Organometallics
Article
geometry at the Pd(II) center (Figure 4). On the other hand,
(9.5 kcal/mol) in comparison to the values of 16.9 and 16.3
(
aligns with that seen by experiment, insofar as reactions
beginning with 1 produce styrene rapidly and quantitatively,
while 2 and 3 produce smaller yields of styrene. Although
t
solvation stabilizes CO deinsertion when P Bu is used, β-
3
hydride elimination is more favorable without explicit
solvation, which allows for a planar, four-coordinate geometry
t
to be maintained in the transition state wherein P Bu and CO
3
occupy cis positions. Despite the analogous PPh and dppe TS
3
structures having two phosphine groups coordinating to the
metal, the most favorable pathways also maintain a four-
coordinate Pd center since CO is decoordinated prior to β-
hydride elimination.
Overall, the calculations show that β-hydride elimination is
the rate-determining transition state (RDTS), defined by the
highest energy transition state, for PPh3 and dppe. Addition-
ally, the presence of the stable halide elimination product for 2
and 3 significantly increases the energy required to form
styrene and is not captured by the RDTS alone. The barriers
from this determining intermediate to the highest transition
state are 14.8, 30.9, and 27.9 kcal/mol for 1−3, respectively.
Figure 4. Deinsertion and β-hydride elimination optimized transition
t
state geometries for the pathways with the (a) P Bu and (b) PPh
3
3
ligands. Bond distances are given in Å and angles in degrees.
Hydrogen atoms not involved in β-hydride elimination are excluded
for clarity. Color code: P, blue; Pd, magenta; C, gray; O, red; N, teal.
structures are not solvated, since they are already four-
+
coordinate. The stability of the cationic intermediates 2 (ΔG
+
=
−12.2 kcal/mol) and 3 (ΔG = −12.1 kcal/mol) leads to
CONCLUSION
higher barriers for CO deinsertion of 23.1 and 21.3 kcal/mol,
respectively. Thus, while for 1 CO deinsertion is significantly
hastened after halide abstraction relative to direct thermolysis,
for both 2 and 3 the two routes have similarly high barriers.
Further insight into the CO deinsertion process comes from
an analysis of the calculated transition state geometries. The
■
II
The dehydrative decarbonylation of (L )Pd (Cl)-hydrocinna-
moyl complexes (L = P Bu , n = 1; L = PPh , n = 2; L = dppe,
n
t
3
3
n = 1) was evaluated through experiment and theory with the
primary aim of understanding how changes in the nature of the
supporting phosphine ligand(s) influences the efficiency of
styrene formation and the energetics of the proposed reaction
respective transition states have P−Pd−C angles ranging from
t
69.2° with P Bu to 159.0° with PPh (Figure 4 and Figure
3
3
steps. Removal of the chloride ligand was found to enhance the
t
t
S12). The structure with P Bu has the shortest distance for the
3
production of styrene, with the complex of P Bu being the
3
newly formed Pd−C bond (2.25 Å), signifying stronger bonds
transition state (Figure S12), the P−Pd−C angle is 167.6° and
most efficient. A solvento intermediate resulting from chloride
abstraction was structurally characterized for the complex of
PPh , and a related species was implicated on the basis of
3
the Pd−C bond distance is 2.28 Å. We surmise that the
NMR spectroscopy for the complex of dppe. DFT calculations
revealed β-hydride elimination from a stable intermediate
formed upon halide abstraction to be rate-determining for the
t
presence of a single P Bu ligand results in more favorable CO
3
deinsertion because of a relative lack of destabilizing steric
effects. Also, in the CO deinsertion for the case of PPh , the
3
overall dehydrative decarbonylation. The barrier heights for
t
trans phosphine ligands must rotate to the cis position in the
transition state, and this requires 4.2 kcal/mol. We speculate
that steric effects associated with the cis arrangement further
add to the energetic cost for CO deinsertion in this case
this step and the CO deinsertion step followed the trend P Bu
3
<
dppe < PPh , consistent with the experimentally observed
3
dependence of styrene production efficiency on the supporting
t
ligand (P Bu > dppe > PPh ). A key overall conclusion is that
3
3
coordinative desaturation through chloride removal and use of
t
trans arrangement is inaccessible, and the transition state
the highly sterically hindered P Bu greatly facilitate
3
t
exhibits steric characteristics that fall between those of P Bu
3
dehydrative decarbonylation. In addition, the enforcement of
a cis disposition of phosphine donors in dppe is beneficial
and PPh . The CO deinsertion products are ∼10 kcal/mol
3
lower in energy than the TS barriers.
relative to the complex comprising PPh ligands. We hope that
3
The findings from the above analysis are in agreement with
these notions determined through a study of a particular Pd-
based test system will inform future efforts to design new
catalysts for the generation of olefins from bioderived
carboxylic acids.
13
the results of other studies. For example, it was observed that
PPh ligands decoordinate from a Pd catalyst during the
3
decarbonylative dehydration of butanoic acid to maintain four-
coordinate complexes, while the ligand remains coordinated to
13b
the less active Rh analogue.
Also, in an analysis of the
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
sı Supporting Information
■
turnover-limiting step in the formation of styrene from
*
hydrocinnamic acid by a Pd catalyst with a PPh ligand, it
3
was observed that the four-coordinate transition state
structures are more stable than the five-coordinate structur-
1
3a
es.
Furthermore, the use of a bulkier phosphine was
Cartesian coordinates (XYZ)
predicted to lower the barrier by ∼10 kcal/mol.
Turning next to the β-hydride elimination step, we find that
t
the transition state with P Bu has the lowest energy barrier
3
E
Organometallics XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX