Scorpionate Catalysts for Coupling CO2 and Epoxides to Cyclic Carbonates: A Rational Design Approach for Organocatalysts

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.8b00722

Novel scorpionate-type organocatalysts capable of effectively coupling carbon dioxide and epoxides under mild conditions to afford cyclic propylene carbonates were developed. On the basis of a combined experimental and computational study, a precise mechanistic proposal was developed and rational optimization strategies were identified. The epoxide ring-opening, which requires an iodide as a nucleophile, was enhanced by utilizing an immonium functionality that can form an ion pair with iodide, making the ring-opening process intramolecular. The CO₂ activation and cyclic carbonate formation were catalyzed by the concerted action of two hydrogen bonds originating from two phenolic groups placed at the claw positions of the scorpionate scaffold. Electronic tuning of the hydrogen bond donors allowed to identify a new catalyst that can deliver >90% yield for a variety of epoxide substrates within 7 h at room temperature under a CO₂ pressure of only 10 bar, and is highly recyclable.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.8b00722

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Article
Scorpionate Catalysts for Coupling CO2 and Epoxides to Cyclic
Carbonates: A Rational Design Approach for Organocatalysts
Mannkyu Hong, Yoseph Kim, Hyejin Kim, Hee Jin Cho, Mu-Hyun Baik, and Youngjo Kim
J. Org. Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b00722 • Publication Date (Web): 20 Jun 2018
Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on June 22, 2018
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Scorpionate Catalysts for Coupling CO2 and Epoxides to Cyclic
Carbonates: A Rational Design Approach for Organocatalysts
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Mannkyu Hong,†,‡,# Yoseph Kim,§,# Hyejin Kim,§ Hee Jin Cho,§
Mu-Hyun Baik,*,‡,† and Youngjo Kim*,§
†Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141,
Republic of Korea
‡Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalizations, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141,
Republic of Korea
§Department of Chemistry and BK21+ Program Research Team, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk
28644, Republic of Korea
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ABSTRACT: Novel scorpionate-type organocatalysts capable of effectively coupling carbon dioxide and epoxides under mild
conditions to afford cyclic propylene carbonates were developed. Based on a combined experimental and computational study, a
precise mechanistic proposal was developed and rational optimization strategies were identified. The epoxide ring-opening, which
requires an iodide as a nucleophile, was enhanced by utilizing an immonium functionality that can form an ion pair with iodide,
making the ring-opening process intramolecular. The CO2 activation and cyclic carbonate formation were catalyzed by the concerted
action of two hydrogen-bonds originating from two phenolic groups placed at the claw-positions of the scorpionate scaffold.
Electronic tuning of the hydrogen-bond donors allowed to identify a new catalyst that can deliver >90% yield for a variety of epoxide
substrates within 7 hours at room temperature, a CO2 pressure of only 10 bar and is highly recyclable.
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INTRODUCTION
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The steady increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration constitutes a major environmental concern as it is
responsible for the global climate change.1 A sustainable solution for the permanent removal of CO2 from the atmosphere must
entail a chemical technology that converts it to a useful commodity chemical with some economical value. Consequently, CO2
has attracted significant attention as a source for carbon in various types of chemical reactions.2,3 Thus, the chemical
transformations of CO2 into value-added commodity chemicals4,5 such as urea, methanol, cyclic carbonates, poly(propylene
carbonate), oxazolidinone and sodium 2-hydroxybenzoate are important reactions to develop. Among these methods, the
coupling of CO2 and epoxides to produce the corresponding cyclic carbonates6,7 is of particular interest. To date, a wide range
of catalytic systems including metal-based catalysts and organocatalysts have been developed for the coupling of CO2 and
epoxides.3,6–8 However, to complete this reaction, many catalysts require harsh reaction conditions such as high temperatures
(> 75 °C), high CO2 pressures (> 10 bar) and high catalyst loadings (> 5 mol %), which are ultimately associated with
additional, indirect CO2 emissions and limit their value from a technological standpoint. Several metal-based catalytic systems
for converting CO2 to cyclic carbonates at room temperature have been reported.9 Unlike metal-based catalysts, most of
organocatalysts are inexpensive, less toxic, moisture/air stable, easily obtainable and recyclable;10 however, they are much less
reactive than metal-based catalysts. Recently, binary catalytic systems based on polyphenol/nBu4X (X = Br, I) have been
demonstrated to be useful and efficient organocatalysts for the coupling of CO2 and epoxides in good yields.11,12 The
introduction of multiple hydrogen bond donors onto the phenyl ring allowed for reducing the catalyst loading notably. In
addition, ammonium salts13 and phosphonium salts14–16 possessing aliphatic13–15 or phenolic hydroxyl groups13(a),13(b),16 have
been used as bifunctional one-component organocatalysts, but they require elevated reaction temperatures (45–100 °C).11–17
Organocatalysts capable of performing this C–O reaction at room temperature are rare and the best known catalytic systems
are summarized in Table 1.18–21
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Table 1. Representative organocatalysts for cyclic propylene carbonate synthesis at room temperature
On the basis of dramatic catalytic improvements seen when employing multinuclear metal-based complexes which benefit
from synergistic and cooperative effects between metal centers linked by bridging ligands,22 we questioned if similar effects
may be available in organocatalysts with dual hydrogen bonds linked by an ammonium salt. Our design consisted of a
multifunctional one-component system that employs two alcohol groups capable of hydrogen bonding along with an
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ammonium iodide group combined into a single molecule. Extensive calculations of the mechanism based on density functional
theory (DFT)23 was utilized to identify promising catalyst candidates that were subsequently prepared and tested, leading to
one of the most effective one-component organocatalysts for the carbonate synthesis to date.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
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Design & Synthesis of the Multifunctional Catalyst. Hydrogen bond donors are known to activate epoxide ring-opening
reactions through coordination to the oxygen of propylene oxide.14–20 Several carbon dioxide fixation mechanisms involving
two hydrogen bond donors have been reported with slightly different pathways.4,11,14,18,24 Figure 1 summarizes a reasonable
consensus mechanism that serves as a starting point for our mechanistic exploration by DFT calculations. The catalytic cycle
begins with the two hydrogen bond donors A engaging the epoxide substrate to afford B, which can be attacked by the
nucleophile, for example an anion X–, traversing the transition state B-TS to form the ring-opened alkoxide intermediate C.
The alkoxide may be stabilized by both hydrogen bond donors, ready to perform a nucleophilic attack on carbon dioxide
leading to the C–O bond formation to give the hydrogen-bond stabilized carbonate product complex D. Finally, the cyclic
carbonate is formed through an internal nucleophilic substitution via the transition state D-TS.
