The p-methoxy-substituted pincer-ligated iridium complexes, (MeO-(tBu)PCP)IrH(4) ((R)PCP = kappa(3)-C(6)H(3)-2,6-(CH(2)PR(2))(2)) and (MeO-(iPr)PCP)IrH(4), are found to be highly effective catalysts for the dehydrogenation of alkanes (both with and without the use of sacrificial hydrogen acceptors). These complexes offer an interesting comparison with the recently reported bis-phosphinite "POCOP" ((R)POCOP = kappa(3)-C(6)H(3)-2,6-(OPR(2))(2)) pincer-ligated catalysts, which also show catalytic activity higher than unsubstituted PCP analogues (Gottker-Schnetmann, I.; White, P.; Brookhart, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 1804). On the basis of nu(CO) values of the respective CO adducts, the MeO-PCP complexes appear to be more electron-rich than the parent PCP complexes, whereas the POCOP complexes appear to be more electron-poor. However, the MeO-PCP and POCOP ligands are calculated (DFT) to show effects in the same directions, relative to the parent PCP ligand, for the kinetics and thermodynamics of a broad range of reactions including the addition of C-H and H-H bonds and CO. In general, both ligands favor (relative to unsubstituted PCP) addition to the 14e (pincer)Ir fragments but disfavor addition to the 16e complexes (pincer)IrH(2) or (pincer)Ir(CO). These kinetic and thermodynamic effects are all largely attributable to the same electronic feature: O --> C(aryl) pi-donation, from the methoxy or phosphinito groups of the respective ligands. DFT calculations also indicate that the kinetics (but not the thermodynamics) of C-H addition to (pincer)Ir are favored by sigma-withdrawal from the phosphorus atoms. The high nu(CO) value of (POCOP)Ir(CO) is attributable to electrostatic effects, rather than decreased Ir-CO pi-donation or increased OC-Ir sigma-donation.

The thermodynamics of small-molecule (H(2), arene, alkane, and CO) addition to pincer-ligated iridium complexes of several different configurations (three-coordinate d(8), four-coordinate d(8), and five-coordinate d(6)) have been investigated by computational and experimental means. The substituent para to the iridium (Y) has been varied in complexes containing the (Y-PCP)Ir unit (Y-PCP = eta(3)-1,3,5-C(6)H(2)[CH(2)PR(2)](2)Y; R = methyl for computations; R = tert-butyl for experiments); substituent effects have been studied for the addition of H(2), C-H, and CO to the complexes (Y-PCP)Ir, (Y-PCP)Ir(CO), and (Y-PCP)Ir(H)(2). Para substituents on arenes undergoing C-H bond addition to (PCP)Ir or to (PCP)Ir(CO) have also been varied computationally and experimentally. In general, increasing electron donation by the substituent Y in the 16-electron complexes, (Y-PCP)Ir(CO) or (Y-PCP)Ir(H)(2), disfavors addition of H-H or C-H bonds, in contradiction to the idea of such additions being oxidative. Addition of CO to the same 16-electron complexes is also disfavored by increased electron donation from Y. By contrast, addition of H-H and C-H bonds or CO to the three-coordinate parent species (Y-PCP)Ir is favored by increased electron donation. In general, the effects of varying Y are markedly similar for H(2), C-H, and CO addition. The trends can be fully rationalized in terms of simple molecular orbital interactions but not in terms of concepts related to oxidation, such as charge-transfer or electronegativity differences.

We have developed a correlation between experimental and density functional theory-derived results of the hydride-donating power, or “hydricity”, of various ruthenium, rhenium, and organic hydride donors. This approach utilizes the correlation between experimental hydricity values and their corresponding calculated free-energy differences between the hydride donors and their conjugate acceptors in acetonitrile, and leads to an extrapolated value of the absolute free energy of the hydride ion without the necessity to calculate it directly. We then use this correlation to predict, from density functional theory-calculated data, hydricity values of ruthenium and rhenium complexes that incorporate the pbnHH ligand—pbnHH = 1,5-dihydro-2-(2-pyridyl)-benzo[ b ]-1,5-naphthyridine—to model the function of NADPH. These visible light-generated, photocatalytic complexes produced by disproportionation of a protonated-photoreduced dimer of a metal-pbn complex may be valuable for use in reducing CO 2 to fuels such as methanol. The excited-state lifetime of photoexcited [Ru(bpy) 2 (pbnHH)] 2+ is found to be about 70 ns, and this excited state can be reductively quenched by triethylamine or 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane to produce the one-electron-reduced [Ru(bpy) 2 (pbnHH)] + species with half-life exceeding 50 μs, thus opening the door to new opportunities for hydride-transfer reactions leading to CO 2 reduction by producing a species with much increased hydricity.

