Discovery of a Photoinduced Dark Catalytic Cycle Using <i>in Situ</i> LED-NMR Spectroscopy
作者:Dan Lehnherr、Yining Ji、Andrew J. Neel、Ryan D. Cohen、Andrew P. J. Brunskill、Junyu Yang、Mikhail Reibarkh
DOI:10.1021/jacs.8b08596
日期:2018.10.24
We report the use of LED-NMR spectroscopy to study the reaction mechanism of a newly discovered photoinduced iron-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkynols to cyclic enol ethers. By understanding on/off ligand binding to the catalyst, we were able to appropriately design reaction conditions to balance catalyst activity and stability. LED-NMR was demonstrated to be a powerful tool in elucidating reaction mechanisms of photochemical reactions. Temporal NMR spectroscopic data under visible light illumination (1) revealed the pre-catalyst activation mechanism, (2) proved that photon flux provides a unique external control of the equilibrium distribution between the pre-catalyst and active catalyst, and ultimately the rate of reaction, (3) provided information about the reaction driving forces and the turnover-limiting step, and (4) enabled both real-time structural and kinetic insights into elusive species (e.g., dissolved gases).