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1. Copper‐Catalyzed C(sp ³ )−H Amidation: Sterically Driven Primary and Secondary C−H Site‐Selectivity

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201810556  

   Bakhoda, Abolghasem; Jiang, Quan; Badiei, Yosra M.; Bertke, Jeffery A.; Cundari, Thomas R.; Warren, Timothy H. (February 2019, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   Abstract Undirected C(sp³)−H functionalization reactions often follow site‐selectivity patterns that mirror the corresponding C−H bond dissociation energies (BDEs). This often results in the functionalization of weaker tertiary C−H bonds in the presence of stronger secondary and primary bonds. An important, contemporary challenge is the development of catalyst systems capable of selectively functionalizing stronger primary and secondary C−H bonds over tertiary and benzylic C−H sites. Herein, we report a Cu catalyst that exhibits a high degree of primary and secondary over tertiary C−H bond selectivity in the amidation of linear and cyclic hydrocarbons with aroyl azides ArC(O)N₃. Mechanistic and DFT studies indicate that C−H amidation involves H‐atom abstraction from R‐H substrates by nitrene intermediates [Cu](κ²‐N,O‐NC(O)Ar) to provide carbon‐based radicals R^.and copper(II)amide intermediates [Cu^II]‐NHC(O)Ar that subsequently capture radicals R^.to form products R‐NHC(O)Ar. These studies reveal important catalyst features required to achieve primary and secondary C−H amidation selectivity in the absence of directing groups. 

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2. Hydrogen‐Bonding as a Factor to Determine the Regioselectivity for Pd‐mediated C−H Activation of Pyridine

   https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202001658  

   Haines, Brandon E.; Musaev, Djamaladdin G. (December 2020, ChemCatChem)

   Abstract Direct and regioselective functionalization of pyridine is a topic of high scientific and technological importance. In spite of extensive efforts, the regioselective functionalization of pyridine still remains a significant challenge due to their low reactivity and presence of Lewis‐basic sp²nitrogen. Here, we studied the effect of hydrogen bonding interactions on the regiochemical outcome of Pd‐mediated C−H activation of pyridine by utilizing DFT calculations. We demonstrated that hydrogen bonding can act as a second independent factor to override the inherent regioselectivity of pyridine. This novel approach complements previously reported strategies, such as: (a) coordination of pyridine to transition metal center via its N‐center, (b) installation of directing group (DG) and then coordination of pyridine to the transition metal center via this DG (i. e. chelation assistant strategy), (c) protection of its nitrogen lone pair with N‐oxide or N‐imino groups or with Lewis acids, (d) the inherent positional reactivity of C−H bonds based on the electronic or steric properties of the substituents, and (e) by the identity of the oxidant used. We have also demonstrated that the oxidation state of the Pd catalyst has impact on the regiochemical outcome of the C−H activation step in pyridine. The implications of our study for regioselective C−H functionalization catalyst design of heteroarenes are twofold: It demonstrates (1) hydrogen bonding as a viable design principle, and (2) Pd(IV) as a catalyst for C−H functionalization. 

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3. Non-metal-templated approaches to bis(borane) derivatives of macrocyclic dibridgehead diphosphines via alkene metathesis

   https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.14.211  

   Fiedler, Tobias; Barbasiewicz, Michał; Stollenz, Michael; Gladysz, John A (January 2018, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry)

