No abstract

The oxidation of a series of para-substituted phenyl methyl sulfides was carried out with several oxo(salen)iron (salen = N,N'-bis(salicylidine)ethylenediaminato) complexes in acetonitrile. The oxo complex [O=Fe(IV)(salen)](*+), generated from an iron(III) [bond] salen complex and iodosylbenzene, effectively oxidizes the organic sulfides to the corresponding sulfoxides. The formation of [O [double bond] Fe(IV)(salen)](*+) as the active oxidant is supported by resonance Raman studies. The kinetic data indicate that the reaction is first-order in the oxidant and fractional-order with respect to sulfide. The observed saturation kinetics of the reaction and spectral data indicate that the substrate binds to the oxidant before the rate-controlling step. The rate constant (k) values for the product formation step determined using Michaelis-Menten kinetics correlate well with Hammett sigma constants, giving reaction constant (rho) values in the range of -0.65 to -1.54 for different oxo(salen)iron complexes. The log k values observed in the oxidation of each aryl methyl sulfide by substituted oxo(salen)iron complexes also correlate with Hammett sigma constants, giving positive rho values. The substituent effect, UV-vis absorption, and EPR spectral studies indicate oxygen atom transfer from the oxidant to the substrate in the rate-determining step.

No abstract

The kinetics of oxygenation of several para-substituted phenyl methyl sulfides and sulfoxides with a series of 5-substituted and sterically hindered oxo(salen)chromium(V) complexes have been studied by a spectrophotometric technique. Though the reaction of sulfides follows simple second-order kinetics, sulfoxides bind strongly with the metal center of the oxidant and the oxygen atom is transferred from the oxidant-sulfoxide adduct to the substrate. The reduction potentials, E(red), of eight Cr(V) complexes correlate well with the Hammett sigma constants, and the reactivity of the metal complexes is in accordance with the E(red) values. The metal complexes carrying bulky tert-butyl groups entail steric effects. Organic sulfides follow a simple electrophilic oxidation mechanism, and the nonligated sulfoxides undergo electrophilic oxidation to sulfones using the oxidant-sulfoxide adduct as the oxidant. Sulfoxides catalyze the Cr(V)-salen complexes' oxygenation of organic sulfides, and the catalytic activity of sulfoxides is comparable to pyridine N-oxide and triphenylphosphine oxide. The rate constants obtained for the oxidation of sulfides and sulfoxides clearly indicate the operation of a pronounced electronic and steric effect in the oxygenation reaction with oxo(salen)chromium(V) complexes.

The selective oxidation of organic sulfides to sulfoxides by oxo(salen)chromium(V) complexes in acetonitrile is overall second-order, first-order each in the oxidant and the substrate. The rate constant, k(2), values of several para-substituted phenyl methyl sulfides correlate linearly with Hammett sigma constants and the rho values are in the range of -1.3 to -2.7 with different substituted oxo(salen)chromium(V) complexes. The reactivity of different alkyl sulfides is in accordance with Taft's steric substituent constant, E(S). A mechanism involving direct oxygen atom transfer from the oxidant to the substrate rather than electron transfer is envisaged. Correlation analyses show the presence of an inverse relationship between reactivity and selectivity in the reaction of various sulfides with a given oxo(salen)chromium(V) complex and vice versa. Mathematical treatment of the results shows that this redox system falls under strong reactivity-selectivity principle (RSP).

No abstract

Remarkable developments have been accomplished in silica-supported palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs)-mediated organic transformations for the generation of Suzuki (C−C), Heck (CC), and Sonogashira (CC) coupling reactions in academic as well as industrial communities. Various synthetic methods were adopted to prepare highly dispersed PdNPs encapsulated within various forms of silica supports. The type of reaction examined size and shape, stability, and recycling ability of silica-supported PdNPs, and the influence of different reaction parameters on carbon−carbon bond-forming reactions are discussed. In these reactions, the silica-supported PdNPs exhibited superior performances compared to their unsupported colloidal metal nanoparticles (MNPs), revealing the advantages of designing nanocatalysts. Recent progress in the synthesis, catalytic results, stability, and recycling possibilities of silica-supported PdNPs are discussed, along with the prospective outlook of relevant research fields.

Self-assembly of rhenium(I)-based molecular rectangles containing long alkyl chains has been achieved in one-pot synthesis by solvothermal methods. An enormous enhancement in the emission intensity, quantum yield, and lifetime of the rectangles has been observed when the solvent medium is changed from organic to aqueous. Addition of water favors the aggregation of Re(I) molecular rectangle resulting in the luminescence enhancement, and this phenomenon has been traced out using light scattering techniques.