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Figure 1. Proposed catalytic cycle for the formation of propylene carbonate by coupling of propylene oxide and CO2 using
two hydrogen bond donors (–OH) and an anion nucleophile (X–).
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Figure 2. Initial design strategy of the desired catalyst 4.
Analyzing the proposed mechanism above, we found that the anionic nucleophile and the proximity of the two hydroxyl
groups are key features for designing an effective catalyst. Starting with 1 shown in Figure 2,25 which we had prepared some
time ago, we decided to change the terminal amine functionality to a quaternary ammonium/iodide ion pair to afford 2. The
ion pair serves as an intramolecular delivery device for the iodide during the ring-opening attack of the epoxide. This pre-
association of the nucleophile to the catalyst via electrostatic attraction is expected to reduce the translational entropy penalty
at the ring-opening step when compared to binary systems. By electrostatically associating the iodide to the catalyst and
forming an ion pair, the nucleophile is a part of the catalytic system and there is no translational entropy cost during the key
step where the iodide must assist the cyclization reaction, as will be shown below. Catalyst 1 showed a very low yield of only
2% (entry 1 in Table 2). When nBu4NI was added as an external iodide source, we observed a notable increase of the yield to
10%. The use of the catalyst 2 incorporating the ammonium/iodide ion pair led to a nearly three-fold increase in yield to 29%
(entry 3 in Table 2), which confirms the benefits of the translational entropy cost reduction mentioned above.
Next, we turned our attention to the hydrogen-bonding portion of the catalyst. Using our computer model, we performed a
thorough conformer search in an effort to obtain the most relaxed geometry of the catalyst 2. As illustrated in Figure 3, the
preferred geometry displayed the two neopentanol moieties pointing away from each other establishing a distance of nearly
6.5 Å between the two oxygens. This geometry is not ideal for synergistically engaging the substrate propylene oxide. A
straightforward optimization strategy is to replace the alkyl fragment by structurally more rigid aryl groups and place the
hydroxyl groups where they can more easily engage the central amine functionality in an intramolecular hydrogen bonding
interaction, which should allow for a more focused arrangement of these functional moieties during catalytic turnover.
Previously, Kol designed ligand 3 and used it to bind zirconium.26 Inspired by that work, we envisioned that catalyst 4 may be
a promising candidate as an organocatalyst for the cyclic carbonate production.
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Table 2. Cycloaddition results for catalyst 4 and its derivatives
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Entry
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Figure 3. Energetically lowest structure of 2. Iodide and non-essential hydrogens are not shown for clarity.
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Figure 4. Two energetically lowest structures of catalyst 4. Iodide and non-essential hydrogens are not shown for clarity.
Catalyst 4 was examined carefully by an extensive conformer search using computationally efficient molecular mechanics
models followed by DFT calculations. Two of the lowest energy structures that are most important for the catalytic activity of
the catalyst are shown in Figure 4 and they exhibit the characteristics of scorpionate ligands. As designed, the phenolic hydroxyl
groups form weak hydrogen bonds with the tertiary amine and with each other resulting in a O–O distance of only ~2.93 Å.
To confirm the hydrogen bond accepting role of the tertiary amine, we replaced the nitrogen atom by a (C–H) fragment and
used the identical computational protocol to obtain the lowest energy structures. We were unable to find any structures that
showed the directional bias for the hydrogen bond donors that we wished to engineer (Table S3). To test our computer-aided
design, we prepared catalyst
4 by adding 1.7 g (12 mmol) methyl iodide to a 25 mL solution of
6,6'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(2,4−dimethylphenol) (3) (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol), as summarized in
Scheme 1. All volatiles were removed at reduced pressure and the obtained crude solid was washed with diethyl ether (3 × 40
mL). Then they were removed in vacuo to give the desired product 4 (1.4 g, 92 %) as yellow solid.
Scheme 1. Synthesis of catalyst 4 from precursor 3
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Figure 5. 1H-NMR spectra corresponding to the analyses of catalyst 4 (Black line), propylene oxide (Red line), and a
mixture of 4 and propylene oxide (Blue line).
The scorpionate structure of compound 4 discussed above was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (Table
S9). The hydrogen bond between the tertiary amine and one of the phenols persists in solution, as indicated by a broadened
1H-NMR peak at 7.78~7.49 ppm shown in Figure 5. The internal hydrogen bonds not only keep the two hydrogen bond donors
aligned but also create a binding cavity for the substrate. To further test the design strategy, various analogues of 1 and 4 were
prepared, as summarized in Table 2. The derivative 5 contains no hydroxyl groups, and have methoxy substituents, instead.
Catalyst 6 offers only half of catalyst 4 and should allow for estimating the effect of two hydrogen-bond donors. And finally,
in catalyst 7 the hydroxyl groups were moved to the para-position. All these derivatives should be less effective catalysis than
4.
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The catalytic activities of these catalyst candidates under mild conditions using 2 mol % catalyst loading in 24 hours reaction
time are summarized in Table 2. Catalyst 3 gave only 7% yield demonstrating that closely placed diphenol cores alone are not
sufficient. The binary catalytic system of 3 with nBu4NI as a nucleophile showed a slightly increased but still poor yield of
13% (entry 5). Catalyst 4 with two phenol groups combined with the ammonium on the tail, on the other hand, gave outstanding
yield of 85% under the same reaction conditions (entry 6), confirming our design principles described above. Expectedly, the
catalysis does not work well without the hydroxyl moieties, and we found a dramatic loss of catalytic activity to yield only
11% product when 5 was employed. Catalyst 6 also afforded a lower yield of 30%, highlighting the importance of having two
hydrogen-bond donors in catalyst 4.12 Catalyst 7 was surprisingly active, but still showed lower yield of 43%. The results
support our proposed design principle.
To investigate the dependence of the catalytic activity on CO2 pressure, the CO2 pressure was reduced to 5 bar and the results
are shown in the entries 10–13 in Table 2. The product yield dropped consistently for all systems by ~50%, but catalyst 4 still
showed a respectable 69% yield. Even when the CO2 pressure was further lowered to only 1 bar, we were able to observe 42%
conversion with 4. Thus, this new, rationally designed scorpionate system offers significant improvements over previous
organocatalysts, as it operates not only at room temperature and with a low catalyst loading of 2 mol %, but also under solvent-
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free conditions. Increasing the temperature to 50 °C, reaction time could be reduced to 12 h. To further validate the mechanism,
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a series of H-NMR investigations of 4, propylene oxide, and a mixture of 4 and propylene oxide in CDCl3 (0.5 mL) was
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conducted and we found good evidence for the reaction proceeding as illustrated for A → C in Figure 1. As shown in Figure
5, the region between 7.0 and 8.3 ppm displays a downfield shifted phenolic OH signal of 4 from 7.78 to 7.94 ppm upon
replacement of iodide to epoxide coordination at the diphenol core. The change induced in the electronic environment of
propylene epoxide by the interaction with the hydrogen bond donors was also observed. The overall downfield shift of four
proton peaks from propylene oxide supports the activation of propylene oxide by coordination to the two phenol groups.
