Halide abstraction competes with oxidative addition in the reactions of aryl halides with [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))4]

Funes-Ardoiz, Ignacio and Nelson, David J. and Maseras, Feliu (2017) Halide abstraction competes with oxidative addition in the reactions of aryl halides with [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))4]. Chemistry - A European Journal, 23 (66). pp. 16728-16733. ISSN 0947-6539 (https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201702331)

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Abstract

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to study the oxidative addition of aryl halides to complexes of the type [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))4], revealing the crucial role of an open shell singlet transition state for halide abstraction. The formation of NiI versus NiII has been rationalised through the study of three different pathways: (i) halide abstraction by [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))3], via an open shell singlet transition state; (ii) SN2-type oxidative addition to [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))3], followed by phosphine dissociation; and (iii) oxidative addition to [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))2]. For the case of [Ni(PMe3)4], a microkinetic model was used to show that these data are consistent with the experimentally-observed ratios of NiI and NiII. Importantly, [Ni(PMenPh(3-n))2] complexes often have little if any role in the oxidative addition reaction because they are relatively high in energy. The behaviour of [Ni(PR3)4] complexes in catalysis is therefore likely to differ considerably from those based on diphosphine ligands in which two coordinate Ni0 complexes are the key species undergoing oxidative addition.