Aerobic Oxidation Reactivity of Well-Defined Cobalt(II) and Cobalt(III) Aminophenol Complexes
Jiaqi Liu, Shannen C. Lorraine, Brian S. Dolinar, Jessica M. Hoover
Abstract
This paper describes the synthesis and reactivity studies of three cobalt complexes bearing aminophenol-derived ligands without nitrogen substitution: CoII(tBu2APH)2(tBu2AP)2 (1), CoIII2(tBu2APH)2(tBu2AP)2(μ-tBu2BAP)2 (2), and CoIII(tBu2AP)3 (3), where tBu2APH = 2-amino-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol, tBu2AP = 2-amino-4,6-di-tert-butylphenolate, and μ-tBu2BAP = bridging 2-amido-4,6-di-tert-butylphenolate. Stoichiometric reactivity studies of these well-defined complexes demonstrate the catalytic competency of both cobalt(II) and cobalt(III) complexes in the aerobic oxidative cyclization of tBu2APH with tert-butylisonitrile. Reactions with O2 reveal the aerobic oxidation of the cobalt(II) complex 1 to generate the cobalt(III) species 2 and 3. UV–visible time-course studies and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy indicate that this oxidation proceeds through a ligand-based radical intermediate. These studies represent the first example of well-defined cobalt aminophenol complexes that participate in catalytic aerobic oxidation reactions and highlight a key role for a ligand radical in the oxidation sequence.