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Figure 6. Computed energy profile for propylene carbonate formation with catalyst 4.
Mechanism. To fully understand the catalytic reaction and identify additional strategies for optimizing the catalyst, the
mechanism of the carbonate forming reaction using catalyst 4 was calculated and the computed reaction energy profile is
illustrated in Figure 6. The catalytic cycle follows the general pattern outlined above. As designed, the nucleophilic attack
leading to the ring-opening of the epoxide, associated with the transition state B-TS is relatively easy with a barrier of only
16.5 kcal/mol and the nucleophilic attack towards the CO2 substrate is also reasonable at a barrier of 21.5 kcal/mol traversing
the transition state C-TS. Interestingly, all steps leading up to the final cyclization and release of the product are slightly uphill
energetically and the barrier for the cyclization is the highest of all step barriers. Thus, we do not expect any of the intermediates
to accumulate to constitute a classical resting state of the catalysis. The most difficult step is the cyclization with an overall
barrier of 24.1 kcal/mol. Figure 7 shows the computed structure of the transition state D-TS, where the carbonate oxygen
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attacks the carbon center carrying the iodide in this SN2-type transition state. The computed structure shows clearly how the
two hydrogen-bonds stabilize the carboxylate moiety, with the calculated O–HO distance being 1.73 and 1.92 Å, respectively.
Interestingly, the elimination of iodide is supported by the cationic ammonium moiety and we found the I–N distance to be
4.53 Å. To quantify the synergistic effect of the two hydrogen-bond donors, we calculated the barrier with one hydroxide
group rotated away from the carbonate substrate and found the new putative transition state to be 4.9 kcal/mol higher in energy
at 29.0 kcal/mol. Thus, our calculations suggest that the second hydrogen bond gives rise to a 3-4 fold acceleration.
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Figure 7. Description of the highest barrier (D-TS) and the three possible non-covalent interactions that influences the
barrier. Non-essential hydrogens are not shown for clarity.
Catalyst Optimization. With the mechanism understood and the exact role of the different components of the scorpionate
scaffold identified, we questioned if the yield of 85% can be further improved. First, several control experiments were carried
out to challenge our proposed mechanism. Based on the mechanistic insights we obtained, we do not expect any benefits from
changing the functional group at the ammonium tail to anything larger than the methyl groups, as the ion pairing ability should
be lessoned by any sterically demanding functionalities. Similarly, iodide should be an ideal nucleophile among the halogenide
series, as the carbon-iodine bond should be easiest to break at the D-TS state and iodide should be the best leaving group. In
good agreement with these expectations, we were able to confirm that modifications of the ammonium tail of the scorpionate
led to significant loss of catalytic performance, as enumerated in Table 3. Catalysts 8 and 9 afforded 41 and 16% yield,
respectively. Changing the nucleophile to bromide, chloride or nitrate had devastating effects on the catalysis with yields
dropping to single digit % values.
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Table 3. Tail modification results of the parent catalyst 4
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Entry
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Yield (%)
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Next, we turned our attention to the claw portion of the scorpionate and explored several strategies for electronically
modifying the phenyl moiety. Unsurprisingly, the para-position to the hydroxyl functionality was found to be a particularly
promising substitution site. Fundamentally, two scenarios can be imagined: (i) Installing electron-withdrawing groups will
increase the pKa of the hydroxyl-proton and make it a more potent hydrogen-bond donor, thus substrate binding will be tighter,
which may be an advantage for catalytic activity. (ii) Electron-donating groups, on the other hand, will weaken the hydrogen-
bonds, which will destabilize the intermediates, but may prove to enhance the rate of the reaction if hydrogen-bond breaking
is involved in the key transition state. Previously, D'Elia reported hydrogen-bond mediated organocatalysts where the CO2
conversion efficiency changes depending on different moieties of an ascorbic acid.24(c) In our case, we already identified that
the hydrogen-bond between the oxo moiety and the claw of the scorpionate must be cleaved at the key transition state D-TS.
Thus, our expectation is that the weakening the hydrogen-bond should lower the cyclization barrier. And this expectation is
fully confirmed by our DFT-calculations, as shown in Figure 8 (see Figure S1 for full profile). Note that the reference catalyst
shown in Figure 8 is 4’, which is minimally different from 4, as we removed the methyl group at the ortho-position of the
hydroxyl. We did not find any meaningful difference between 4 and 4’ in our computer simulations. Because the electron-
withdrawing nitro group strengthens the hydrogen-bonding interaction between the substrate and the claw portion of the
catalyst, the intermediates are generally lower in energy, and the step barriers to reach transition states that require the
rearrangement of hydrogen-bonds are generally higher. The electron-donating NMe2 moiety, shown in red in Figure 8, has the
opposite effect where the energy gap between the intermediates and the following transition-states are smaller, leading to a
predicted barrier of 21.0 kcal/mol for the cyclization step, which is nearly 4 kcal/mol lower in energy than what was found for
catalyst 4. As illustrated in Figure 8b, the hydrogen bond lengthens by ~0.04 Å upon reaching D-TS and the predicted barrier
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decreases to 21.0 kcal/mol when R=NMe2, whereas 23.3 kcal/mol is found for R=NO2. This result is in good agreement with
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our conceptual proposal that the weakening of the hydrogen bond strength should lower the energy of the D-TS transition state.
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Figure 8. Comparison of the energies and structures of cyclization step catalyzed by 4’ and derivatives. Non-essential
hydrogens are not shown for clarity.
