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Inspired by the proficiency of natural enzymes, mimicking of nanoenvironments for precise substrate preorganisation is a promising strategy in catalyst design. However, artificial examples of enzyme-like activation of H\(_2\)O molecules for the challenging oxidative water splitting reaction are hardly explored. Here, we introduce a mononuclear Ru(bda) complex (M1, bda: 2,2’-bipyridine-6,6’-dicarboxylate) equipped with a bipyridine-functionalized ligand to preorganize H\(_2\)O molecules in front of the metal center as in enzymatic clefts. The confined pocket of M1 accelerates chemically driven water oxidation at pH 1 by facilitating a water nucleophilic attack pathway with a remarkable turnover frequency of 140 s\(^{−1}\) that is comparable to the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II. Single crystal X-ray analysis of M1 under catalytic conditions allowed the observation of a 7th H\(_2\)O ligand directly coordinated to a RuIII center. Via a well-defined hydrogen-bonding network, another H\(_2\)O substrate is preorganized for the crucial O–O bond formation via nucleophilic attack.
The future of water-derived hydrogen as the “sustainable energy source” straightaway bets on the success of the sluggish oxygen-generating half-reaction. The endeavor to emulate the natural photosystem II for efficient water oxidation has been extended across the spectrum of organic and inorganic combinations. However, the achievement has so far been restricted to homogeneous catalysts rather than their pristine heterogeneous forms. The poor structural understanding and control over the mechanistic pathway often impede the overall development. Herein, we have synthesized a highly crystalline covalent organic framework (COF) for chemical and photochemical water oxidation. The interpenetrated structure assures the catalyst stability, as the catalyst’s performance remains unaltered after several cycles. This COF exhibits the highest ever accomplished catalytic activity for such an organometallic crystalline solid-state material where the rate of oxygen evolution is as high as ∼26,000 μmol L\(^{–1}\) s\(^{–1}\) (second-order rate constant k ≈ 1650 μmol L s\(^{–1}\) g\(^{–2}\)). The catalyst also proves its exceptional activity (k ≈ 1600 μmol L s\(^{–1}\) g\(^{–2}\)) during light-driven water oxidation under very dilute conditions. The cooperative interaction between metal centers in the crystalline network offers 20–30-fold superior activity during chemical as well as photocatalytic water oxidation as compared to its amorphous polymeric counterpart.
In terms of the need of environmentally benign renewable and storable energy sources, splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by using sunlight is a promising approach. Hereby, water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) are required to perform the water oxidation comprising the transfer of four electrons to provide the reducing equivalents for producing hydrogen. The class of Ru(bda) (bda = 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-dicarboxylate) catalysts has proven to be efficient for this reaction.
In this thesis, ligand exchange processes in Ru(bda) complexes have been analyzed and the formation of multinuclear macrocyclic WOCs was studied. Based on the knowledge acquired by these studies, new multinuclear cyclic Ru(bda) complexes have been synthesized and their catalytic efficiencies in homogeneous water oxidation have been investigated. Going one step further for setting up functional devices, molecular WOCs have been immobilized on conducting or semiconducting supporting materials. Direct anchoring on carbon nanotubes generated a promising materials for further applications.
In light of the rapidly increasing global demand of energy and the negative effects of climate change, innovative solutions that allow an efficient transition to a carbon-neutral economy are urgently needed. In this context, artificial photosynthesis is emerging as a promising technology to enable the storage of the fluctuating energy of sunlight in chemical bonds of transportable “solar fuels”. Thus, in recent years much efforts have been devoted to the development of robust water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) leading to the discovery of the highly reactive Ru(bda) (bda: 2,2’-bipyridine-6,6’-dicarboxylic acid) catalyst family. The aim of this thesis was the study of chemical and photocatalytic water oxidation with functionalized Ruthenium macrocycles to explore the impact of substituents on molecular properties and catalytic activities of trinuclear macrocyclic Ru(bda) catalysts. A further objective of this thesis comprises the elucidation of factors that influence the light-driven water oxidation process with this novel class of supramolecular WOCs.
