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The reactivities of Fe(iv) oxido complexes of two pentadentate ligands are related to steric and electronic properties of the ligands.

Converting biomass into value-added chemicals is of significant interest and we report an efficient hydrosilylation to convert levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone using cost-effective silanes such as PMHS and TMDS with B(C6F5)3 as catalyst. This metal free methodology works at room temperature reaching TONs and TOFs up to 16000 and 2000 h−1. Insights into the reaction mechanism are reported.

To enable the large-scale use of hydrogen fuel cells for mobility applications, convenient methods for on-board hydrogen storage and release are required. A promising approach is liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), since these are safe, available on a large scale, and compatible with existing refueling infrastructure. Usually, LOHC dehydrogenation is carried out in batch-type reactors by transition metals and their complexes and suffers from slow H

The synthesis of a new unsymmetrical PCN ligand bearing tert-butyl groups on the phosphorus atom and isopropyl groups on the nitrogen donor atom is presented. It reacts with the commercially availa...

From the reaction of 2-hydroxy-6-methylpyridine (L) with iron(II) tetrafluoroborate, a new mononuclear iron(III) octahedral complex [FeL6](BF4)3 has been isolated. The color of the complex reversibly changed from red at room temperature to yellow-orange at the liquid nitrogen temperature. Magnetization measurements indicate that iron(III) in [FeL6](BF4)3 is in a high-spin state S = 5/2, from room temperature to 1.8 K. The high-spin ground state of iron(III) is also confirmed by DFT calculations. Although the spin-crossover of the complex is not observed, X-band and multifrequency high-field/high-frequency electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy shows rather uncommon iron(III) spectra at room temperature and an unusual change with cooling. Spectral simulations reveal that the S = 5/2 ground state multiplet of the complex can be characterized by the temperature independent axial zero-field splitting parameter of |D| = +2 GHz (0.067 cm−1) while the value of the rhombic parameter E of the order of some tenths MHz increases on lowering the temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) shows that the iron(III) coordination geometry does not change with temperature while supramolecular interactions are temperature dependent, influencing the iron(III) rhombicity. Additionally, the DFT calculations show temperature variation of the HOMO–LUMO gap, in agreement with the changes of color and ESR-spectra of the iron(III) complex with temperature.

Oxidative addition is the standard process for single-bond activation in transition metal catalysis and it is known to operate for many types of bonds, but challenging σ-bonds e. g. C(sp3)−F and C(sp3)−C(sp3) bonds are the exceptions in this respect. This short review aims at demonstrating how both α- and β-eliminations may be better options for activation of unstrained C−F and C−C single bonds. Selected examples of such eliminations are presented with a mechanistic focus indicating how unstrained and unactivated C−C and C−F bonds can be broken by employing α- and β-eliminations in transition metal hydrocarbyl ligands. Our examples show that the reaction barrier in β-eliminations is controlled by the s-character of the participating bonds where a higher s-character gives a better overlap in the multi-center transition state thereby increasing the reactivity; still β-aryl eliminations can compete with the classical β-hydrogen eliminations in certain cases. (Less)

This work explores the use of water-in-supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) microemulsions for the extraction of polar metabolites from plants. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves and polyethylene glycol trimethylnonyl ether (TMN) surfactants were selected for a case study. A CO2-water-TMN 10 mixture at 35 °C and 30.0 MPa extracted 7 mg target analyte/g dry leaves. The extraction was proven to occur due to a water-surfactant liquid solution rather than a water-in-CO2 microemulsion. Using a modified extraction setup, the microemulsion was created prior to extraction. TMN 6 was able to dissolve enough water in CO2 to extract steviol glycosides, in detectable but very small amounts.

In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) investigations have been performed to provide insights into the reaction mechanism of a palladium(II) catalyzed undirected C–H acetoxylation reaction in the presence of an oxidant. A Pd(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complex π-stacked onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as the catalyst. The Pd speciation during the catalytic process was examined by XAS, which revealed a possible mechanism over the course of the reaction. Pd(II) complexes in the as-synthesized catalyst first go through a gradual ligand substitution where chloride ions bound to Pd(II) are replaced by other ligands with a mean bond distance to Pd matching Pd–C/N/O. Parallel to this the mean oxidation state of Pd increases indicating the formation of Pd(IV) species. At a later stage, a fraction of the Pd complexes start to slowly transform into Pd nanoclusters. The mean average oxidation state of Pd decreases to the initial state at the end of the experiment which means that comparable amounts of Pd(0) and Pd(IV) are present. These observations from heterogeneous catalysis are in good agreement with its homogeneous analog and they support a Pd(II)–Pd(IV)–Pd(II) reaction mechanism.