To test this computational prediction, we prepared a series of new catalysts with substituents that have increasing electron-
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donating abilities spanning Hammett σp values from 0.78 for NO2 to –0.83 for NMe2 as shown in Table 4. Their catalytic
performance was assessed with the reaction time shortened to 14 hours for convenience. As predicted, the substituents NO2,
Br and H show notable degradation of catalytic activity with yields being 5, 19 and 46%, respectively. Electron-donating
groups generally show higher reactivity and catalyst 18 bearing a tBu group displayed a 99% yield (entry 5) and even at 10 h
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we were able to obtain 85% yield (entry 9). The catalysts with OMe and NMe2 functionalities in the para-position showed a
somewhat disappointing 28 and 70% yield, respectively. A closer analysis revealed, however, that these catalysts were not
very soluble in neat propylene oxide. Thus, we repeated the experiments after adding 0.3 mL of DMSO, which allowed the
catalysts to be fully dissolved and the yields were much higher, although we shortened the reaction time further to 8 and in the
last case to 7 hours: Catalysts 18, 19 and 20 gave propylene carbonate products in 68, 73 and 98% yield, respectively. Therefore,
18 and 20 are remarkably efficient and among the most effective hydrogen bond mediated one-component organocatalysts for
propylene carbonate synthesis discovered to date.
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4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
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Table 4. Claw modification results of the parent catalyst 4’
Entry
1
Catalyst
4
Time (h) Yield (%)
24
14
14
14
14
14
14
10
8
85
5
2
15
3
16
19
46
99
28
70
85
4
4
17
5
18
6
19
7
20
8
18
9a
10a
11a
12a
13a
15
16
8
12
68
73
98
18
8
19
8
20
7
aReaction conditions: Propylene oxide (10 mmol), Organocatalyst (0.20 mmol), DMSO (0.3 mL)
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Table 5. Substrate scope
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Entry
R
Time (h)
Yield (%)
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
Me
12
6
99
90
96
96
94
93
CH2Cl
CH2OH
CH2OMe
CH2OtBu
CH2OPh
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
6
12
12
12
From technical perspective, the requirement of having to add a cosolvent to solubilize the catalyst is a decisive disadvantage.
For that reason, we continued our studies using catalyst 18, although it is slightly less active than 20 and requires a slightly
longer reaction time. The substrate scope was examined and the results are shown in Table 5. Epoxides containing various
functional groups could be employed to obtain the corresponding products in good to high yields (90–99% yield, entries 2–6)
at room temperature. The variation in substrate did not reduce catalytic efficiency, and epichlorohydrin (entry 2) and glycidol
(entry 3) were converted within a shorter reaction time (6 h) than other epoxides.
Table 6. Recycling of catalyst 18
Cycles
Yield (%)
1
2
3
4
5
99
98
99
97
98
Next, we investigated the effects of reaction temperature (25–125 °C) and pressure (0.5–3 MPa) (Table S10). The results
show that catalytic efficiency is proportional to reaction temperature, whereas reaction pressure was not an important factor.
Finally, we tested how recyclable the catalyst is, as the excellent stability often observed for organocatalysts and the resulting
recyclability is an important advantage over other competing processes. The recyclability of 18 was tested using accelerated
test conditions (25 °C, p(CO2) = 10 bar, time = 4 h, catalyst loading = 10 mol %). At the end of each reaction, the catalyst was
precipitated and reused in the next run with at same conditions. As summarized in Table 6, the activity of the catalyst remained
high (> 97% conversion) over five cycles. Our multifunctional scorpionate organocatalyst 18 possesses not only high reactivity
but also excellent reusability.
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CONCLUSION
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2
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4
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6
7
8
9
In conclusion, we developed one of the most effective one-component organocatalyst to date for the generation of cyclic
propylene carbonate by coupling propylene oxide and CO2 at room temperature. The catalyst was rationally designed in a
combined experimental and computational effort based on a clear conceptual vision. First, we made use of an ammonium group
to bind a nucleophilic iodide as an ion pair, thus incorporating the nucleophile that is needed for the epoxide ring-opening into
the catalyst. This effectively reduces the translational entropy penalty that must be paid if the ring-opening is achieved by an
intermolecular reaction. Second, we placed two phenolic hydrogen-bond donors that are tethered by a tertiary amine moiety,
which serves a temporary hydrogen-bond acceptor to keep the two phenolic groups in close proximity. Lastly, we explored the
decoration of the aryl arms of this scorpionate type catalyst at the para-position to the hydroxyl groups with electron-donating
groups to weaken to hydrogen-bonds. This weakening of the hydrogen-bonds allowed for the cyclization step to be easier,
leading to a notable increase in overall reactivity. The optimized catalyst was highly effective in forming cyclic carbonates
with a wide range of different substrate under ambient conditions. This new catalyst is easy to make and it was found to be
fully recyclable over five cycles without any loss of efficiency. This work demonstrates the power of combining the deep
mechanistic insight that can be gained by sophisticated computer models with targeted experimental explorations of novel
catalyst scaffolds.
10
11
12
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18
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EXPERIMENTAL SECTION
General Experimental Methods. All manipulations were performed under an atmosphere of dinitrogen by using standard
Schlenk−type glassware with a dual manifold Schlenk line.28,29 Dinitrogen was deoxygenated using an activated Cu catalyst
and was dried with drierite.30 All chemicals were purchased from Aldrich and used as supplied unless otherwise indicated.
Carbon dioxide (99.999%) was used as received without further purification. All solvents such as toluene, diethyl ether, and
n-hexane, were dried by distillation from sodium diphenylketyl under dinitrogen and were stored over 3 Å activated molecular
1
sieves. H and 13C NMR spectra were recorded at ambient temperature on a Bruker DPX−400 MHz and 500 MHz NMR
spectrometer using standard parameters. All chemical shifts are reported in δ units referenced to the residual D2O (δ 4.79 for
1
1
1H NMR), CDCl3 (δ 7.24 for H NMR; δ 77.00 for 13C NMR), DMSO-d6 (δ 2.50 for H NMR; δ 39.52 for 13C NMR), or
CD3CN (δ 1.94 for 1H NMR; δ 61.50, 118.26 for 13C NMR). High-resolution mass spectra (HRMS) were acquired on a high
resolution Q-TOF mass spectrometer (ionization mode : ESI).
Representative Procedures for the Coupling Reaction of Epoxide and CO2. The coupling reaction of CO2 to epoxide was
carried out by charging a stirring bar, epoxide (10 mmol), and catalyst (0.20 mmol) into a stainless steel pressure reactor (10
mL inner volume). Then, CO2 was charged and the pressure was adjusted to a desired pressure at appropriate temperature.
After given reaction hours, the pressure reactor was cooled to ambient temperature, and the excess CO2 was vented. All
volatiles were removed under vacuo and the precipitated catalyst was removed by filtration. The purity of cyclic carbonates
obtained was checked by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
Synthesis of Known Compounds. Compounds 1,1'−((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(2−methylpropan−2−ol) (1),25
6,6'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(2,4−dimethylphenol) (3),26
2−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)imino)methyl−4,6−dimethylphenol,31
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4,4'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(2,6−dimethylphenol),32
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−nitrophenol),33
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))diphenol,34 and
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−methoxyphenol)35 were prepared by previously published
procedures.
