In homogeneous catalyst systems, there is the persistent problem that metal aggregation and precipitation cause catalyst decomposition and considerable loss of catalytic activity. Pd black formation is a typical example. Pd catalysts are known to easily aggregate and form Pd black, although they realize a wide variety of useful reactions in organic synthesis. In order to overcome this intrinsic problem of homogeneous Pd catalysis, we explored a new class of Pd catalyst by adopting aerobic oxidation of alcohols as a probe reaction. Herein we report a new catalyst system that suppresses the Pd black formation even under air and with a high substrate to catalyst molar ratio (S/C: more than 1000) in oxidation of alcohols. The novel pyridine derivatives having a 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylphenyl substituent and its higher dendritic unit at the 3-position of the pyridine ring were found to be excellent ligands with Pd(OAc)2 in the palladium-catalyzed air (balloon) oxidation of alcohols in toluene at 80 degrees C. Comparison with structurally related pyridine ligands revealed that introduction of the 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylphenyl substituent at the 3-position of pyridine ring effectively suppresses the Pd black formation, maintaining the catalytic activity for a long time to give aldehydes or ketones as products in high yields.

In this study, we investigated the catalytic properties of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-stabilized gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (PNP) to 4-aminophenol by NaBH(4), a well known model reaction to be catalyzed by metal surfaces. The DMF-stabilized AuNCs were prepared in DMF by a surfactant-free method. The DMF-stabilized AuNCs showed high catalytic activity even when used in small quantities (∼10(-7) g). The pseudo-first-order rate constant (k(app)) and activation energy were estimated to be 3 × 10(-3) s(-1) and 31 kJ mol(-1), respectively, with 1.0 μM of the gold catalyst at 298 K. The catalytic activity of the DMF-stabilized AuNCs was strongly influenced by the layer of adsorbed DMF on the Au NCs. This layer of adsorbed DMF prohibited the reactants from penetrating to the surface of the AuNCs via the diffusion at the beginning of the reaction, resulting in an induction time (t(0)) before PNP reduction began. Restructuring of the DMF layer (essentially a form of activation) was the key to achieving high catalytic activity. In addition, atomically monodisperse Au(25)(SG)(18)NCs (SG: glutathione) showed higher catalytic activity in the PNP reduction (k(app) = 8 × 10(-3) s(-1)) even with a low catalyst concentration (1.0 μM), and there was no induction time (t(0)) in spite of the strongly binding ligand glutathione. This suggested that the catalytically active surface sites of the Au(25)(SG)(18)NCs were not sterically hindered, possibly because of the unique core-shell-like structure of the NCs. Retaining these open sites on AuNCs may be the key to making the NCs effective catalysts.

This paper summarizes recent advances in α-alkylation reactions based on hydrogen borrowing methodologies using alcohol as an alkylating agent. This review provides a summary of recent progress toward the α-alkylation of carbonyl substrates, as well as relatively unactivated substrates bearing fewer acidic α-hydrogens, such as acetonitriles, acetamides, esters, methylpyrimidines, and methylquinolines. A summary of recent improvements in α-methylation strategies based on hydrogen borrowing methodologies has also been provided. Particular emphasis has been placed on highly practical and green chemistry approaches involving modified catalytic systems, including metal-supported heterogeneous catalysts and nanoparticle-based catalysts, as well as reactions conducted in the absence of a transition-metal catalyst. A review of recent achievements in methylation strategies using methanol as a methyl source, and their application to the α-methylation of ketones using transition-metal catalyzed hydrogen borrowing methodology, has also been documented.

In this paper we report the Cp‘2Ln/Me2SiCp‘‘2Ln-catalyzed (Cp‘ = η5-Me5C5; Cp‘‘ = η5-Me4C5) hydrogenation of acyclic imines to yield the corresponding amines. At 190 psi of H2, the observed turnover frequencies (h-1) (100:1 substrate:catalyst ratio, Cp‘2Ln, temperature (°C)) are (1) (N-benzylidene(methyl)amine, Ln = La, 50) 0.03; (Ln = Sm, 90) 1.0; (Ln = Sm + PhSiH3, 90) 2.2; (Ln = Lu, 90) 0.60; (2) (N-benzylideneaniline, Ln = Sm, 90) 0.10; (3) (N-benzylidene(trimethylsilyl)amine, Ln = Sm, 90) 0.40; (4) (N-(α-methylbenzylidene)(methyl)amine, Ln = Sm, 90) 0.20; (5) (N-(α-methylbenzylidene)(benzyl)amine, Ln = Sm, 90) 0.70. The stoichiometric reaction of N-benzylidene(methyl)amine with Cp‘2SmCH(SiMe3)2 or (Cp‘2SmH)2 yields an orthometalated Cp‘2Sm−substrate complex which undergoes either hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation or competing CN insertion of a second substrate molecule to yield a Cp‘2Sm-imine−amido complex with a seven-membered chelate ring. The stoichiometric reaction of 2-methyl-1-pyrroline with Cp‘2SmCH(SiMe3)2 or (Cp‘2SmH)2 yields a Cp‘2Sm-imine−amido complex in which two substrate molecules have been coupled to form a six-membered chelate ring (characterized by X-ray diffraction). The stoichiometric reaction of N-benzylidene(trimethylsilyl)amine with (Cp‘2SmH)2 yields a desilylated Cp‘2Sm-imine−amido complex with a four-membered Sm(NSiMe3)(CPh)NCHPh chelate ring (characterized by X-ray diffraction). Additional heating of this product under H2 yields S6-symmetric (Cp‘2SmCN)6, which contains an unusual chairlike 18-membered (SmCN)6 ring (characterized by X-ray diffraction).

Iridium-catalyzed selective α-dimethylation and α-methylation of ketones or phenylacetonitriles, using methanol as the methylating agent, were achieved. In addition, three-component cross α-methyl-alkylation was successfully performed using methyl ketones with methanol and primary alcohols with long-chain alkyl groups. This method provides a very convenient direct route to α-methylated ketones, using methanol.