The pincer-ligated species (PCP)Ir (PCP = kappa3-C6H3-2,6-(CH2PtBu2)2) is found to promote dimerization of phenylacetylene to give the enyne complex (PCP)Ir(trans-1,4-phenyl-but-3-ene-1-yne). The mechanism of this reaction is found to proceed through three steps: (i) addition of the alkynyl C-H bond to iridium, (ii) insertion of a second phenylacetylene molecule into the resulting Ir-H bond, and (iii) vinyl-acetylide reductive elimination. Each of these steps has been investigated, by both experimental and computational (DFT) methods, to yield unexpected conclusions of general interest. (i) The product of alkynyl C-H addition, (PCP)Ir(CCPh)(H) (3), has been isolated and, in accord with experimental observations, is calculated to be 29 kcal/mol more stable than the analogous product of benzene C-H addition. (ii) Insertion of a second PhCCH molecule into the Ir-H bond of 3 proceeds rapidly, but with a 1,2-orientation. This orientation gives (PCP)Ir(CCPh)(CPh=CH2) (4) which would yield the 1,3-diphenyl-enyne if it were to undergo C-C elimination; however, the insertion is reversible, which represents the first example, to our knowledge, of simple beta-H elimination from a vinyl group to give a terminal hydride. The 2,1-insertion product (PCP)Ir(CCPh)(CH=CHPh) (6) forms more slowly, but unlike the 1,2 insertion product it undergoes C-C elimination to give the observed enyne. (iii) The failure of 4 to undergo C-C elimination is found to be general for (PCP)Ir(CCPh)(vinyl) complexes in which the vinyl group has an alpha-substituent. Thus, although C-C elimination relieves crowding, the reaction is inhibited by increased crowding. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations support this surprising conclusion and offer a clear explanation. Alkynyl-vinyl bond formation in the C-C elimination transition state involves the vinyl group pi-system; this requires that the vinyl group must rotate (around the Ir-C bond) by ca. 90 degrees to achieve an appropriate orientation. This rotation is severely inhibited by steric crowding, particularly when the vinyl group bears an alpha-substituent.

Pincer complexes of the type ((R)PCP)IrH(2), where ((R)PCP)Ir is [eta(3)-2,6-(R(2)PCH(2))(2)C(6)H(3)]Ir, are the most effective catalysts reported to date for the "acceptorless" dehydrogenation of alkanes to yield alkenes and free H(2). We calculate (DFT/B3LYP) that associative (A) reactions of ((Me)PCP)IrH(2) with model linear (propane, n-PrH) and cyclic (cyclohexane, CyH) alkanes may proceed via classical Ir(V) and nonclassical Ir(III)(eta(2)-H(2)) intermediates. A dissociative (D) pathway proceeds via initial loss of H(2), followed by C-H addition to ((Me)PCP)Ir. Although a slightly higher energy barrier (DeltaE(+ +)) is computed for the D pathway, the calculated free-energy barrier (DeltaG(+ +)) for the D pathway is significantly lower than that of the A pathway. Under standard thermodynamic conditions (STP), C-H addition via the D pathway has DeltaG(o)(+ +) = 36.3 kcal/mol for CyH (35.1 kcal/mol for n-PrH). However, acceptorless dehydrogenation of alkanes is thermodynamically impossible at STP. At conditions under which acceptorless dehydrogenation is thermodynamically possible (for example, T = 150 degrees C and P(H)2 = 1.0 x 10(-7) atm), DeltaG(+ +) for C-H addition to ((Me)PCP)Ir (plus a molecule of free H(2)) is very low (17.5 kcal/mol for CyH, 16.7 kcal/mol for n-PrH). Under these conditions, the rate-determining step for the D pathway is the loss of H(2) from ((Me)PCP)IrH(2) with DeltaG(D)(+ +) approximately DeltaH(D)(+ +) = 27.2 kcal/mol. For CyH, the calculated DeltaG(o)(+ +) for C-H addition to ((Me)PCP)IrH(2) on the A pathway is 35.2 kcal/mol (32.7 kcal/mol for n-PrH). At catalytic conditions, the calculated free energies of C-H addition are 31.3 and 33.7 kcal/mol for CyH and n-PrH addition, respectively. Elimination of H(2) from the resulting "seven-coordinate" Ir-species must proceed with an activation enthalpy at least as large as the enthalpy change of the elimination step itself (DeltaH approximately 11-13 kcal/mol), and with a small entropy of activation. The free energy of activation for H(2) elimination (DeltaG(A)(+ +)) is hence found to be greater than ca. 36 kcal/mol for both CyH and n-PrH under catalytic conditions. The overall free-energy barrier of the A pathway is calculated to be higher than that of the D pathway by ca. 9 kcal/mol. Reversible C-H(D) addition to ((R)PCP)IrH(2) is predicted to lead to H/D exchange, because the barriers for hydride scrambling are extremely low in the "seven-coordinate" polyhydrides. In agreement with calculation, H/D exchange is observed experimentally for several deuteriohydrocarbons with the following order of rates: C(6)D(6) > mesitylene-d(12) > n-decane-d(22) >> cyclohexane-d(12). Because H/D exchange in cyclohexane-d(12) solution is not observed even after 1 week at 180 degrees C, we estimate that the experimental barrier to cyclohexane C-D addition is greater than 36.4 kcal/mol. This value is considerably greater than the experimental barrier for the full catalytic dehydrogenation cycle for cycloalkanes (ca. 31 kcal/mol). Thus, the experimental ev...