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Synthesis of 2-(bis(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)amino)-N,N,N-trimethylethan-1-aminium iodide (2). To a solution of 1
(0.69 g, 3.0 mmol) in MeCN (25 mL) at 50 oC was added methyl iodide (1.7 g, 12 mmol), and the mixture was refluxed.
After 12 h, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and all volatiles were removed at reduced pressure. The
obtained crude solids were washed with diethyl ether (3 × 40 mL). All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give the
desired product 2 (1.06 g, 95 %) as a colorless solid; mp 146.4−148.2 oC; 1H NMR (D2O, 400.13 MHz): δ 3.53 (t, 2H, J = 8.4
Hz, −CH2NMe3), 3.18 (t, 2H, J = 5.0 Hz, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 3.15 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.66 (s, 4H, −NCH2CMe2OH), 1.21 (s,
12H, CMe2). 13C NMR (D2O, 100.61 MHz): δ 72.6, 67.3, 63.2, 53.4 (t, J = 4.9 Hz), 51.0, 26.5. HRMS: calcd. for C13H31N2O2
[M – I–]+ = 247.2380; found 247.2380.
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Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino−N,N,N−trimethylethan-1-aminium iodide (4). The desired
product 4 (1.4 g, 92 %) as a yellow solid was prepared by reacting compound 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide (1.7 g,
12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2. A yellow crystal suitable for single X-ray analysis was obtained
from NMR cell; mp 120.8−123.4 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 500.13 MHz): δ 7.68 (s, 2H, −OH), 6.87 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.74 (s, 2H,
Ar−H), 3.90 (t, 2H, J = 6.6 Hz, −CH2NMe3), 3.79 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.22 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.87 (t, 2H, J = 6.6 Hz,
−NCH2CH2NMe3), 2.22 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.20 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.61 MHz): δ 151.7, 131.6, 129.1, 128.9,
124.8, 121.0, 64.4, 55.9, 54.0, 45.2, 20.4, 16.6. HRMS: calcd. for C23H35N2O2 [M – I–]+ = 371.2699; found 371.2700.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−methoxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (5). To a
solution of NaH (0.43 g, 18 mmol) in THF (25 mL) at room temperature was dropwise added compound 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol)
in THF (25 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 3 h. To the reaction mixture was added methyl iodide (4.3 g, 30 mmol), and
the mixture was refluxed for overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and added distilled water (40
mL). The reaction mixture was extracted with dichloromethane and the yellow phase was dried with MgSO4. And then the
solution was filtered and evaporated under reduced pressure with a rotary evaporator to give the desired product 5 (0.57 g,
36 %) as a yellow solid; mp 145.6−148.3 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400.13 MHz): δ 6.90 (s, 4H, Ar−H), 3.60 (s, 6H, −OCH3),
3.57 (s, 6H, ArCH2N− and −CH2NMe3), 3.13 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.83 (s, 2H, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 2.24 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.22 (s,
6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.62 MHz): δ 155.1, 133.4, 131.7, 131.0, 129.9, 129.6, 63.6, 60.9, 54.1, 53.6, 47.2, 20.8,
16.1. HRMS: calcd. for C25H39N2O2 [M – I–]+ = 399.3012; found 399.3012.
Synthesis of 2−((2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (6). To a solution
of 2−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)imino)methyl−4,6−dimethylphenol (0.66 g, 3.0 mmol) in MeCN (25 mL) at 50 oC was
added methyl iodide (0.48 g, 3.3 mmol), and the mixture was refluxed. After 12 h, the reaction mixture was cooled to room
temperature and all volatiles were removed at reduced pressure. The obtained crude solids were washed with diethyl ether (3
× 40 mL). All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give
2−((2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzylidene)amino−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1-aminium iodide (0.96 g, 88 %) as a yellow solid;
mp 134.6−135.8 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 12.9 (s, 1H, OH), 8.60 (s, 1H, ArCH=N), 7.08 (s, 2H, Ar−H),
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4.06 (s, 2H, −CH2NMe3), 3.71 (t, 2H, J = 6.2 Hz, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 3.14 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.22 (s, 3H, ArCH3), 2.14 (s, 3H,
ArCH3). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 125.76 MHz): δ 168.6, 156.1, 134.5, 129.4, 126.9, 124.7, 117.4, 65.6, 52.9, 51.8, 19.9, 15.1.
HRMS: calcd. for C14H23N2O [M – I–]+ = 235.1811; found 235.1805. To a solution of 2−((2−hydroxy−3,5-
dimethylbenzylidene)amino-N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (0.72 g, 2.0 mmol) in methanol (25 mL) at 0 oC was
slowly added NaBH4 (0.38 g, 10 mmol), and the mixture was stirred for 3 h at room temperature. To the reaction mixture
was added distilled water (40 mL), and the mixture was stirred for 3 h at room temperature. The reaction mixture was
extracted with dichloromethane, and then the yellow organic phase was dried with MgSO4. The solution was filtered and
evaporated under reduced pressure to give the desired product 6 (0.58 g, 80 %) as a yellow solid; mp 139.6−141.3 oC; 1H
NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.15 MHz): δ 6.79 (s, 1H, Ar−H), 6.72 (s, 1H, Ar−H), 3.79 (s, 2H, ArCH2−), 3.46 (t, 2H, J = 6.4 Hz,
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2
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−CH2NMe3), 3.10 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.94 (t, 2H, J = 6.4 Hz, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 2.14 (s, 3H, ArCH3), 2.08 (s, 3H, ArCH3). 13
NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.63 MHz): δ 152.7, 129.9, 126.8, 126.7, 123.8, 123.0, 63.9, 52.7, 50.5, 41.6, 20.1, 15.8. HRMS: calcd.
for C14H25N2O [M – I–]+ = 237.1967; found 237.1961.
C
Synthesis of 2−(bis(4−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (7). The
desired product 7 (1.3 g, 87 %) as a yellow solid was prepared by reacting compound
4,4'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(2,6−dimethylphenol) (1.06 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide
(1.7 g, 12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 148.3−151.9 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ
8.82 (s, 2H, −OH), 7.19 (s, 4H, Ar−H), 4.41 (m, 4H, J1 = 25 Hz, J2 = 24 Hz, J3 = 13 Hz, ArCH2−), 3.99 (m, 2H, −CH2NMe3),
3.54 (m, 2H, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 3.33 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.19 (s, 12H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 149.4,
134.7, 129.8, 123.2, 62.1, 54.2, 42.2, 26.1, 23.0. HRMS: calcd. for C23H35N2O2 [M – I–]+ =371.2693; found 371.2693.
