Hemilabile Amine-Functionalized Efficient Azo-Aromatic Cu-Catalysts Inspired by Galactose Oxidase: Impact of Amine Sidearm on Catalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

A series of azo-aromatic copper(II) complexes, [1a -g] and a Cu(I) complex, [1h], with varying amine-functionalized hemilabile pincer-like [HL1-3] and [L1,2], methyl-substituted azo [L3], and imine [L4] ligands, were synthesized and characterized. These complexes were investigated for aerobic oxidation of a variety of aromatic alcohols in the presence of 2.0 mol % precatalysts [1a-g], cobaltocene (2.0 mol %), N-methyl imidazole (NMI) (8.0 mol %), and TEMPOH (2.0 mol %) at room temperature. The Cu(I) complex (1h) acted as a catalyst in the absence of cobaltocene. To understand the mechanism, detailed experimental and theoretical studies have been performed with the representative complex [1a], which has suggested a new kind of mechanism involving a Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox couple. Cobaltocene acts as a reductant to [1a] to generate a Cu(I) complex, which activates dioxygen in the presence of NMI. TEMPOH transfers a hydrogen atom to the activated dioxygen with the generation of TEMPO center dot, which further participates in alpha-C-H bond activation in the Cu(II)-alkoxide intermediate in an intermolecular fashion in the catalytic cycle. The amine sidearm in the ligand backbone of the complexes has a significant role in catalytic activity. Complexes with amine sidearms are more effective than complexes without them. Moreover, the aliphatic secondary amine sidearm is more efficient among the amine sidearm than the aromatic secondary amine and tertiary amines. The amine sidearm that remained coordinated to the Cu(II) center is hemilabile, and it facilitates alcohol coordination in the catalytic process. Alcohol coordination was the rate-limiting step, and it was supported by the isotope effect study on benzyl alcohol, substitution effect on the amine moiety of the ligands, and DFT calculation. The hemilabile amine sidearm of the coordinated ligand also acted as a base in deprotonating the alcoholic O-H proton and acted as an acid in releasing H2O2 during the catalysis. -02 +TEMPOH j /Th center dot center dot+ RCH2OH,' Clu N1 iota center dot; NCl MI R1 R2 Catalyst N1 = Nato, N3 = Npy, N4 = Namine R1 and R2 = H/alkyl/aryl, R = Aryl RCHO Catalyst i TEMPOH center dot center dot + HOZ,: + TEMPO + NMI center dot N4--O bond favors alcohol coordination center dot intramolecular acid-base cooperation by the amine side arm

Automated summary

A series of copper complexes with different amine-functionalized ligands were synthesized and investigated for their catalytic performance in the oxidation reaction of aromatic alcohols. The amine sidearm in the ligand backbone plays a significant role in the catalytic activity, and its structure affects the catalytic performance.