Several new iridium(I) and iridium(III) carbonyl complexes supported by aminophosphinite pincer ligands have been prepared and characterized. A surprising diversity of reaction pathways was encountered upon treatment of Ir carbonyl complexes with Li + , Na + , Ca 2+ , and La 3+ salts. Iridium(III) hydridocarbonyl chloride complexes underwent either halide abstraction or halide substitution reactions, whereas iridium(I) carbonyl complexes underwent protonative oxidative addition reactions. When the nitrogen donor of the pincer ligand is an aza-crown ether macrocycle, cation−macrocycle interactions could be supported, leading to divergent reactivity in some cases.

One remaining challenge in the field of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots is learning to control the degree of functionalization or "valence" per nanocrystal. Current quantum dot surface modification strategies rely heavily on ligand exchange, which consists of replacing the nanocrystal's native ligands with carboxylate-or amine-terminated thiols, usually added in excess. Removing the nanocrystal's native ligands can cause etching and introduce surface defects, thus affecting the nanocrystal's optical properties. More importantly, ligand exchange methods fail to control the extent of surface modification or number of functional groups introduced per nanocrystal. Here, we report a fundamentally new surface ligand modification or "doping" approach aimed at controlling the degree of functionalization or valence per nanocrystal while retaining the nanocrystal's original colloidal and photostability. We show that surface-doped quantum dots capped with chemically active native ligands can be prepared directly from a mixture of ligands with similar chain lengths. Specifically, vinyl and azide-terminated carboxylic acid ligands survive the high temperatures needed for nanocrystal synthesis. The ratio between chemically active and inactive-terminated ligands is maintained on the nanocrystal surface, allowing to control the extent of surface modification by straightforward organic reactions. Using a combination of optical and structural characterization tools, including IR and 2D NMR, we show that carboxylates bind in a bidentate chelate fashion, forming a single monolayer of ligands that are perpendicular to the nanocrystal surface. Moreover, we show that mixtures of ligands with similar chain lengths homogeneously distribute themselves on the nanocrystal surface. We expect this new surface doping approach will be widely applicable to other nanocrystal compositions and morphologies, as well as to many specific applications in biology and materials science. ABSTRACT: One remaining challenge in the field of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots is learning to control the degree of functionalization or "valence" per nanocrystal. Current quantum dot surface modification strategies rely heavily on ligand exchange, which consists of replacing the nanocrystal's native ligands with carboxylate-or amine-terminated thiols, usually added in excess. Removing the nanocrystal's native ligands can cause etching and introduce surface defects, thus affecting the nanocrystal's optical properties. More importantly, ligand exchange methods fail to control the extent of surface modification or number of functional groups introduced per nanocrystal. Here, we report a fundamentally new surface ligand modification or "doping" approach aimed at controlling the degree of functionalization or valence per nanocrystal while retaining the nanocrystal's original colloidal and photostability. We show that surface-doped quantum dots capped with chemically active native ligands can be prepared directly from a mixture of...

The rate of catalytic methanol carbonylation to acetic acid is typically limited by either the oxidative addition of methyl iodide or the subsequent C–C bond-forming migratory insertion step. These elementary steps have been studied independently in acetonitrile solution for iridium amino­phenyl­phosphinite (NCOP) complexes. The modular synthesis of NCOP ligands containing a macrocyclic aza-crown ether arm enables a direct comparison of two complementary catalyst optimization strategies: synthetic modification of the phenyl backbone and noncovalent modification through cation–crown interactions with Lewis acids in the surrounding environment. The oxidative addition of methyl iodide to iridium­(I) carbonyl complexes proceeds readily at room temperature to form iridium­(III) methyl­carbonyl­iodide complexes. The methyl complexes undergo migratory insertion under 1 atm CO at 70 °C to produce iridium­(III) acetyl species. Synthetic tuning, by incorporation of a methoxy group into the ligand backbone, had little influence on the rate. The addition of lithium and lanthanum salts, in contrast, enhanced the rate of C–C bond formation up to 25-fold. In the case of neutral iodide complexes, mechanistic studies suggest that Lewis acidic cations act as halide abstractors. In halide-free, cationic iridium complexes, the cations bind the macrocyclic ligand arm, further activating the iridium­(III) center. The macrocyclic ligand is essential to the observed reactivity: complexes supported by acyclic diethylamine-containing ligands underwent migratory insertion slowly, Lewis acid effects were negligible, and the acetyl products decomposed over time.

A protocol for identifying ligand binding modes in a series of iridium pincer complexes bearing hemilabile aza-crown ether ligands has been developed using readily accessible NMR methods. The approach was tested on a collection of 13 structurally diverse pincer-crown ether complexes that include several newly characterized species. New synthetic routes enable facile interconversion of coordination modes and supporting ligands. Detailed structural assignments of five complexes reveal that the difference in chemical shift (Δδ) between geminal protons in the crown ether is influenced by diamagnetic anisotropy arising from halides and other ligands in the primary coordination sphere. The average difference in chemical shift between diastereotopic geminal protons in the crown ether macrocycle (Δδ), as determined through a single H-C HSQC experiment, provides information on the pincer ligand binding mode by establishing whether the macrocycle is in close proximity to the metal center. The Δδ values for binding modes that involve chelating ether(s) bound to iridium are roughly 2-fold larger than those for tridentate complexes with no Ir-O bonds.