Synthesis of N−(2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)ethyl)−N,N−dimethylhexan−1−aminium iodide (8).
The desired product 8 (1.5 g, 85 %) as a yellow solid was prepared by reacting 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol) with 1-iodohexane (2.5 g,
12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 137.8−139.7 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 500.13 MHz): δ 7.76 (s, 2H,
−OH), 6.87 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.75 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 3.83 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.73 (t, 2H, J = 7.0 Hz,
−NCH2CH2NMe2(CH2)5CH3), 3.17 (s, 6H, −NCH2CH2NMe2(CH2)5CH3), 2.83 (t, 2H, J = 7.0 Hz,
−NCH2CH2NMe2(CH2)5CH3), 2.24 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.20 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 1.19 (m, 10H, −NMe2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3),
0.85 (t, 3H, J = 8.5 Hz, −NMe2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 125.76 MHz): δ 151.8, 131.6, 129.1, 128.8,
124.9, 121.1, 64.5, 61.1, 56.1, 52.0, 44.6, 31.0, 25.6, 22.4 (2C), 20.4, 16.6, 13.8. HRMS: calcd. for C28H45N2O2 [M – I–]+ =
441.3481; found 441.3475.
Synthesis of N−benzyl−2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N−dimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (9).
The desired product 9 (1.5 g, 85 %) a colorless solid was prepared by reacting 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol) with benzyl iodide (1.3 g,
6.0 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 157.8−160.3 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400.13 MHz): δ 7.64 (s, 2H,
−OH), 7.39 (m, 5H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 6.86 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.73 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 4.74 (s, 4H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 3.83 (t, 2H, J = 6.6
Hz, −CH2NCH2Ph), 3.76 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.01 (s, 6H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 2.93 (t, 2H, J = 6.6 Hz, −NCH2CH2NCH2Ph), 2.21
(d, 12H, J = 8.2 Hz, ArCH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.61 MHz): δ 151.7, 133.1, 131.5, 130.8, 129.2, 129.0, 128.8, 126.6,
124.9, 121.4, 67.7, 61.4, 56.0, 49.9, 45.3, 20.4, 16.6. HRMS: calcd. for C29H39N2O2 [M – I–]+ = 447.3012; found 447.3006.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino−N,N,N−trimethylethan-1-aminium bromide (10). To a
solution of compound 4 (0.99 g, 2.0 mmol) in THF (25 mL) at room temperature was added silver bromide (0.41 g, 2.2
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mmol), and the mixture was stirred for 3 h. The reaction mixture was then filtered through Celite. All volatiles were removed
in vacuo, and the residue was washed with diethyl ether. The desired product 10 (0.71 g, 79 %) as a beige powder was
obtained after vacuum drying; mp 166.4−168.4 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 8.95 (s, 2H, −OH), 6.84 (s, 2H,
Ar−H), 6.81 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 3.68 (s, 4H, PhCH2N−), 3.58 (t, 2H, J = 7.6 Hz, −CH2NMe3), 2.98 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.82 (t, 2H, J
= 7.6 Hz, −CH2CH2NMe3), 2.16 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.12 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 152.0, 130.7,
128.3, 127.4, 124.2, 122.3, 60.6, 53.9, 52.4, 44.7, 20.1, 16.2. HRMS: calcd. for C23H35N2O2 [M – Br–]+ = 371.2699; found
371.2699.
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Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino−N,N,N−trimethylethan-1-aminium chloride (11). The
desired product 11 (0.66 g, 81 %) as a beige powder was prepared by reacting compound 4 (0.99 g, 2.0 mmol) with silver
chloride (0.32 g, 2.2 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for compound 10; mp 148.6−150.4 oC; 1H NMR
(DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 8.99 (s, 2H, −OH), 6.83 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.82 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 3.69 (s, 4H, PhCH2N−), 3.62 (br s,
2H, −CH2NMe3), 3.01 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.82 (br s, 2H, −CH2CH2NMe3), 2.16 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.11 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR
(DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 152.0, 130.7, 128.3, 127.4, 124.2, 122.3, 60.6, 53.9, 52.4, 44.7, 20.2, 16.3. HRMS: calcd. for
C23H35N2O2 [M – Cl–]+ = 371.2699; found 371.2699.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino−N,N,N−trimethylethan-1-aminium nitrate (12). The
desired product 12 (0.65 g, 75 %) as a beige powder was prepared by reacting compound 4 (0.99 g, 2.0 mmol) with silver
nitrate (0.37 g, 2.2 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for compound 10; mp 155.3−157.6 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-
d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 8.96 (s, 2H, −OH), 6.84 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.80 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 3.68 (s, 4H, PhCH2N−), 3.59 (m, 2H,
−CH2NMe3), 2.98 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.82 (t, 2H, J = 7.6 Hz, −CH2CH2NMe3), 2.17 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.12 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13
C
NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 152.0, 130.7, 128.2, 127.4, 124.2, 122.3, 60.8, 53.9, 52.4, 44.9, 20.1, 16.2. HRMS: calcd.
– +
for C23H35N2O2 [M − NO3 ] = 371.2699; found 371.2693.
Synthesis of N−benzyl−2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N−dimethylethan−1−aminium bromide
(13). The desired product 13 (1.5 g, 93 %) as a colorless solid was prepared by reacting compound 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol) with
benzyl bromide (1.0 g, 3.0 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 195.6−198.3 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3,
500.13 MHz): δ 8.21 (s, 2H, −OH), 7.38 (m, 5H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 6.86 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.71 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 4.75 (s, 4H,
−NMe2CH2Ph), 3.88 (t, 2H, J = 6.7 Hz, −CH2NCH2Ph), 3.77 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.04 (s, 6H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 2.94 (t, 2H, J =
6.4 Hz, −NCH2CH2NCH2Ph), 2.22 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.18 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 125.76 MHz): δ 152.0, 133.1,
131.6, 130.8, 129.2, 128.9, 128.7, 126.7, 125.4, 121.4, 67.9, 61.6, 55.9, 49.7, 45.1, 20.4, 16.6. HRMS: calcd. for C29H39N2O2
[M – Br–]+ = 447.3006; found 447.3007.
Synthesis of N−benzyl−2−(bis(2−hydroxy−3,5−dimethylbenzyl)amino)−N,N−dimethylethan−1−aminium chloride (14).
