Metal-stabilized phenoxyl radicals appear to be important intermediates in a variety of enzymatic oxidations. We report that transition metal coordination also supports an aminyl radical, resulting in a stable crystalline complex: [Rh(I)(trop2N.)(bipy)]+OTf- (where trop is 5-H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene-5-yl, bipy is 2,2'-bipyridyl, OTf- is trifluorosulfonate). It is accessible under mild conditions by one-electron oxidation of the amide complex [Rh(I)(trop2N)(bipy)], at a potential of -0.55 volt versus ferrocene/ferrocenium. Both electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and density functional theory support 57% localization of the unpaired spin at N. In reactions with H-atom donors, the Rh-coordinated aminyl behaves as a nucleophilic radical.

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Iridium(I) complexes containing a (5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-yl)-phosphane (tropp(R); R = phosphorus-bound substituent = Ph, Cyc) as a rigid, concave-shaped, mixed phosphane olefin ligand were prepared and tested as catalyst precursors in the hydrogenation of imines. With the complex [Ir(tropp(Cyc))(cod)]OTf, turnover frequencies (TOFs) of >6000 h(-1) were reached in the hydrogenation of N-phenyl-benzylidenamine, PhN==CHPh. Lower activities (TOF>80 h(-1)) are observed with N-phenyl-(1-phenylethylidene)amine, PhN==CMePh. Chiral tropp-type ligands were prepared in few simple steps. Monosubstitution of the olefinic unit in the dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptenyl moiety with (R)- or (S)-mentholate gave mixtures of diastereomers that could be separated and isolated in enantiomerically pure form. Iridium(I) complexes with these ligands are rare examples of side-on bonded enolether complexes. In catalytic imine hydrogenations, complete conversion (>98 %) was reached in all cases (conditions: p[H(2)] = 50 bar, T = 50 degrees C, t = 2 h, substrate/catalyst 100:1). The best enantiomeric excess (ee = 86 % S isomer) was reached with PhN==CMePh as substrate and the R,R form of the (10-menthyloxy-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-yl)diphenylphosphane ligand. The iridium(I) complex containing the same phosphane gave a 60 % ee (S isomer) with the enamide N-(1-phenylvinyl)acetamide as substrate (conditions: p[H(2)] = 4 bar, T = 50 degrees C, t = 18 h, substrate/catalyst = 50:1). These reactions constitute the first examples in which chiral olefins have been used as steering ligands in catalytic enantioselective hydrogenations.

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The chiral tetrachelating amino−olefins (R,R)-N,N‘-bis(5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-yl)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ((R,R)-trop2dach) and (S,S)-N,N‘-bis(5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-yl)-1,2-diphenyl-1,2-ethylenediamine ((S,S)-trop2dpen) were prepared and used as ligands in the complexes (R,R)-[Rh(trop2dach)]OTf and (S,S)-[Rh(trop2dpen)]OTf (OTf- = CF3SO3 -). Quasi-reversible reductions, d8-[RhI(trop2diamine)]+ + e- → d9-[Rh0(trop2diamine)] and d9-[Rh0(trop2diamine)] + e- → d10-[Rh-I(trop2diamine)]-, at rather negative potentials (trop2diamine = trop2dach, E 1/2 1 = −1.83 V, E 1/2 2 = −2.27 V; trop2diamine = trop2dpen, E 1/2 1 = −1.78 V, E 1/2 2 = −2.24 V; vs Fc+/Fc) indicate the donor capacity of the amine functions. One NH group in (R,R)-[Rh(trop2dach)]OTf (pK a = 15.7(2), NH bond dissociation energy (BDE) 317(2) kJ mol-1) is easily deprotonated to give the neutral amide (R,R)-[Rh(trop2dach-H)], which is quasi-reversibly oxidized at E° = −0.34 V (vs Fc/Fc+) to the radical cation (R,R)-[Rh(trop2dach-H)]•+. The pK a and BDE values of the NH group in these 16-electron complexes are lower than in related pentacoordinated 18-electron complexes. X-ray diffraction analyses show that the rhodium complexes have distorted-square-planar structures. The Rh−N bond shortens by about 7% upon deprotonation. The rhodium complexes are inactive as catalysts for transfer and direct hydrogenation of ketones. However, the distorted-trigonal-bipyramidal iridium complex (S,S)-[IrCl(CO)(trop2dpen)], where the amino−olefin ligand serves as a tridentate ligand, serves as a chiral precursor to an active phosphane-free catalyst in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone with 2-propanol, and the R isomer of 1-phenylethanol was obtained in 82% ee (>98% conversion when acetophenone:KOtBu:cat = 1:0.1:0.01, T = 80 °C, reaction time 1 h).