Electrochemical Properties and Reactivity Study of [Mn<sup>V</sup>(O)(μ-OR–Lewis Acid)] Cores
Geetika Gupta, M. Bera, Satadal Paul, Sayantan Paria
Abstract
A mononuclear manganese(V) oxo complex of a bis(amidate)bis(alkoxide) ligand, (NMe4)[MnV(HMPAB)(O)] [2; H4HMPAB = 1,2-bis(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanamido)benzene], was synthesized and structurally characterized. A Mn–Oterm distance of 1.566(4) Å was observed in the solid-state structure of 2, consistent with the Mn≡O formulation. The reaction of redox-inactive metal ions (Mn+ = Li+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Y3+, and Sc3+) with 2 resulted in the formation of 2-Mn+ species, which were characterized by UV–vis, 1H NMR, cyclic voltammetry, and in situ IR spectroscopy. Theoretical calculations suggested that the alkoxide oxygen atoms of the ligand scaffold are energetically most favorable for coordinating the Mn+ ions in 2. Complex 2 revealed one-electron-reduction potential at −0.01 V versus ferrocenium/ferrocene, which shifted anodically upon coordination of Mn+ ions to 2, and such a shift became more prominent with stronger Lewis acids. The oxygen-atom transfer (OAT) reactivities of 2 and 2-Mn+ species with triphenylphosphine were compared, which exhibited a systematic increase of the reaction rate with increasing Lewis acidity of Mn+ ions, and a plot of log k2 versus Lewis acidity of Mn+ ions (ΔE) followed a linear relationship. It was observed that 2-Sc3+ was ca. 3200 times more reactive toward the OAT reaction compared to 2. Hammett analysis of 2 exhibited a V-shaped plot, indicating a change of the reaction mechanism upon going from electron-rich to electron-deficient Ar3P substrates. In contrast, 2-Ca2+ and 2-Sc3+ showed an electrophilic nature toward the OAT reaction, thus demonstrating the role of the Lewis acid in controlling the OAT mechanism. The hydrogen-atom abstraction reaction of 2 and 2-Mn+ adducts with 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide was investigated, and it was observed that the rate of reaction did not vary considerably with the Lewis acidity of Mn+ ions. On the basis of Eyring analysis of 2 and 2-Mn+ adducts, we hypothesized an entropy-controlled hydrogen-atom-transfer reaction for 2-Sc3+, which is different from the reaction mechanism of 2 and 2-Ca2+.