   Two routes to the title compounds are evaluated. First, a ca. 0.01 M CH 2 Cl 2 solution of H 3 B·P((CH 2 ) 6 CH=CH 2 ) 3 ( 1 ·BH 3 ) is treated with 5 mol % of Grubbs' first generation catalyst (0 °C to reflux), followed by H 2 (5 bar) and Wilkinson's catalyst (55 °C). Column chromatography affords H 3 B·P( n- C 8 H 17 ) 3 (1%), H 3 B· P ((CH 2 ) 13 C H 2 )( n -C 8 H 17 ) (8%; see text for tie bars that indicate additional phosphorus–carbon linkages, which are coded in the abstract with italics), H 3 B· P ((CH 2 ) 13 C H 2 )((CH 2 ) 14 ) P ((CH 2 ) 13 C H 2 )·BH 3 ( 6 ·2BH 3 , 10%), in,out -H 3 B·P((CH 2 ) 14 ) 3 P·BH 3 ( in,out - 2 ·2BH 3 , 4%) and the stereoisomer ( in,in / out,out )- 2 ·2BH 3 (2%). Four of these structures are verified by independent syntheses. Second, 1,14-tetradecanedioic acid is converted (reduction, bromination, Arbuzov reaction, LiAlH 4 ) to H 2 P((CH 2 ) 14 )PH 2 ( 10 ; 76% overall yield). The reaction with H 3 B·SMe 2 gives 10 ·2BH 3 , which is treated with n -BuLi (4.4 equiv) and Br(CH 2 ) 6 CH=CH 2 (4.0 equiv) to afford the tetraalkenyl precursor (H 2 C=CH(CH 2 ) 6 ) 2 (H 3 B)P((CH 2 ) 14 )P(BH 3 )((CH 2 ) 6 CH=CH 2 ) 2 ( 11 ·2BH 3 ; 18%). Alternative approaches to 11 ·2BH 3 (e.g., via 11 ) were unsuccessful. An analogous metathesis/hydrogenation/chromatography sequence with 11 ·2BH 3 (0.0010 M in CH 2 Cl 2 ) gives 6 ·2BH 3 (5%), in,out - 2 ·2BH 3 (6%), and ( in,in / out,out )- 2 ·2BH 3 (7%). Despite the doubled yield of 2 ·2BH 3 , the longer synthesis of 11 ·2BH 3 vs 1 ·BH 3 renders the two routes a toss-up; neither compares favorably with precious metal templated syntheses. 

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4. Self‐Sacrificial Template Synthesis of Fe‐N‐C Catalysts with Dense Active Sites Deposited on A Porous Carbon Network for High Performance in PEMFC

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202303952  

   Jiao, Li; Arman, Tanvir_Alam; Hwang, Sooyeon; Fonseca, Javier; Okolie, Norbert; Shaaban, Ehab; Li, Gonghu; Liu, Ershuai; Pasaogullari, Ugur; Babu, Siddharth_Komini; et al (April 2024, Advanced Energy Materials)

   Abstract Iron‐nitrogen‐carbon (Fe‐N‐C) single‐atom catalysts are promising sustainable alternatives to the costly and scarce platinum (Pt) to catalyze the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, Fe‐N‐C cathodes for PEMFC are made thicker than Pt/C ones, in order to compensate for the lower intrinsic ORR activity and site density of Fe‐N‐C materials. The thick electrodes are bound with mass transport issues that limit their performance at high current densities, especially in H₂/air PEMFCs. Practical Fe‐N‐C electrodes must combine high intrinsic ORR activity, high site density, and fast mass transport. Herein, it has achieved an improved combination of these properties with a Fe‐N‐C catalyst prepared via a two‐step synthesis approach, constructing first a porous zinc‐nitrogen‐carbon (Zn‐N‐C) substrate, followed by transmetallating Zn by Fe via chemical vapor deposition. A cathode comprising this Fe‐N‐C catalyst has exhibited a maximum power density of 0.53 W cm⁻²in H₂/air PEMFC at 80 °C. The improved power density is associated with the hierarchical porosity of the Zn‐N‐C substrate of this work, which is achieved by epitaxial growth of ZIF‐8 onto g‐C₃N₄, leading to a micro‐mesoporous substrate. 

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5. Cu dimer anchored on C ₂ N monolayer: low-cost and efficient Bi-atom catalyst for CO oxidation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NR03394C  

   Li, Fengyu; Chen, Zhongfang (January 2018, Nanoscale)

   By means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we systemically investigated CO/O 2 adsorption and CO oxidation pathways on a bi-atom catalyst, namely, a copper dimer anchored on a C 2 N monolayer (Cu 2 @C 2 N), and we compared it with its monometallic counterpart Cu 1 @C 2 N. The Cu dimer could be stably embedded into the porous C 2 N monolayer. The reactions between the adsorbed O 2 and CO via both bi-molecular and tri-molecular Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) and Eley–Rideal (E–R) mechanisms were comparably studied, and we found that the bi-atom catalyst Cu 2 @C 2 N possessed superior performance toward CO oxidation as compared to the single-atom catalyst Cu 1 @C 2 N. Our comparative study suggested that the newly predicted bi-atom catalyst, i.e. , a copper dimer anchored on a suitable support is highly active for CO oxidation, which can provide a useful guideline for further developing highly effective and low-cost green nanocatalysts. 

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