Mechanism of catalytic aziridination with manganese corrole: The often postulated high-valent Mn(V) imido is not the group transfer reagent

The reaction of ArINTs (Ar = 2-(tert-butylsulfonyl)benzene and Ts = p-toluenesulfonyl) and (tpfc)Mn (tpfc = 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole), 1, affords the high-valent (tpfc)(MnNTs)-N-V, 2, on stopped-flow time scale. The reaction proceeds via the adduct [(tpfc)Mn-III(ArINTs)], 3, with formation constant K-3 = (10 +/- 2) x 10(3) L mol(-1). Subsequently, 3 undergoes unimolecular group transfer to give complex 2 with the rate constant k(4) = 0.26 +/- 0.07 s(-1) at 24.0 degrees C. The complex (tpfc)Mn catalyzes [NTs] group transfer from ArINTs to styrene substrates with low catalyst loading and without requirement of excess olefin. The catalytic aziridination reaction is most efficient in benzene because solvents such as toluene undergo a competing hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction resulting in H2NTs and lowered aziridine yields. The high-valent manganese imido complex (tpfc)MnNTs does not transfer its [NTs] group to styrene. Double-labeling experiments with ArINTs and ArINTstBu (Ts-tBu = (p-tert-butylphenyl)sulfonyl) establish the source of [NR] transfer as a third oxidant, which is an adduct of Mn(V) imido, [(tpfc)Mn(NTstBu)(ArINTs)] (4). Formation of this oxidant is rate limiting in catalysis.