We report an efficient process for the oxidation of benzyl alcohols using molecular oxygen as the oxidant catalyzed by Ag-Cu catalysts supported on polyoxometalates (Ag-Cu/POM). The Ag-Cu/POM catalyst was prepared by galvanic displacement in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol. The catalysts were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The oxidation reaction was carried out using a Schlenk– line setup, under ambient atmospheric pressure. Reaction products were identified by GC–MS and quantified with GC using an internal standard method. The Ag-Cu/POM catalyst gave close to 100% benzyl alcohol conversion in 5 h with >99% selectivity to benzaldehyde. When tested on various benzyl alcohol derivatives the Ag-Cu catalysts showed good conversions and >99% selectivity to the corresponding aldehydes. The Ag-Cu catalysts supported on the POM are highly stable, and don’t show tendency to leach or deactivate. The catalysts are heterogeneous in nature and easy to recover after reactions, and could be reused at least 5 times without significant loss in activity and selectivity.

Naturally occurring phyllosilicate minerals such as talc and vermiculite in conjunction with n-tetra butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) co-catalyst were found to be efficient in the coupling of CO2 with epoxides to form cyclic carbonates. The reaction was carried out in a pressurized autoclave reactor at moderate pressures of 10–35 bars and temperatures of 100–150 °C. The optimized catalyst system exhibited > 90% conversion of the epoxides and > 90% selectivity for the desired cyclic carbonates, in the presence or absence of a solvent. The selectivity of the catalytic system could be improved with heat pre-treatment of the phyllosilicates albeit this resulted in slightly lower epoxide conversion. The results obtained using the heat treated phyllosilicates strongly support the hydrogen bond assisted mechanism for the cycloaddition of epoxides and CO2. The cycloaddition reaction could also be carried out in the absence of TBAB, although lower cyclic carbonate yields were observed. The phyllosilicate part of the catalyst system is heterogeneous, easy to separate after completion of reactions and reusable a number of runs without loss of activity.

Pincer complexes attract considerable attention both as interesting objects for fundamental studies and efficient catalysts. This review describes a relatively new offshoot of the field – namely, the chemistry of iridium complexes with aliphatic PCsp3P non-innocent pincer ligands. High flexibility, often combined with possibility to activate internal C–H bonds, offers several new patterns of metal-ligand cooperation; some of them were successfully used in catalysis of acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenation, olefin hydroformylation and deuterium exchange, others opened up for remarkable stoichiometric reactions.

A heterogeneous catalyst system for Suzuki and Heck coupling reactions was developed using polyoxometalates as supports for palladium. The catalyst system was synthesized in a one step process using sodium phosphotungstate and palladium acetate. We used the supported catalyst in organic media without the need for special ligands. Substantial activity was observed after several recycles. The catalyst showed high product selectivity with yields up to > 95 % in both Suzuki and Heck reactions.

A series of complexes with oxathiacrown ethers appended to a [Ru(bpy)2]2+ moiety have been synthesized and characterised using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies, mass spectrometry and elemental analyses. The complexes exhibit strong MLCT luminescence bands in the range 608–611 nm and one reversible metal centred oxidation potential in the range 1.00–1.02 V. Their selectivity and sensitivity towards Hg2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ metal ions have been investigated using electronic absorption, luminescence, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry titrations. Their responses towards selected cations and anions have also been investigated using electronic absorption and luminescence. While the complexes are selective towards Hg2+ and Cd2+ ions, none of them is selective towards Pb2+ ions. In particular, complex 2 gives a selective change in the UV/Vis absorbance with Hg2+ making it possible to detect mercury down to a detection limit of 68 ppm. The binding constants and limits of detection of the complexes have been calculated, with values ranging from 4.37 to 5.38 and 1.4 × 10−3 to 6.8 × 10−5 for log Ks and LOD respectively.

