Diastereomeric dinickel(ii) complexes with non-innocent bis(octaazamacrocyclic) ligands: isomerization, spectroelectrochemistry, DFT calculations and use in catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane

Diastereomeric dinickel(ii) complexes with bis-octaazamacrocyclic 15-membered ligands [Ni(L1-3-L1-3)Ni] (4-6) have been prepared by oxidative dehydrogenation of nickel(ii) complexes NiL1-3 (1-3) derived from 1,2- and 1,3-diketones and S-methylisothiocarbohydrazide. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, ESI mass spectrometry, and IR, UV-vis, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) confirmed the isolation of the anti and syn isomers of bis-octaazamacrocyclic dinickel(ii) complexes 4a and 4s, the syn-configuration of 5s and the anti-configuration of the dinickel(ii) complex 6a. Dimerization of prochiral nickel(ii) complexes 1-3 generates two chiral centers at the bridging carbon atoms. The anti-complexes were isolated as meso-isomers (4a and 6a) and the syn-compounds as racemic mixtures of R,R/S,S-enantiomers (4s and 5s). The syn-anti isomerization (epimerization) of the isolated complexes in chloroform was disclosed. The isomerization kinetics of 5a was monitored at five different temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 50 °C by 1H NMR spectroscopy indicating the clean conversion of 5a into 5s. The activation barrier determined from the temperature dependence of the rate constants via the Eyring equation was found to be ΔH‡ = 114 ± 1 kJ mol−1 with activation entropy ΔS‡ = 13 ± 3 J K−1 mol−1. The complexes contain two low-spin nickel(ii) ions in a square-planar coordination environment. The electrochemical behavior of 4a, 4s, 5s and 6a and the electronic structure of the oxidized species were studied by UV-vis-NIR-spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) and DFT calculations indicating the redox non-innocent behavior of the complexes. The dinickel(ii) complexes 4a, 4s, 5s and 6a/6s were investigated as catalysts for microwave-assisted solvent-free oxidation of cyclohexane by tert-butyl hydroperoxide to produce a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol (KA oil). The best value for KA oil yield (16%) was obtained with a mixture of 6a/6s after 2 h of microwave irradiation at 100 °C. © 2022 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Vanadium(V) complexes with substituted 1,5-bis(2- hydroxybenzaldehyde)carbohydrazones and their use as catalyst precursors in oxidation of cyclohexane

Six dinuclear vanadium(V) complexes have been synthesized: NH4[(VO2)(2)((LH)-L-H)] (NH4[1]), NH4[(VO2)(2)((LH)-L-tBu)] (NH4[2]), NH4[(VO2)(2)((LH)-L-Cl)] (NH4[3]), [(VO2)(2)(VO) ((LH)-L-H) (CH3O)] (4), [(VO2) (VO) (t-BuLH) (C2H5O)] (5), and [ (VO2) (VO) (Cl-LH) (CH3O)(CH3OH/H2O)] (6) (where (LH4)-L-H = 1,5-bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)carb ohydrazon e, t-BuLH4 = 1,5-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) carbohydrazone, and (LH4)-L-cl = 1,5-bis(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)carbohydrazone). The structures of NH4[1] and 4-6 have been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. In all complexes, the triply deprotonated ligand accommodates two V ions, using two different binding sites ONN and ONO separated by a diazine unit -N-N-. In two pockets of NH4[1], two identical VO2+ entities are present, whereas, in those of 4-6, two different VO2+ and VO3+ are bound. The highest oxidation state of V ions was corroborated by X-ray data, indicating the presence of alkoxido ligand bound to VO3+ in 4-6, charge density measurements on 4, magnetic susceptibility, NMR spectroscopy, spectroelectrochemistry, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. All four complexes characterized by XRD form dimeric associates in the solid state, which, however, do not remain intact in solution. Compounds NH4[1], NH4[2], and 4-6 were applied as alternative selective homogeneous catalysts for the industrially significant oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. The peroxidative (with tert-butyl hydroperoxide, TBHP) oxidation of cyclohexane was performed under solvent -free and additive -free conditions and under low-power microwave (MW) irradiation. Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone were the only products obtained (high selectivity), after 1.5 h of MW irradiation. Theoretical calculations suggest a key mechanistic role played by the carbohydrazone ligand, which can undergo reduction, instead of the metal itself, to form an active reduced form of the catalyst.PTDC/QEQERQ/1648/2014PTDC/QEQ-QIN/3967/2014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio