Nitrogenases are found in some microorganisms, and these enzymes convert atmospheric N2 to ammonia, thereby providing essential nitrogen atoms for higher organisms. Some nitrogenases reduce atmospheric N2 at the FeMoco, a sulfur-rich iron-molybdenum cluster1–5. The iron centers that are coordinated to sulfur and carbon atoms in FeMoco have been proposed as the substrate binding sites, based on kinetic and spectroscopic studies5,6. Studies on the enzyme indicate that iron atom Fe6 and possibly also adjacent belt iron sites are involved.5–8 In the resting state, the central Fe sites (including Fe6) have identical environments consisting of three sulfides and a carbide. Addition of electrons to the resting state causes the FeMoco to react with N2, but the geometry and bonding environment of N2-bound species remain unknown5. In this manuscript, we describe a synthetic complex with a sulfur-rich coordination sphere that, upon reduction, breaks an Fe-S bond and binds N2. The product is the first synthetic Fe–N2 complex in which iron has bonds to sulfur and carbon atoms, providing a model for N2 coordination in the FeMoco. Our results demonstrate that breaking an Fe-S bond is a chemically reasonable route to N2 binding in the FeMoco, and show structural and spectroscopic details for weakened N2 on a sulfur-rich iron site.

Acetals are molecular substructures that contain two oxygen-carbon single bonds at the same carbon atom, and are used in cells to construct carbohydrates and numerous other molecules. A distinctive subgroup are spiroacetals, acetals joining two rings, which occur in a broad range of biologically active compounds, including small insect pheromones and more complex macrocycles. Despite numerous methods for the catalytic asymmetric formation of other commonly occurring stereocentres, there are few approaches that exclusively target the chiral acetal centre and none for spiroacetals. Here we report the design and synthesis of confined Brønsted acids based on a C(2)-symmetric imidodiphosphoric acid motif, enabling a catalytic enantioselective spiroacetalization reaction. These rationally constructed Brønsted acids possess an extremely sterically demanding chiral microenvironment, with a single catalytically relevant and geometrically constrained bifunctional active site. Our catalyst design is expected to be of broad utility in catalytic asymmetric reactions involving small and structurally or functionally unbiased substrates.

Confined chiral Brønsted acids are shown to catalyze asymmetric oxidations of sulfides to sulfoxides with hydrogen peroxide. The wide generality and high enantioselectivity of the developed method compare even to the best metal-based systems and suggest utility in other asymmetric oxidations.

Nitrogenase enzymes are used by microorganisms for converting atmospheric N2 to ammonia, which provides an essential source of N atoms for higher organisms. The active site of the molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase is the unique carbide-containing iron-sulfur cluster called the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco). On the FeMoco, N2 binding is suggested to occur at one or more iron atoms, but the structures of the catalytic intermediates are not clear. In order to establish the feasibility of different potential mechanistic steps during biological N2 reduction, chemists have prepared iron complexes that mimic various structural aspects of the iron sites in FeMoco. This reductionist approach gives mechanistic insight, and also uncovers fundamental principles that could be used more broadly for small molecule activation. Here, we review recent results and highlight directions for future research. In one direction, synthetic iron complexes have now been shown to bind N2, break the N-N triple bond, and produce ammonia catalytically. Carbon and sulfur based donors have been incorporated into the ligand spheres of Fe-N2 complexes to show how these atoms may influence the structure and reactivity of the FeMoco. Hydrides have been incorporated into synthetic systems, which can bind N2, reduce some nitrogenase substrates, and/or reductively eliminate H2 to generate reduced iron centers. Though some carbide-containing iron clusters are known, none yet have sulfide bridges or high-spin iron atoms like the FeMoco.

Fine‐tuning the sites: The readily accessible N‐phosphinyl phosphoramide 1 proved to be highly efficient and enantioselective in catalyzing the title reaction. The synthetic utility of this methodology was demonstrated with the first catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the analgesic pharmaceutical (R)‐chlorothenoxazine (see scheme).

In straitened circumstances: In an asymmetric version of the acid‐catalyzed acetalization of aldehydes, a novel member of the chiral confined Brønsted acid family significantly outperformed previously established catalysts, providing cyclic acetals with excellent enantioselectivity (see scheme; Ar=2‐iPr‐5‐MeC6H3).

C-H arylation of arenes without the use of directing groups is a challenge, even for simple molecules, such as benzene. We describe spatial anion control as a concept for the design of catalytic sites for C-H bond activation, thereby enabling nondirected C-H arylation of arenes at ambient temperature. The mild conditions enable late-stage structural diversification of biologically relevant small molecules, and site-selectivity complementary to that obtained with other methods of arene functionalization can be achieved. These results reveal the potential of spatial anion control in transition-metal catalysis for the functionalization of C-H bonds under mild conditions.

The first aminocatalyzed α-alkylation of α-branched aldehydes with benzyl bromides as alkylating agents has been developed. Using a sterically demanding proline derived catalyst, racemic α-branched aldehydes are reacted with alkylating agents in a DYKAT process to give the corresponding α-alkylated aldehydes with quaternary stereogenic centers in good yields and high enantioselectivities.