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none, both in terms of activity and selectivity. First of all, the
increasing TOF values with increasing CD content show that
nanocatalysts more rich in CDs are more active, thus evidenc-
ing the shuttle effect of the CD. Nevertheless, we observed
some differences depending on the quantity of CD. At a rela-
tively low quantity of CD (0.2 equiv.), the effect was low. This
can be explained by the fact that the CD was mainly involved
in the formation of an inclusion complex with the diphosphine
ligand at the metal surface, thus leading to stable RuNPs that
were active but with no boosting effect. At higher quantity of
CD, there was free CD in the reaction medium which improved
the catalytic system, and this was even more pronounced with
CD=5.0 compared to the situation with CD=1.0. Concerning
the selectivity, we also noticed some differences if CD was
present at a ratio CDꢀ1.0. In the case of styrene, a high quan-
tity of CD (5.0 equiv.) limited the total hydrogenation of sty-
rene, probably owing to the formation of an inclusion complex
between the aromatic ring and the excess CD thus avoiding its
hydrogenation in the same reaction time. In the case of aceto-
phenone, the product selectivity tended also to vary with the
CD content: CDꢀ1 contents led to higher quantities of partial-
ly hydrogenated products (1-phenylethanol and 1-cyclohexyle-
thanone) and this was even more pronounced with CD=
for the Ru/L/CD nanocatalysts whatever the quantity of CD
was, all leading to 100% conversion in 2 h. TON and TOF
values were also increased if higher quantities of CD were
present in the reaction medium. Diastereomeric excesses be-
tween 50 and 100% were noticed, in favor of the kinetic cis
product, evidencing that the quantity of CD had an influence
on the selectivity of the reaction at higher hydrogen pressure,
and the more CD-rich nanocatalysts (Ru/L/5.0CD) were the
more selective.
All these results highlight the interest of combining a sulfo-
nated diphosphine ligand with a cyclodextrin to tune the cata-
lytic performances of RuNPs, as the formation of strong inclu-
sion complexes between the ligand and/or the substrate
within the cage of the cyclodextrin may lead to different selec-
tivities and excess CD improve the activity through a mass-
transfer promoter effect.
Conclusions
Sulfonated diphosphines were very efficient ligands for the sta-
bilization of ruthenium nanoparticles (RuNPs) synthesized
through the organometallic approach, giving rise to well-con-
trolled nanoclusters in the diameter range 1.2–1.5 nm and dis-
playing very low diameter dispersity. The water-solubility of
the sulfonated diphosphine allowed obtaining very stable
aqueous colloidal solutions (up to several months) by a simple
transfer of the isolated particles into water. Deep-NMR studies
conducted in the solid state as well as on the aqueous colloi-
dal solutions evidenced the strong interaction of the sulfonat-
ed diphosphine ligand with the RuNPs surface. If a randomly
methylated b-cyclodextrin was used as coadditive in the syn-
thesis of the sulfonated-diphosphine-stabilized RuNPs, the for-
mation of supramolecular inclusion complexes between the
sulfonated diphosphine and cyclodextrin molecules was ob-
served. The existence of an interaction between ligand and cy-
clodextrin was clearly evidenced by NMR spectroscopy (both
in solution and in solid state), which appeared even stronger
at higher cyclodextrin content, thus disrupting severely the co-
ordination properties of the ligand towards the metal surface.
However, it was observed that this interaction could take place
only if the cyclodextrin is present during the synthesis of the
particles.
5.0 equivalents. Interestingly, representative TEM images from
colloidal solution in water of RuNPs after catalysis showed that
the nanoparticles were not agglomerated (Figure S7).
The investigation in catalysis was pursued by studying the
hydrogenation of a substrate of higher interest, namely 1-me-
thoxy-3-methylbenzene (m-methylanisole). This disubstituted
aromatic substrate was chosen to evaluate the influence of the
CD on the reaction stereoselectivity because two diastereo-
meric products (cis/trans) can be formed. The catalytic reac-
tions were performed at room temperature and under 1 or
1
0 bar H (Table 3). The reaction presented slowly moderate
2
conversions (18–67%) after 40 h, with the Ru/L nanocatalyst
the less active. The highest conversion was observed for the
nanocatalyst Ru/L/0.2CD with 67% of totally hydrogenated
product after 40 h. As previously observed for styrene and ace-
tophenone, higher quantities of CD led to lower conversions
(45 and 35 for Ru/L/1.0CD and Ru/L/5.0CD, respectively) but
higher TONs and TOFs were observed. Finally, as usually ob-
served in the hydrogenation of aromatic derivatives with pure
heterogeneous catalysts or aqueous colloidal suspensions, the
formation of the thermodynamically less favorable cis-diaste-
reomer was promoted with diastereomeric excesses up to
The catalytic properties of the sulfonated diphosphine-stabi-
lized RuNPs and sulfonated-diphosphine–cyclodextrin-stabi-
lized RuNPs were compared in the hydrogenation reaction of
unsaturated model substrates (styrene, acetophenone, and m-
methylanisole) in biphasic liquid–liquid conditions. All the
RuNPs displayed pertinent catalytic performances. Based on
the TOF values, the relevant differences in terms of activity and
selectivity highlighted the tuning of the catalytic performances
of the nanocatalysts in the presence of cyclodextrin. The cyclo-
dextrin acted as a phase-transfer promoter by increasing the
activity of the reaction but also affected the selectivity. As evi-
denced by NMR studies, the influence on selectivity may result
from the formation of an inclusion complex between the CD
and the diphosphine ligand at the RuNPs surface, which modi-
fied their catalytic properties.
100%. Nevertheless, in all cases, we could observe a decrease
in the diastereomeric excesses (ꢁ60%) after longer reaction
times (40 h), indicating also the formation of the trans diaste-
[
14]
reoisomers through a probable roll-over mechanism. What-
ever the system Ru/L/CD used, no significant difference was
observed.
To increase the kinetic properties and the conversion rate in
short times, the same experiments were also performed under
1
0 bar H (Table 3). Undoubtedly, the hydrogenation of the aro-
2
matic cycle was accelerated, with better conversions (80–
00%) after 2 h. The Ru/L nanocatalyst was also the less active
conversion 80%) but no difference in activity was observed
1
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2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, 3802 – 3811 3809