Herein we report a broad series of new trinuclear supramolecular Ru(bda) macrocycles bearing different substituents at the axial or equatorial ligands which enabled investigation of substituent effects on the catalytic activities in chemical and photocatalytic water oxidation. Our detailed investigations revealed that the activities of these functionalized macrocycles in water oxidation are significantly affected by the position at which the substituents were introduced. Interestingly, this effect could not be explained based on the redox properties of the catalysts since these are not markedly influenced by the functionalization of the ligands. Instead, detailed investigations by X-ray crystal structure analysis and theoretical simulations showed that conformational changes imparted by the substituents are responsible for the variation of catalytic activities of the Ru macrocycles. For the first time, macrocyclic structure of this class of water oxidation catalysts is unequivocally confirmed and experimental indication for a hydrogen-bonded water network present in the cavity of the macrocycles is provided by crystal structure analysis. We ascribe the high catalytic efficiency of our Ru(bda) macrocycles to cooperative proton abstractions facilitated by such a network of preorganized water molecules in their cavity, which is reminiscent of catalytic activities of enzymes at active sites.
The catalytic splitting of water into its elements is an important reaction to establish hydrogen as a solar fuel. The bottle-neck of this process is considered to be the oxidative half reaction generating oxygen, and good catalysts are required to handle the complicated redox chemistry involved. As can be learned from nature, the incorporation of the catalytically active species into an appropriate matrix can help to improve the overall performance. Thus, the aim of the present thesis was to establish novel supramolecular approaches to improve water oxidation catalysis using the catalytically active {Ru(bda)} fragment as key motive (bda = 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-dicarboxylate).
First, the synthesis of ruthenium catalysts gathering three {Ru(bda)} water oxidation subunits in a macrocyclic fashion is described. By using bridging bipyridine ligands of different lengths, metallosupramolecular macrocycles with distinct sizes have been obtained. Interestingly, an intermediate ring size has been proven to be optimal for the catalytic water oxidation. Detailed kinetic, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies helped to identify the reaction mechanism and to rationalize the different catalytic activities. Furthermore, solubilizing side chains have been introduced for the most active derivative to achieve full water solubility.
Secondly, the {Ru(bda)} fragment was embedded into supramolecular aggregates to generate more stable catalytic systems compared to a homogeneous reference complex. Therefore, the catalyst fragment was equipped with axial perylene bisimide (PBI) ligands, which facilitate self-assembly. Moreover, the influence of the different accessible aggregate morphologies on the catalytic performance has been investigated.
Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es zum einen, das Potential von chiralen Eisenporphyrin- und Mangansalen-Katalysatoren zur kinetischen Racematspaltung sekundärer Allylalkohole durch asymmetrische Epoxidierung auszuloten. Zum anderen sollten Untersuchungen zum Mechanismus der Jacobsen-Katsuki-Epoxidierung durchgeführt werden; ein besonderes Augenmerk lag dabei auf der Fragestellung, welche Faktoren dazu führen, dass bei der Umsetzung von cis-Olefinen ein Gemisch aus cis- und trans-Epoxiden erhalten wird. Eine Auswahl arylsubstituierter Allylalkohole IIa-f wurde mit den Katalysatoren Ia und Ib,c und 0.8 bzw. 0.6 Äquivalenten an Iodosobenzol als Sauerstoffdonor umgesetzt (Gl. I), wobei es zu einer kinetischen Racematspaltung kommt. Die Oxidation verläuft für beide Katalysatorsysteme sowohl chemoselektiv (vorwiegend Epoxidierung) als auch diastereoselektiv (dr bis zu > 95:5). Als Hauptprodukte werden für die offenkettigen Allylalkohole IIa,e,f die threo-konfigurierten Epoxyalkohole III erhalten, während die cyclischen Allylakohole IIb-d die entsprechenden cis-Epoxyalkohole III lieferen. 