Palladium-catalyzed activation of HnA-AHnbonds (AHn= CH3, NH2, OH, F)

Bryan Phuti Moloto, Pascal Vermeeren, Marco Dalla Tiezza, Tessel Bouwens, Catharine Esterhuysen, Trevor A. Hamlin, F. Matthias Bickelhaupt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We have quantum chemically studied activation of HnA-AHn bonds (AHn = CH3, NH2, OH, F) by PdLn catalysts with Ln = no ligand, PH3, (PH3)2, using relativistic density functional theory at ZORA-BLYP/TZ2P. The activation energy associated with the oxidative addition step decreases from H3C-CH3 to H2N-NH2 to HO-OH to F-F, where the activation of the F-F bond is barrierless. Activation strain and Kohn-Sham molecular orbital analyses reveal that the enhanced reactivity along this series of substrates originates from a combination of (i) reduced activation strain due to a weaker HnA-AHn bond; (ii) decreased Pauli repulsion as a result of a difference in steric shielding of the HnA-AHn bond; and (iii) enhanced backbonding interaction between the occupied 4d atomic orbitals of the palladium catalyst and σ∗ acceptor orbital of the substrate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-191
Number of pages11
JournalPure and Applied Chemistry
Volume95
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2023

Keywords

  • Activation strain model
  • bond activation
  • density functional calculations
  • homogeneous catalysis
  • oxidative addition
  • VCCA-2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering

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