STABILITY AND ORGANOCATALYTIC EFFICIENCY OF N-HETEROCYCLIC CARBENES ELECTROGENERATED IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS FROM IMIDAZOLIUM IONIC LIQUIDS
The kinetic of degradation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole-2-ylidene (selected as model N-heterocyclic carbene - NHC), generated in organic solvents by cathodic reduction of the parent 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium salts BMIm-X, was studied by a simple voltammetric analysis. The effect of NHC degradation rate on the efficiency of an organocatalyzed reaction (the synthesis of g-butyrolactone from cinnamaldehyde and trifluoromethylacetophenone) was investigated. The nature of the solvent and of the anion X have a remarkable effect on the stability of the NHC, the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide anion being the best for a long lasting carbene (while acetonitrile seems to be the worst solvent). …
The anion impact on the self-assembly of naphthalene diimide diimidazolium salts
Naphthalene diimide diimidazolium salts differing in the anion nature were synthesized and their properties as well as their self-assembly behaviour were investigated. In particular, we took into consideration the N,N′-bis-(1-octyl-3-propylimidazolium)-naphthalene diimide cations and anions differing in size, shape and coordination abilities like [I−], [BF4−] and [NTf2−]. After determination of thermal behaviour, using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, the electrochemical stability and redox properties were assessed using cyclic voltammetry. The self-assembly behaviour of the salts was investigated using concentration and temperature-dependent spectroscopic…
N-heterocyclic carbenes and parent cations: acidity, nucleophilicity, stability, and hydrogen bonding-Electrochemical Study and ab initio calculations
N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are widely used as organocatalysts. Their reactivity (and instability) is related to their basicity and nucleophilicity, which, in turn, are linked to their scaffold. NHCs can be generated by chemical deprotonation or electrochemical reduction of the parent azolium cations, NHCH+s. Cyclic voltammetry enabled the reduction potential of the NHCH+s to be determined; the reduction potential is related to the acidity of the NHCH+s and the oxidation potential of the NHCs, which is related to the nucleophilicity of the NHCs. It was thus possible to order different NHCH+s and NHCs by their acidity and nucleophilicity, respectively. A study on the stability of NHCs was…
Azolium and acetate ions in DMF: Formation of free N-heterocyclic carbene. A voltammetric analysis
In order to reveal the possible formation of free N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) in DMF-azolium and acetate solutions, the proton exchange equilibrium between azolium cations and CH3COO− was investigated (by cyclic voltammetry) by adding CH3COOH or tetrabutylammonium acetate to DMF solutions of imidazolium or thiazolium salts of different acidity.The voltammetric analysis confirms that the deprotonation of the azolium cation by CH3COO− (with the formation of free NHC) is significant in the case of the more acidic thiazolium cations, while it is not effective with the less acidic imidazolium ones.Accordingly, the NHC-catalyzed benzoin condensation was carried out in DMF solutions of azolium sa…
Cathodic behaviour of dicationic imidazolium bromides: the role of the spacer
The cathodic reduction of dicationic imidazolium bromides, whose spacer is either an aliphatic chain or a xylyl group, leads to the formation of the corresponding N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), which were isolated as the corresponding thiones, after reaction with elemental sulfur. The behaviour of the dications was compared with the corresponding monocations. The behaviour of dicarbenes depends on the nature of the spacer. This study evidenced that dicarbenes deriving from xylyl dications are less stable than the corresponding aliphatic ones (giving lower yields in thiones), due to a debenzylation reaction. On the other hand, the yields in thiones starting from aliphatic dications are high…