Coordination of tridentate ligands to SmI₂: cooperativity and incremental effect on reduction potential and on reactivity

Abstract The effect of coordination of a series of tridentate ligands (TDLs) on various features of SmI2 was determined. The TDLs used in this study were diethylene glycol (OOO), diethanolamine (ONO), 2-(2-Aminoethoxy) ethanol (OON), N-(2-Hydroxyethyl) ethylene diamine (ONN) and glycerol (GLY). Of special interest is the effect of these additives on the reduction potential of SmI2. The cyclic voltammograms of the TDLs with nitrogen at the binding sites display simultaneously several peaks, each corresponding to a different coordination level of SmI2, enabling determination of three equilibrium constants. The results are in concert with electronic spectra of SmI2 complexes with these ligands. The second and third equilibrium constants were found to be larger than the first, demonstrating the cooperativity effect. Moreover, the incremental effect of each moiety on the reduction potential of SmI2 was determined. Regarding reactivity of SmI2, excessive coordination of some ligands is shown to have an adverse effect.</jats:p

Mechanistic Study and Development of Catalytic Reactions of Sm(II)

Samarium diiodide (SmI2) is one of the most widely used single-electron reductants available to organic chemists because it is effective in reducing and coupling a wide range of functional groups. Despite the broad utility and application of SmI2 in synthesis, the reagent is used in stoichiometric amounts and has a high molecular weight, resulting in a large amount of material being used for reactions requiring one or more equivalents of electrons. Although few approaches to develop catalytic reactions have been designed, they are not widely used or require specialized conditions. As a consequence, general solutions to develop catalytic reactions of Sm­(II) remain elusive. Herein, we report mechanistic studies on catalytic reactions of Sm­(II) employing a terminal magnesium reductant and trimethylsilyl chloride in concert with a noncoordinating proton donor source. Reactions using this approach permitted reductions with as little as 1 mol % Sm. Mechanistic studies provide strong evidence that during the reaction, SmI2 transforms into SmCl2, therefore broadening the scope of accessible reactions. Furthermore, this mechanistic approach enabled catalysis employing HMPA as a ligand, facilitating the development of catalytic Sm­(II) 5-exo-trig ketyl olefin cyclization reactions. The initial work described herein will enable further development of both useful and user-friendly catalytic reactions, a long-standing, but elusive goal in Sm­(II) chemistry

Accessing Unusual Reactivity through Chelation-Promoted Bond Weakening

Highly reducing Sm(II) reductants and protic ligands were used as a platform to ascertain the relationship between low-valent metal-protic ligand affinity and degree of ligand X-H bond weakening with the goal of forming potent PCET reductants. Among the Sm(II)-protic ligand reductant systems investigated, the samarium dibromide N-methylethanolamine (SmBr2-NMEA) reagent system displayed the best combination of metal-ligand affinity and stability against H2 evolution. Use of SmBr2-NMEA afforded the reduction of a range of substrates that are typically recalcitrant to single electron reduction including alkynes, lactones, and arenes as stable as biphenyl. Moreover, the unique role of NMEA as a chelating ligand for Sm(II) was demonstrated by the reductive cyclization of unactivated esters bearing pendant olefins in contrast to the SmBr2-water-amine system. Finally, the SmBr2-NMEA reagent system was found to reduce substrates analogous to key intermediates in the nitrogen fixation process. These results reveal SmBr2-NMEA to be a powerful reductant for a wide range of challenging substrates and demonstrate the potential for the rational design of PCET reagents with exceptionally weak X-H bonds.</jats:p

Accessing Unusual Reactivity through Chelation-Promoted Bond Weakening

Highly reducing Sm(II) reductants and protic ligands were used as a platform to ascertain the relationship between low-valent metal-protic ligand affinity and degree of ligand X-H bond weakening with the goal of forming potent PCET reductants. Among the Sm(II)-protic ligand reductant systems investigated, the samarium dibromide N-methylethanolamine (SmBr2-NMEA) reagent system displayed the best combination of metal-ligand affinity and stability against H2 evolution. Use of SmBr2-NMEA afforded the reduction of a range of substrates that are typically recalcitrant to single electron reduction including alkynes, lactones, and arenes as stable as biphenyl. Moreover, the unique role of NMEA as a chelating ligand for Sm(II) was demonstrated by the reductive cyclization of unactivated esters bearing pendant olefins in contrast to the SmBr2-water-amine system. Finally, the SmBr2-NMEA reagent system was found to reduce substrates analogous to key intermediates in the nitrogen fixation process. These results reveal SmBr2-NMEA to be a powerful reductant for a wide range of challenging substrates and demonstrate the potential for the rational design of PCET reagents with exceptionally weak X-H bonds

Task-Dependent Coordination Levels of SmI₂

Ligation plays a multifaceted role in the chemistry of SmI2. Depending on the ligand, two of its major effects are increasing the reduction potential of SmI2, and in the case of a ligand, which is also a proton donor, it may also enhance the reaction by protonation of the radical anion generated in the preceding step. It turns out that the number of ligand molecules that are needed to maximize the reduction potential of SmI2 is significantly smaller than the number of ligand molecules needed for a maximal enhancement of the protonation rate. In addition to the economical use of the ligand, this information can also be utilized as a diagnostic tool for the reaction mechanism in differentiating between single and multistep processes. The possible pitfalls in applying this diagnostic tool to PCET and cyclization reactions are discussed

Rate and Mechanistic Investigation of Eu(OTf)₂‑Mediated Reduction of Graphene Oxide at Room Temperature

We describe a fast, efficient, and mild approach to prepare chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) at room temperature using divalent europium triflate {Eu­(OTf)₂}. The characterization of solution-processable reduced graphene oxide has been carried out by various spectroscopic (FT-IR, UV–visible absorption, and Raman), microscopic (TEM and AFM), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Kinetic study indicates that the bimolecular rate constants for the reduction of graphene oxide are 13.7 ± 0.7 and 5.3 ± 0.1 M^–1 s^–1 in tetrahydrofuran (THF)–water and acetonitrile (ACN)–water mixtures, respectively. The reduction rate constants are <i>two orders</i> of magnitude higher compared to the values obtained in the case of commonly used reducing agents such as the hydrazine derivative, sodium borohydride, and a glucose–ammonia mixture. The present work introduces a feasible reduction process for preparing reduced graphene oxide at ambient conditions, which is important for bulk production of GO. More importantly, the study explores the possibilities of utilizing the unique chemistry of divalent lanthanide complexes for chemical modifications of graphene oxide