuterium-labeling experiment performed by Trost et al.46 support this mechanism. 1H NMR studies revealed 13% deuterium incorporation in the place of Ha, presumably due to exchange of the acetylenic proton, and 32% deuterium incorporation in the place of Hb (Scheme 9). An alternative Pd(n)-Pd(iv) mechanism involving palladocycle 47 (Scheme 10) has been suggested for Alder-ene processes not involving a hydridopalladium species.47 While the palladium acetate and hydridopalladium acetate systems both lead to comparable products, support for the existence of a unique mechanism for each catalyst is derived from the observation that in some cases the efficacies of the catalysts differ dramatically.46... 

The proposed catalytic cycle of the ruthenium-catalyzed intermolecular Alder-ene reaction is shown in Scheme 21 (cycle A) and proceeds via ruthenacyclopentane 100. Support for this mechanism is derived from the observation that the intermediate can be trapped intramolecularly by an alcohol or amine nucleophile to form the corresponding five-or six-membered heterocycle (Scheme 21, cycle B and Equation (66)).74,75 Four- and seven-membered rings cannot be formed via this methodology, presumably because the competing /3-hydride elimination is faster than interception of the transition state for these substrates, 101 and 102, only the formal Alder-ene product is observed (Equations (67) and (68)). 

A variety of six-membered carbocycles and heterocycles were synthesized by Shibata et al.81 using Wilkinson s catalyst (Equation (79)). The proposed catalytic cycle (Scheme 24) rationalizes the exclusive formation of the (Z)-isomer. Additionally, the mechanism is supported by the results of a isotope-labeling study reported by Brummond... 

Since the vinylcarbenes la-c and the aryl substituted carbene (pre)catalyst Id, in the first turn of the catalytic cycle, both afford methylidene complex 3 as the propagating species in solution, their application profiles are essentially identical. Differences in the rate of initiation are relevant in polymerization reactions, but are of minor importance for RCM to which this chapter is confined. Moreover, the close relationship between 1 and the ruthenium allenylidene complexes 2 mentioned above suggests that the scope and limitations of these latter catalysts will also be quite similar. Although this aspect merits further investigations, the data compiled in Table 1 clearly support this view. 

Stable structures are best supported by chelating dithiolate ligands. The monodentate PhS- ligand gives some analogous compounds, but they have proved less stable throughout repeated catalytic cycles. The dithiols from which the chelates used in these studies have been derived are 2-(mercaptomethyl)thiophenol, 1,2-ethane dithiol and 1,3-propane dithiol. 

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