Through a salt metathesis reaction, ( t −Bu PCN)Pd-ONO 2 ( 2 ) was prepared and used as a precursor for producing ( t −Bu PCN)Pd-OH ( 3 ) and ( t −Bu PCN)Pd-aryl acetylide complexes 4 (phenyl acetylide) and 5 (p-tolyl acetylide). The aryl acetylide complexes could also be prepared through another synthetic route: by condensation of 3 with the corresponding aryl acetylene. The reactivity of complexes 3 and 4 toward carbon dioxide was studied and it was found that both reactions give the hydrogen carbonate complex ( 6 ). The low reactivity of the Pd-acetylide bond was further confirmed by the fact that the propiolate complex undergoes decarboxylation to give 4 . PCN palladium complexes are good catalysts for the decarboxylative cross coupling reactions between acetylene carboxylic acids and aryl halides. The yield of the cross coupling product was improved by adding a catalytic amount of CuI.

In the title compound, [Pd(C11H9N)(C13H14N2)Cl2], the PdII ion is coordinated by two Cl anions, one carbene C atom and one pyridine N atom in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are linked through weak C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds into a tape structure., The title compound, [PdCl2(C11H9N)(C13H14N2)], represents a new class of palladium-based polymerizable monomer which could give a potentially catalytically active polymer. It was synthesized via transmetallation from the corresponding silver complex. The PdII ion coordinates two Cl anions, one C atom from the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand and one N atom from the 4-phenyl­pyridine ligand, displaying a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. The dihedral angle between the imidazole ring and the pyridine ring is 34.53 (8)°. The Pd—C bond length between the NHC ligand and the PdII ion is 1.9532 (16) Å. In the crystal, weak non-classical C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into a tape structure along [101]. A weak π–π inter­action is also observed [centroid–centroid distance = 3.9117 (11) Å].

Four different polymorphs of GdScO 3 are assessed theoretically and experimentally with respect to their suitability as a dielectric. The calculations carried out by density functional theory reveal lattice constants, band gaps and the energies of formation of three crystal phases. Experimentally all three crystal phases and the amorphous phase can be realized as thin films by pulsed laser deposition using various growth templates. Their respective crystal structures are confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reflecting the calculated lattice constants. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy unveils the band gaps of the different polymorphs of GdScO 3 which are above 5 eV for all films demonstrating good insulating properties. From capacitance voltage measurements, high permittivities of up to 27 for hexagonal GdScO 3 are deduced.

An efficient protocol has been developed for the exo-mono and exo,exo-bis functionalization of Tröger's base in the benzylic 6 and 12 positions of the diazocine ring. The lithiation of Tröger's base using s-BuLi/TMEDA followed by electrophilic quench affords exo-mono- and exo,exo-bis-substituted derivatives of Tröger's base in good to excellent yields. The variation of the number of equivalents of s-BuLi/TMEDA and the order of addition of the electrophile strongly govern the outcome of the reaction for each electrophile.

This article presents the superelement formulation newly implemented in OpenFAST to simulate fixed-bottom substructures with a reduced-order model similar to a common industry practice. The Guyan and Craig-Bampton methods are used to reduce the number of degrees of freedom and generate a so-called “superelement”. The formulation allows manufacturers to exchange such superelements to perform load calculations without revealing sensitive information about the support structure (e.g., foundation, substructure, and/or tower) or turbine. The source code is made publicly available in the OpenFAST repository. Test cases with varying degrees of complexity are presented to validate the technique, and accuracy issues are discussed.

A simple method has been developed for the cross dehydrogenative coupling between two different primary alcohols using readily available RuCl2(PPh3)3 as a precatalyst through the borrowing-hydrogen approach. The present methodology is applicable to a large variety of alcohol derivatives including long chain aliphatic alcohols and heteroaryl alcohols. In addition, the methodology was applied in a straightforward protocol to synthesize commercially available fragrances such as Rosaphen and Cyclamenaldehyde in good yields.