The desired product 14 (0.76 g, 79 %) as a colorless solid was prepared by reacting compound 3 (1.1 g, 3.0 mmol) with
benzyl chloride (0.76 g, 6.0 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 180.4−183.7 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3,
400.13 MHz): δ 8.76 (s, 2H, −OH), 7.34 (m, 5H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 6.85 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 6.69 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 4.71 (s, 2H,
−NMe2CH2Ph), 3.89 (t, 2H, J = 6.5 Hz, −CH2NCH2Ph), 3.76 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.05 (s, 6H, −NMe2CH2Ph), 2.93 (t, 2H, J =
6.7 Hz, −NCH2CH2NCH2Ph), 2.22 (s, 6H, ArCH3), 2.18 (s, 6H, ArCH3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 125.76 MHz): δ 152.1, 133.0,
131.5, 130.7, 129.2, 128.8, 128.7, 126.8, 125.8, 121.7, 67.9, 61.3, 55.8, 49.8, 45.1, 20.4, 16.6. HRMS: calcd. for C29H39N2O2
[M – Cl–]+ = 447.3006; found 447.3006.
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Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−5−nitrobenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (15). The desired
product 15 (1.2 g, 83 %) as a pale yellow solid was prepared by reacting
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3
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−nitrophenol) (1.17 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide (1.7 g,
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12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 210.6−213.5 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 11.28 (br
s, 2H, −OH), 8.20 (d, 2H, J = 2.9 Hz, Ar−H), 8.01 (dd, 2H, J1 = 6.5 Hz, J2 = 2.9 Hz, Ar−H), 6.96 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz, Ar−H),
3.73 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.60 (t, 2H, J = 6.9 Hz, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 3.05 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.96 (t, 2H, J = 6.7 Hz,
−NCH2CH2NMe3). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 162.2, 139.4, 126.0, 125.3, 124.7, 115.3, 61.6, 52.6, 51.8, 47.2.
HRMS: calcd. for C19H25N4O6 [M – I–]+ = 405.1769; found 405.1769.
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Synthesis of 2−(bis(5−bromo−2−hydroxybenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (16). A solution of
4−bromophenol (8.7 g, 50 mmol), N,N−dimethylethylenediamine (2.2 g, 25 mmol), and 36% aqueous formaldehyde (4.1 g,
50 mmol) was stirred in refluxing methanol for 72 h. The mixture was cooled, and the product was filtered and washed with
ice cold methanol. All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−bromophenol) (5.3 g, 46 %) as a colorless solid; mp
167.5−168.3 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400.13 MHz): δ 10.04 (br s, 2H, −OH), 7.24 (dd, 2H, J1 = 2.0 Hz, J2 = 2.4 Hz, Ar−H),
7.12 (d, 2H, J = 1.9 Hz, Ar−H), 6.73 (d, 2H, J = 8.6 Hz, Ar−H), 3.56 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 2.60 (m, 4H, − CH2CH2NMe2), 2.29
(s, 6H, −NMe2). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.61 MHz): δ 156.1, 132.5, 132.3, 124.2, 118.8, 110.8, 55.9, 55.3, 49.1, 44.8. HRMS:
calcd. for C18H23Br2N2O2 [M + H] = 457.0126; found 457.0122. The desired product 16 (1.44 g, 80 %) as a pale yellow solid
was prepared by reacting 2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−bromophenol) (1.37 g, 3.0 mmol)
with methyl iodide (1.7 g, 12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 218.3−219.5 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3,
400.13 MHz): δ 9.96 (br s, 2H, −OH), 7.41 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 7.26 (dd, 2H, J1 = 6.15 Hz, J2 = 2.4 Hz, Ar−H), 6.79 (d, 2H, J =
8.55 Hz, Ar−H), 3.62 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.57 (t, 2H, J1 = 6.15 Hz, −CH2NMe2), 3.01 (s, 9H, −NMe2) , 2.83 (t, 2H, J1 = 6.45
Hz, −CH2CH2NMe2). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 155.2, 132.5, 130.8, 126.3, 117.3, 110.0, 61.4, 52.5, 51.7, 46.1.
HRMS: calcd. for C19H25Br2N2O2+ [M – I–]+ = 471.0277; found 471.0276.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxybenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (17). The desired product 17
(1.19 g, 90 %) as a pale yellow solid was prepared by reacting
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))diphenol (0.9 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide (1.7 g, 12 mmol) in
a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 81.8−84.9 oC; 1H NMR (CD3CN, 400.13 MHz): δ 8.60 (br s, 2H, −OH), 7.19
(m, 4H, Ar−H), 6.86 (m, 4H, Ar−H), 3.80 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.46 (t, 2H, J = 7.75 Hz, −CH2NMe3), 2.94 (m, 11H, −NMe3
and −NCH2CH2NMe3). 13C NMR (CD3CN, 100.61 MHz): δ 157.6, 131.9, 130.4, 123.4, 120.8, 116.9, 63.5, 55.7, 54.4, 46.5.
HRMS: calcd. for C19H27N2O2+ [M – I–]+ = 315.2073; found 315.2067.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(5−(tert−butyl)−2−hydroxybenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (18). A
solution of 4−tert−butylphenol (7.5 g, 50 mmol), N,N−dimethylethylenediamine (2.2 g, 25 mmol), and 36% aqueous
formaldehyde (4.1 g, 50 mmol) was stirred in refluxing methanol for 24 h. The mixture was cooled, and the product was
filtered and washed with ice cold methanol. All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−tert−butyl)phenol) (9.2 g, 89 %) as a colorless solid; mp
166.8−167.6 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400.13 MHz): δ 9.82 (s, 2H, −OH), 7.20 (dd, 2H, J1 = 6.0 Hz, J2 = 2.4 Hz, Ar−H), 7.04
(d, 2H, J = 2.4 Hz, Ar−H), 6.83 (d, 2H, J = 8.5 Hz, Ar−H), 3.65 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 2.63 (m, 4H, −CH2CH2NMe2), 2.33 (s,
6H, −NMe2), 1.29 (s, 18H, ArC(CH3)3). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.61 MHz): δ 155.8, 137.1, 128.3, 126.4, 122.6, 118.0, 56.0,
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55.7, 48.9, 44.7, 34.8, 29.4. HRMS: calcd. for C26H40N2O2 [M + H] = 413.3168; found 413.3167. The desired product 18
(1.5 g, 89 %) as a pale yellow solid was prepared by reacting
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5
6
7
8
9
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−tert−butyl)phenol) (1.23 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide
(1.7 g, 12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 115.8−118.2 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ
9.40 (s, 2H, −OH), 7.23 (s, 2H, Ar−H), 7.12 (d, 2H, J = 7.5 Hz, Ar−H), 6.76 (d, 2H, J = 8.3 Hz, Ar−H), 3.63 (s, 4H,
ArCH2−), 3.54 (br s, 2H, −CH2NMe3), 2.95 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.79 (br s, 2H, −NCH2CH2NMe3), 1.23 (s, 18H, ArC(CH3)3).
