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DFT studies with the B3LYP functional have been carried out on the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of phenyl chloride and phenylboronic acid catalyzed by palladium complexes with N- or P-chelating ligands. The full catalytic cycle, from the addition of reactants to the catalyst to the release of the cross-coupled product from the complexed intermediate, has been examined. The stages within the cycle, such as oxidative addition, transmetalation, and reductive elimination, were validated by linking the mechanistically relevant intermediates and transition states. Various derivatives of diimine, diphosphine, and diamine were considered as potential model ligands. The catalytic reaction employing diimine as the chelating ligand has been verified as the one with the most energetically feasible route.

New cobalt-containing secondary phosphine oxides [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(4){mu,eta-PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(==O)(H)(R)}] (8 a: R=tBu; 8 b: R=Ph) were prepared by reaction of secondary phosphine oxides PhC[triple chemical bond]CP- (==O)(H)(R) (6 a: R=tBu; 6 b: R=Ph) with dppm-bridged dicobalt complex [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(6)] (2). The molecular structures of 8 a and 8 b were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Although palladium-catalyzed Heck reactions employing 8 b as ligand gave satisfying results, 8 a performed poorly in the same reaction. Judging from these results, a tautomeric equilibrium between 8 b and its isomeric form [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(4){mu,eta-PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(OH)(Ph)}] 8 b' indeed takes place, but it is unlikely between 8 a and [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(4){mu,eta-PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(OH)(tBu)}] (8 a'). The DFT studies demonstrated that reasonable activation energies for the tautomeric conversions can be achieved only via a bimolecular pathway. Since a tBu group is much larger than a Ph group, the conversion is presumably only feasible in the case of 8 bright harpoon over left harpoon8 b', but not in the case of 8 aright harpoon over left harpoon8 a'. Another cobalt-containing phosphine, namely, [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(4){mu,eta-PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(NEt(2))(tBu)}] (7 a), and its oxidation product [(mu-PPh(2)CH(2)PPh(2))Co(2)(CO)(4){mu,eta-PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(==O)(NEt(2))(tBu)}] 7 a' were prepared from the reaction of PhC[triple chemical bond]CP(NEt(2))(tBu) (5 a) with 2. The molecular structures of 7 a and 7 a' were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The phosphorus atom is surrounded by substituents in a tetrahedral environment. A P--N single bond (1.676(3) A) is observed in the molecular structure of 7 a. Heck reactions employing 7 a/Pd(OAc)(2) as catalyst system exhibited efficiency comparable to that of 8 a/Pd(OAc)(2).

Two adiabatic potential-energy surfaces are employed for probing the processes of [Co2(CO)8]-mediated C6H5N=NC6H5 formation from NH2C6H5. Elementary steps, including oxidative addition of the coordinated amine proton to the cobalt center, reductive elimination of H2, CO association, and the coupling process of the diamino fragments, are modeled and examined by using DFT methods at the B3 LYP/631 LAN level. The formation of C6H5N=NC6H5 from NH2C6H5 through reductive coupling is a thermodynamically unfavorable process. Three hydride-migration processes, from the proton of N-H to the cobalt center, are established as the most energy-demanding steps. The activation energies (deltaG*) are calculated as 49.4, 55.4, and 33.3 kcal mol(-1), respectively, for the proposed reaction route 1. These large activation energies might be reduced slightly by purposely adding small protic molecules, such as H2O, or by changing the active metal from Co to a heavier metal, such as Rh or Ir. An alternative pathway, route 2, is also proposed, in which transition states with four-membered rings are formed. By this route, severe strain caused by the formation of three-membered rings during the hydride-migration processes in route 1 can be avoided. Route 2 is established as the more energy-feasible reaction pathway.

Treatment of a cobalt-containing diphosphine ligand, [[mu-P,P-PPh2CH2PPh2]Co2(CO)4[mu-PPh2C[triple bond]CPPh2]] 1 with metal complexes W(CO)6, Ru3(CO)12, AuCl(tht)(tht = tetrahydrothiophene) and (COD)PdCl2(COD = 1,5-cycloctadiene) gave 1-chelated metal complexes [(1)W(CO)4], [(mu-1)Ru3(CO)10] 4, [(1)(AuCl)2] 5 and [(1)PdCl2] 6, respectively. All these compounds were characterized by spectroscopic means whereas 3, 4 and 6 were also studied by X-ray diffraction. These compounds display chelating and bridging modes of metal-phosphine complexation. Variable-temperature 1H and 31P NMR experiments were carried out for 3-6 and revealed that the fluxional behavior of each individual bridging dppm fragment was affected greatly by the bite angle of 1 in each metal complex. Suzuki cross-coupling reactions were satisfactorily catalyzed by under mild conditions. The reactions of aryl halides or iodothiophenes with chloroform and alkali in biphasic solution utilizing a catalytic amount of result into the formation of benzoic and thiophenic acids, respectively.