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E. Mieczynska et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta xxx (2014) xxx–xxx
2.1. Heck reaction
3. Results and discussion
The Heck reaction was carried out under an N2 atmosphere
using a standard Schlenk technique. The reagents were introduced
to the Schlenk tube (50 mL) in the following order: catalyst
3.1. Heck reaction
The model Heck reaction of styrene with 4-bromoanisole was
performed according to Scheme 2.
(0.0375–0.225 mol%),
4-bromoanisole
(3 mmol),
styrene
(1.5 mmol), base (Ca(OH)2 or NaHCO3 0.9 mmol), solvent NMP or
DMF (5 mL). The reaction was carried out at 160 °C for 6–26 h.
Afterwards, the reaction mixture was quenched with H2O
(10 mL), and the organic products were separated by extraction
with diethyl ether (3 times, 15, 5, and 5 mL). The products were
analyzed by GC-FID.
The highest conversion of styrene, 95–99%, was obtained after
26 h at 160 °C using 0.0375–0.075 mol% of the catalyst. With a lar-
ger amount of the catalyst, 0.225 mol%, already after 6 h, 95% of
styrene was converted to the products (Table 1).
A good result, 72% conversion, was also achieved in DMF. In this
solvent, the best selectivity was noted with the 1:2 ratio amount-
ing to 71. In all other cases, two products, 4-methoxy-trans-stil-
bene (1) and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenylethene (2), were
formed with a ratio of ca. 10. Similarly, the formation of two prod-
ucts in the Heck reaction of styrene was reported for a macrocyclic
palladium precursor [33,34] and phospha-palladacycle [40].
When [NBu4]Br was added to the reaction in DMF, conversion
decreased to 44% and selectivity also dropped. The inhibiting effect
of ammonium salt was also observed in the Heck reaction of sty-
rene and chloroanisole catalyzed by a macrocyclic Pd(II) complex
[Pd2L](ClO4)2 [33,34]. It was explained by the formation of palla-
dium black in reaction with tributylamine originated from the
decomposition of the salt at 160 °C. The presence of tributylamine
in the reaction mixture was confirmed in our system by GC–MS;
however, we did not obtain confirmation of the formation of palla-
dium black or Pd(0) nanoparticles by TEM.
2.2. Suzuki–Miyaura reaction
The Suzuki–Miyaura reactions were carried out in a 50 mL
Schlenk tube in an air atmosphere. The substrates were weighed
and placed directly in the Schlenk tube: catalyst (0.55–2.1 mol%),
phenylboronic acid (1.5 mmol, 0.183 g), base (KOH or K3PO4
2 mmol), aryl halide (4-bromoanizole or 4-iodoanisole, 1 mmol).
Next, 5 mL of the solvent was added. The reaction mixture was
stirred at 60 or 130 °C for 25.5 or 46.5 h. Afterwards, the reactor
was cooled down, the reaction mixture was quenched with H2O
(3 mL), and the organic products were separated by extraction
with diethyl ether (3 times, 4, 3 and 3 mL). The products were
analyzed by GC-FID.
For recycling experiments the solution remaining after extrac-
tion of organic products was condensed in vacuo and used for
the next experiment with new portion of substrates.
In order to compare activity of [NiPdL](ClO4)2 and [Pd2L](ClO4)2
complexes, one reaction was performed at 140 °C with 0.05 mol%
of catalyst. Using mixed complex we obtained 76% of product 1,
whereas 71% was formed with [Pd2L](ClO4)2 [34]. Considering a
lower content of palladium in the mixed precursor, the obtained
results are quite satisfactory.
2.3. Instruments
When more reactive butyl acrylate was used instead of styrene,
only one product, substituted trans-stilbene, was obtained
(Scheme 3). In this case formation of more stable product is
favoured.
Attempts to perform the Heck coupling with 4-chloroanisole
were unsuccessful and after 26 h the product was not formed.
GC analyses (GC-FID) were performed on Hewlett Packard
8454A instrument. Products were identified by GC–MS using
Hewlett Packard 5890 II instrument with capillary column
ELITE-5MS and stationary phase 5% diphenylpolysiloxane, 95%
dimethylpolysiloxane.
MS spectra were performed on a Bruker Daltonics micrOTOF-Q.
The ions were generated from electrospray ionization source. The
electrospray flow rate was 10 l
l/minꢁ1, which was maintained
3.2. Suzuki reaction
by a syringe pump; spray was directed into a heated glass capillary
at a temperature 200 °C, and a high voltage of 4500 V between the
endplate and the spray needle. Nebulizer vacuum 0.4 Bar; dry gas
flow 4.0 l/min;
The Suzuki reaction was performed according to Scheme 3,
using the palladium–nickel complex [NiPdL](ClO4)2 and the nickel
analogues: [NiH2L](ClO4)2 and [Ni2L1]Cl2, as catalysts. However,
only Pd–Ni was active in the studied reaction.
1H NMR spectra were measured on Bruker 500 MHz
spectrometer.
The optimization of the reaction parameters resulted in the
selection of the best solvents, namely 2-propanol/H2O (1:1) and
ethylene glycol, making it possible to obtain 96% or 80% of the
cross-coupling product (Table 2). The concentration of the catalyst
has an important influence on the reaction course and 1 mol%
appeared the best. Using a smaller amount of the catalyst,
0.55 mol%, 78% of the product was obtained, whereas an increase
of the catalyst amount to 2.1 mol% resulted in a decrease of the
yield to 34%. The modification of the last reaction by the addition
of 1 mmol TBAB made it possible to increase the yield to 71%. Inter-
estingly, in the Suzuki reaction, the presence of [Bu4N]Br favour-
ably influenced the reaction yield, while the same salt inhibited
the Heck reaction (Scheme 4).
2+
N
N
O
O
N
N
Pd
Ni
Attempts to reuse the Pd–Ni catalyst were not very promising,
and in the best case 12% of product was found in the second run
(Table 2).
Two experiments performed under conditions similar to these
used earlier [34] for testing [Pd2L](ClO4)2 complex gave 25–30%
of product after 6 h.
Scheme 1. Macrocyclic Pd(II)–Ni(II) cation ([NiPdL]2+) of the [PdNiL](ClO4)2ꢀ3MeCN
complex.