13C NMR (DMSO-d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 153.6, 141.0, 127.2, 124.9, 122.6, 114.8, 61.2, 52.4, 52.2, 45.9, 31.7, 31.4. HRMS:
calcd. for C27H43N2O2 [M – I–]+ = 427.3319; found 427.3319.
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Synthesis of 2−(bis(2−hydroxy−5−methoxybenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (19). The desired
product 19 (1.41 g, 94 %) as a pale yellow solid was prepared by reacting
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−methoxyphenol) (1.08 g, 3.0 mmol) with methyl iodide (1.7
g, 12 mmol) in a manner analogous to the procedure for 2; mp 113.8−116.3 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 9.19
(s, 2H, −OH), 6.85 (d, 2H, J = 7.9 Hz, Ar−H), 6.75 − 6.68 (m, 4H, Ar−H), 3.65 (s, 6H, ArOCH3), 3.63 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−),
3.57 (t, 2H, J = 6.5 Hz, −CH2NMe3), 3.00 (s, 9H, −NMe3), 2.82 (t, 2H, J = 6.4 Hz,, −NCH2CH2NMe3). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6,
100.61 MHz): δ 152.0, 149.7, 124.2, 115.8, 115.8, 113.5, 61.2, 55.4, 52.5 (2C), 45.9. HRMS: calcd. for C21H31N2O4 [M – I–]+
= 375.2278; found 375.2278.
Synthesis of 2−(bis(5−(dimethylamino)−2−hydroxybenzyl)amino)−N,N,N−trimethylethan−1−aminium iodide (20). A
solution of 4−dimethylaminophenol (6.9 g, 50 mmol), N,N−dimethylethylenediamine (2.2 g, 25 mmol), and 36% aqueous
formaldehyde (4.1 g, 50 mmol) was stirred in refluxing methanol for 24 h. The mixture was cooled, and the product was
filtered and washed with ice cold methanol. All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−(dimethylamino)phenol) (9.2 g, 89 %) as a colorless solid;
mp 188.4−190.3 oC; 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400.13 MHz): δ 9.27 (s, 2H, −OH), 6.78 (d, 2H, J = 8.8 Hz, Ar−H), 6.65 (m, 2H,
Ar−H), 6.50 (d, 2H, J = 3 Hz, Ar−H), 3.59 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 2.80 (s, 12H, Ar−NMe2), 2.58 (m, 4H, −CH2CH2NMe2), 2.26
(s, 6H, −NMe2). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100.61 MHz): δ 149.0, 144.5, 122.8, 117.2, 116.3, 115.3, 56.2, 56.1, 49.1, 44.8, 42.1.
HRMS: calcd. for C22H35N4O2 [M + H] = 387.2760; found 387.2755.
2,2'−(((2−(dimethylamino)ethyl)azanediyl)bis(methylene))bis(4−(dimethylamino)phenol) (1.16 g, 3.0 mmol) was dissolved
in dichloromethane (10 mL) and cooled to −78°C. stirring, methyl iodide in dichloromethane (0.43 g, 3 mmol in 5 mL) was
added over 30 minutes with a dropping funnel. After stirring at −78°C for 1 h, the mixture was allowed to warm to room
temperature over 2 hours. all volatiles were removed at reduced pressure. The obtained crude solids were washed with
diethyl ether (3 × 40 mL). All volatiles were then removed in vacuo to give the desired product 20 (1.52 g, 96 %) as a
colorless solid; mp 111.1−113.6 oC; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400.13 MHz): δ 7.86 (d, 2H, J = 3.85 Hz, Ar−H), 7.69 (dd, 2H, J1
= 5.8 Hz, J2 = 3.32 Hz, Ar−H), 6.95 (d, 2H, J = 11.3 Hz, Ar−H), 3.75 (s, 4H, ArCH2N−), 3.64 (t, 2H, J = 6.4 Hz,
−CH2NMe3), 3.56 (s, 12H, Ar−NMe2), 3.03 (s, 9H, −NMe3) 2.87 (t, 2H, J = 6.4 Hz, −NCH2CH2NMe3). 13C NMR (DMSO-
d6, 100.61 MHz): δ 156.6, 138.6, 124.9, 122.4, 120.6, 115.6, 61.1, 56.7, 52.6, 52.4, 46.1. HRMS: calcd. for C23H37N4O2 [M –
I–]+ = 401.2911; found 401.2911.
Computational Details. All calculations were performed based on density functional theory (DFT)23 win the Jaguar 9.1
suite37 at M06-D338,39 levels of theory. The optimization of every structures were carried out with the 6-31G** basis set, with
the relativistic effective core potential containing Los Alamos LACVP basis set.40–42 After the geometry optimization, the
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energies of the optimized structures were recalculated with a high quality triple-ζ basis set cc-pVTZ(-f).43 All atoms in the
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2
complexes were treated with LACV3P** basis set, which are one of the classes in LACVP basis functions where the
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5
6
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9
exponents were decontracted to match with the triple-ζ functions of the main group elements. Vibrational frequencies for the
optimized structures were calculated at the same level of theory as the geometry optimization. Calculated vibrational entropy
correction along with the zero point vibrational energies were considered for proper thermodynamic approximations. At last,
based on the optimized gas phase geometries, solvation correction energies were deduced. Self-consistent reaction field
(SCRF)44–46 approximations were considered to calculate the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equations with the dielectric
constant ε. The solvation energy used in the catalytic system was treated with propylene oxide (ε = 16.0).
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Supporting Information
The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website. Computational details and Cartesian
coordinates of all computed structures and copies of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra and EIMS for all new products (PDF). Single-
crystal X-ray data for compound 4 (cif).
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Authors
*mbaik2805@kaist.ac.kr, *ykim@chungbuk.ac.kr
ORCID
Mu-Hyun Baik: 0000-0002-8832-8187
Youngjo Kim: 0000-0001-8571-0623
Author Contributions
#M.H. and Y.K. contributed equally to this work.
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Y.K gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the
Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2018R1A2B6004037). M.-H.B. acknowledges support from the Institute for Basic Science
(IBS-R10-D1) in Korea.
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