A series of complexes with oxathiacrown ethers appended to a [Ru(bpy)

This study investigates the impact of supports and synthesis routes on the performance of supported gold nanoparticles in the Sonogashira coupling reaction. The catalysts were synthesized by deposition-precipitation (DP) and incipient wetness impregnation (IMP), employing carriers of different nature (redox: CeO2, TiO2, and non-redox: Al2O3) and were characterized by various physical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N-2 sorption, and high resolution. transmission electron microscopy. It is revealed that gold is present in the metallic state in all of the samples, independent of the nature of the support and the way of synthesis. The DP technique gave catalysts with smaller gold particles (4-14 nm), while the IMP route led to agglomeration due to presence of chlorine and resulted in distinctly larger gold particles (50-100 nm) on the supports. The evaluation of catalysts in the Sonogashira coupling of phenylacetylene and iodobenzene demonstrated that the catalysts' performance is negligibly dependent on the specific surface area of the catalysts. Synthesis paths, however, greatly affected the catalysts' activity and selectivity. All the catalysts prepared by DP gave significantly higher conversion of iodobenzene and selectivity to diphenylacetylene (desired hetero-coupled product) than their analogs prepared by IMP. This is shown to be related to the superior dispersion achieved by the DP route with the formation of smaller Au nanoparticle, which are highly active and selective. Thus, the present study explicitly establishes that the choice of proper synthesis method is vital to achieve sufficiently small nanoparticles leading to the best Sonogashira performance. Also, redox active oxide supports lead to a better performance than non-redox carriers. Despite significant leaching, the catalysis is shown to be heterogeneous. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The previously reported complex trans-[IrHCl{cis-1,3-bis-(di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl}cyclohexane] (2) forms the 18-electron carbonyl compound anti-[Ir(CO)HCl{cis-1,3-bis-((di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl)}cyclohexane] (5a) upon reaction with 1 atm CO. The structural isomer syn-[IrH(CO)Cl{cis-1,3-bis-((di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl)}cyclohexane] (5b) is obtained directly upon complexation of the ligand (1) with IrCl3·H2O in refluxing DMF. syn-5b is the first iridium aliphatic pincer complex with this orientation of the hydrogens and is the thermodynamically more stable isomer. Both compounds 5a and 5b afford the Ir(I) complex trans-[Ir(CO){cis-1,3-bis-((di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl)}cyclohexane] (4) upon treatment with KOtBu. Complex 4 was also synthesised in a more straightforward fashion from the previously known terminal nitrogen complex trans-[Ir(N2){cis-1,3-bis-((di-tert-butylphosphino)-methyl)}cyclohexane] (3) under atmospheric CO. The complexes 4, 5a and 5b were characterised spectroscopically and in the solid state. IR data point to a more electron rich metal centre as compared to the corresponding aromatic complexes.

We have investigated the oxidation of inorganic As(III) with H2O2 catalysed by Al2O3, using X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The effects of different reaction conditions (pH, time and initial H2O2 concentration) were also studied as were the kinetics of the oxidation reaction. We demonstrated that As(III) was oxidized to As(V) in the presence of H2O2 and Al2O3. Furthermore, all arsenic species found on the Al2O3 surface were in the As(V) state. The presence of both Al2O3 and H2O2 was necessary for oxidation of As(III) to take place within the period of time studied. The oxidation kinetics indicate a mechanism where reversible As(III) binding to the alumina surface is followed by irreversible oxidation by H2O2 leading to strongly bound As(V). Results from this study indicate that there is a surface-catalysed oxidation of As(III) on Al2O3 by H2O2, a reaction that can take place in nature and can be of help in the development of novel treatment systems for As(III) removal.

The coordination behaviour of the aliphatic pincer ligand cis-1,3-bis-((di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl) cyclohexane with NiCl2 and NiBr2 was studied. Reflux in toluene afforded cyclometalated, tridentate PCsp3P pincer complexes, that were characterised by elemental analysis and NMR spectroscopy; the solid state structures were determined by X-ray diffraction showing an unusually long Ni-Br bond in the bromo complex. A preliminary account of their reactivity is reported and they were found to be unreactive towards base and hydride sources and to be poor catalysts in Kumada coupling reactions. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

The catalytic incorporation of CO2 into value-added chemicals to form e. g. carboxylic acids and carbonates is highly interesting due to the abundance, non-toxicity and low cost of carbon dioxide. Currently, palladium is one of the most exploited transition metals in homogeneous catalysis and its reactivity with carbon dioxide has therefore been studied to a significant extent. All work in the field that is related to the reactivity of the Pd-C bond with CO2 to form new C-C bonds is included in this review. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

A novel electron deficient 4,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-phenylene diphosphinite ligand 4 was developed and synthesized. Reaction of Ir precursors with ligand 4 gave chloro(hydride) pincer complex 5, which demonstrated a higher TON in alkane dehydrogenation reactions compared to similar phosphinite based pre-catalysts. The formation of cyclooctene (COE) and tert-butylethylene adducts of the 14e catalysts was also studied and the COE adduct is implicated as the resting state of the catalyst. All compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and, in addition, the molecular structures of key complexes were confirmed by X-ray analysis.