1,1-Dimethyl-1,2-dihydro-2-naphthol (IIc) ist hierbei eine Ausnahme, da die CH-Oxidation dieses Substrats eine beachtliche Nebenreaktion darstellt. Der Hauptunterschied zwischen den Fe- und Mn-Katalysatoren liegt in der Enantioselektivität: Während mit dem Fe(porph*)-Komplex Ia nur Selektivitäten von maximal 43 Prozent ee (krel = 2.7) erzielt werden, erwiesen sich die Mn(salen*)-Komplexe Ib,c als geeignete Katalysatoren, mit denen ee-Werte von bis zu 80 Prozent (krel = 12.9) erreicht werden. Die in der kinetischen Racematspaltung erzielten Selektivitäten können durch ein synergistisches Zusammenwirken von hydroxy-dirigierendem Effekt einerseits und sterischen Wechselwirkungen zwischen Substrat und Eisen-Komplex oder, im Falle des Mangan-Komplexes, Angriff des Olefins entlang der so genannten Katsuki-Trajektorie andererseits erklärt werden. Fazit: Die chiralen Mn(salen*)-Komplexe Ib,c sind wirkungsvolle Katalysatoren für die asymmetrische Epoxidierung racemischer sekundärer Allylalkohole II. In exzellenten Chemo- und Diastereoselektivitäten entstehen die entsprechenden Epoxyalkohole III mit ee-Werten bis zu 80 Prozent. Die zurückbleibenden Allylalkohole werden dabei bis zu 53 Prozent ee angereichert. Im Vergleich dazu weist der Eisenkomplex Ia eine ungleich geringere Enantioselektivität auf. Mechanistische Untersuchungen mit Vinylcyclopropan Va ergeben, dass die Jacobsen-Katsuki-Epoxidierung nicht über ein kationisches, sondern über ein radikalisches Intermediat abläuft. Dies wird anhand von Produktstudien durch reversed phase-HPLC-Analytik belegt. In weitergehenden Untersuchungen mit cis-Stilben (Vb) und cis--Methylstyrol (Vc) als Sonden zur cis/trans-Isomerisierung wurde festgestellt, dass die Diastereoselektivität der Epoxidierung nicht nur vom Gegenion des Mangankatalysators Ib, sondern auch von der eingesetzten Sauerstoffquelle [OxD] abhängt. Daher musste der Katalysezyklus (Schema A) um eine diastereoselektivitäts-bestimmende Gabelung erweitert werden: Das primär entstehende MnIII(OxD)-Addukt kann entweder unter Abspaltung der Fluchtgruppe zum etablierten MnV(oxo)-Komplex reagieren (Weg 1) oder direkt das Olefin epoxidieren (Weg 2). Während die Sauerstoffübertragung durch die Oxo-Spezies stufenweise über ein Radikalintermediat verläuft und damit zu einer Mischung aus cis- und trans-Epoxid führt, erfolgt der Lewisäure-aktivierte Sauerstofftransfer konzertiert. Der Gegenion-Effekt auf die cis/trans-Isomerisierung erklärt sich dahingehend, dass die Natur des Anions (koordinierend oder nicht-koordinierend) die Lebensdauer des Radikalintermediats und/oder die Lage und Selektivität der Energiehyperflächen der verschiedenen Spinzustände des MnV(oxo)-Oxidans beeinflusst. Fazit: In der Jacobsen-Katsuki-Epoxidierung existiert neben dem etablierten MnV(oxo)-Oxidans zumindest noch ein weiteres; dabei handelt es sich um das MnIII(OxD)-Addukt, dessen Sauerstoff Lewissäure-aktiviert übertragen wird. Ein unterschiedlicher Anteil der beiden Reaktionskanäle erklärt die Unterschiede im Ausmaß der cis/trans-Isomerisierung. Auch das Gegenion des Mangan-Komplexes Ib beeinflusst die cis/trans-Diastereoselektivität. Mit koordinierenden Gegenionen dominiert Isomerisierung zum trans-Epoxid, während nicht-koordinierende Gegenionen bevorzugt zum cis-Epoxid führen.