Inexpensive and abundant, unactivated alkanes are ideal precursors for the production of commodity chemicals. For instance, industrially useful alkenes can be produced from alkanes through transition-metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation. Extensive research has shown pincer-ligated Ir species to be very effective catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation, and recent studies have highlighted Ir(III) complexes as promising candidates capable of circumventing limitations of established Ir(I) alkane dehydrogenation systems. The Ir(III) pincer complex (dmPhebox)Ir(OAc)2(OH2) (dmPhebox = 2,6-bis(4,4-dimethyloxazolinyl)-3,5-dimethylphenyl) was previously identified as a competent promoter of alkane dehydrogenation and furthermore can be regenerated under aerobic atmosphere. Despite these notable discoveries, however, achieving catalytic alkane dehydrogenation using (dmPhebox)Ir(OAc)2(OH2) has remained challenging due to instability of the Ir system under aerobic conditions at the high temperatures required for alkane activation. As such, the present work discloses the preparation of novel Ir(III) complexes supported by modified Phebox-type pincer ligands and investigation of their capabilities as catalysts for aerobic alkane dehydrogenation at lower temperatures than necessary for the original (dmPhebox)Ir(III) system.

Pincer-ligated iridium(III) complexes for alkane dehydrogenation

254th National Meeting (2017)

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