A novel platinum complex with 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidenyl ligand has been synthesized and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, MS, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The XRD determination of the complex (monoclinic, C2/c) revealed a structure in which the platinum (II) centre coordinates two chlorides, a carbon atom of the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and is stabilized by coordinating the nitrogen atom of a 3-chloropyridine molecule, forming an over-all square planar geometry. By prolonging the time of the reaction, it was possible to obtain the trans-dichloridobis(3-chloropyridine) platinum(II) complex under the same reaction conditions. The electronic and molecular properties of both complexes were investigated and compared by means of Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), supported by numerical simulations. The platinum carbene complex obtained was tested in a series of C-H activation and hydrosilylation reactions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Objective and Design.Antimicrobial use in hospitalized children has not been well described. To identify targets for antimicrobial stewardship interventions, we retrospectively examined pediatric utilization rates for 48 antimicrobials from 2007 to 2010 as well as appropriateness of vancomycin and cefepime use in 2010.Patients and Setting.All children hospitalized between 2007 and 2010 at the Mayo Clinic Children's Hospital, a 120-bed facility within a larger adult hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.Methods.We calculated antimicrobial utilization rates in days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days. Details of vancomycin and cefepime use in 2010 were abstracted by chart review. Two pediatric infectious disease physicians independently assessed appropriateness of antibiotic use.Results.From 2007 to 2010, 9,880 of 17,242 (57%) hospitalized children received 1 or more antimicrobials. Antimicrobials (days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days) used most frequently in 2010 were cefazolin (97.8), vancomycin (97.1), fluconazole (76.4), piperacillin-tazobactam (70.7), and cefepime (67.6). Utilization rates increased significantly from 2007 to 2010 for 10 antimicrobials, including vancomycin, fluconazole, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, caspofungin, and cefotaxime. In 2010, inappropriate use of vancomycin and cefepime was greater in the pediatric intensive care unit than ward (vancomycin: 17.8% vs 6.4%,P= .001; cefepime: 9.2% vs 3.9%,P= .142) and on surgical versus medical services (vancomycin: 20.5% vs 8.0%,P= .001; cefepime: 19.4% vs 3.4%,P≤ .001). The most common reason for inappropriate antibiotic use was failure to discontinue or de-escalate therapy.Conclusions.In our children's hospital, use of 10 antimicrobials increased during the study period. Inappropriate use of vancomycin and cefepime was greatest on the critical care and surgical services, largely as a result of failure to de-escalate therapy, suggesting targets for future antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

The syntheses and crystal structures of four unsaturated bicyclo[3.3.1] nonane derivatives containing various functionalities are presented and their intermolecular interactions examined. The impact of unsaturation on crystal structures and intermolecular networks of the six membered rings was found to be significant compared to the saturated analogues. Thus, unsaturated diol rac-1, in striking contrast to its saturated analogue rac-6, does not crystallise with spontaneous resolution. The hydrogen bonds in the starting bicyclononane diene diol rac-1, and the weaker hydrogen bonds in the dienone rac-2, and the bromo and nitrile derivatives, rac-3, rac-4 and (+)-4, respectively, were found significant for the overall structure. The two bromine atoms in rac-3 have significant halogen-halogen interactions. In several structures 2D nets can be identified and overall structures can be interpreted as close packing of these layers. The crystal structures were also subject to independent analysis by Hirshfeld surfaces, and this method provided additional insights, especially for the structural role of the unsaturation. The possible relation between chiral networks and conglomerate formation is discussed.

2-(1-Naphthyl)-pyridine () possesses sp(2) C-H bonds in both the γ- and δ-positions and is therefore a suitable substrate for studying the cyclometallation selectivity with different reagents and conditions. Such selectivity studies are reported. Based on deuterium-exchange experiments it is concluded that cycloruthenation with RuCl2(p-cymene) dimer is reversible with kinetic and thermodynamic preference for γ-substitution. Electrophilic cycloborylation, on the other hand, shows unusual δ-substitution. The previously published cyclopalladation and cycloauration of the substrate was studied in detail and was shown to be irreversible; they proceed under kinetic control and give γ- and δ-substitution for palladium and gold, respectively.