Denise A Colby

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, MO, USA

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Publications (18)164.19 Total impact

  • Article: Preparation of azulene-derived fulvenedialdehydes and their application to the synthesis of stable adj-dicarbaporphyrinoids.
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    ABSTRACT: A "2 + 2" strategy for synthesizing adj-dicarbaporphyrinoid systems has been developed. In a model study, an azulenylmethylpyrrole dialdehyde was condensed with a dipyrrylmethane in the presence of HCl, followed by oxidation with ferric chloride, to give a modest yield of an azuliporphyrin. Fulvene aldehydes were prepared by reacting an indene-derived enamine with azulene aldehydes in the presence of Bu(2)BOTf, and azulene dialdehydes similarly reacted to give fulvene dialdehydes. The dialdehydes were condensed with dipyrrylmethanes in TFA/dichloromethane to afford good to excellent yields of dicarbaporphyrinoids with adjacent indene and azulene subunits. These 22-carbaazuliporphyrins exhibited significant diatropic character, and this property was magnified upon protonation. These characteristics are attributed to tropylium-containing resonance contributors that possess 18π electron delocalization pathways. Protonation studies demonstrated that C-protonation readily occurred at the interior indene carbon, but deuterium exchange also occurred at the internal azulene CH as well as at the meso-positions with TFA-d. Reaction of a carbaazuliporphyrin with silver(I) acetate in methanol or ethanol solutions also gave unusual nonaromatic dialkoxy derivatives.
    The Journal of Organic Chemistry 03/2012; 77(5):2368-81. · 4.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: Rhodium catalyzed chelation-assisted C-H bond functionalization reactions.
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    ABSTRACT: Over the last several decades, researchers have achieved remarkable progress in the field of organometallic chemistry. The development of metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions represents a paradigm shift in chemical synthesis, and today synthetic chemists can readily access carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds from a vast array of starting compounds. Although we cannot understate the importance of these methods, the required prefunctionalization to carry out these reactions adds cost and reduces the availability of the starting reagents. The use of C-H bond activation in lieu of prefunctionalization has presented a tantalizing alternative to classical cross-coupling reactions. Researchers have met the challenges of selectivity and reactivity associated with the development of C-H bond functionalization reactions with an explosion of creative advances in substrate and catalyst design. Literature reports on selectivity based on steric effects, acidity, and electronic and directing group effects are now numerous. Our group has developed an array of C-H bond functionalization reactions that take advantage of a chelating directing group, and this Account surveys our progress in this area. The use of chelation control in C-H bond functionalization offers several advantages with respect to substrate scope and application to total synthesis. The predictability and decreased dependence on the inherent stereoelectronics of the substrate generally result in selective and high yielding transformations with broad applicability. The nature of the chelating moiety can be chosen to serve as a functional handle in subsequent elaborations. Our work began with the use of Rh(I) catalysts in intramolecular aromatic C-H annulations, which we further developed to include enantioselective transformations. The application of this chemistry to the simple olefinic C-H bonds found in α,β-unsaturated imines allowed access to highly substituted olefins, pyridines, and piperidines. We observed complementary reactivity with Rh(III) catalysts and developed an oxidative coupling with unactivated alkenes. Further studies on the Rh(III) catalysts led us to develop methods for the coupling of C-H bonds to polarized π bonds such as those in imines and isocyanates. In several cases the methods that we have developed for chelation-controlled C-H bond functionalization have been applied to the total synthesis of complex molecules such as natural products, highlighting the utility of these methods in organic synthesis.
    Accounts of Chemical Research 12/2011; 45(6):814-25. · 21.64 Impact Factor
  • Article: Synthesis and coordination chemistry of tri-substituted benzamidrazones.
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    ABSTRACT: A series of N(1),N(1),N(3)-tri-substituted benzamidrazones of the general formula [PhC(NHR)=NNMe(2)] (R = Me, n-Pr, i-Pr, n-Bu, Bn, Ph; 1a-f) was synthesized via condensation of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine with the corresponding imidoyl chloride, [PhC(Cl)=NR]. Multinuclear NMR data, and zero-point energy DFT calculations conducted with the B3LYP functional and 6-31G+(d,p) basis set, suggest that these compounds exist as a single tautomer in solution; possessing a weak intramolecular hydrogen bond and a structure dominated by the localised resonance structure ArC(NHR)=N-NMe(2). An X-ray crystallographic study upon PhC(NHPh)=NNMe(2) (1f) demonstrated that this compound adopts an identical tautomer in the solid state. Reactions of [PhC(NHMe)=NNMe(2)] (1a) with [LMCl(2)](2) (M = Ru, L = cymene; M = Rh, Ir, L = Cp*) results in the stoichiometric formation of products of the formula [LM{PhC(=NMe)NHNMe(2)}Cl](+)Cl(-) (2a-c) in which the amidrazone chelates the metal in a κ(2)-N(1),N(3)-coordination mode. Formation of this five-membered chelate occurs with a concomitant tautomerisation of the amidrazone ligand to an alternative tautomer, i.e. [PhC(=NMe)NHNMe(2)], the latter tautomer is expected to be readily energetically accessible based upon the aforementioned DFT calculations. This series of salts may be deprotonated with lithium hexamethyldisilazide to form the corresponding charge neutral complexes [LM{PhC(NMe)=NNMe(2)}] (3a-c). In contrast, the reaction of N(1),N(1),N(3)-tri-substituted benzamidrazones with [(cymene)RuCl(2)](2) in the presence of NaOAc yielded a mixture of cyclometallation (C-H activation) and amidrazone chelation/deprotonation (N-H activation) products. Reaction of 1a yielded an inseparable mixture of products, whilst the reaction of 1c resulted in formation of the cyclometallated product [LM{C(6)H(5)C(=N(i)Pr)NHNMe(2)}] (L = cymene, M = Ru; 4a) in a modest 62% yield. This latter complex could be isolated as a crystalline orange solid, full characterisation including single crystal X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the amidrazone coordinates in a κ(2)-N(2),C-coordination mode.
    Dalton Transactions 01/2011; 40(2):514-22. · 3.84 Impact Factor
  • Article: Synthesis of a tetraazulene porphodimethene analogue.
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    ABSTRACT: Substituted calix[4]azulenes were prepared by reacting 6-alkylazulenes with paraformaldehyde in the presence of florisil. Hydride abstraction of a calix[4]azulene with Ph(3)CPF(6) afforded a tetraazulene analogue of the porphodimethenes.
    The Journal of Organic Chemistry 11/2009; 74(22):8830-3. · 4.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: Rhodium-catalyzed C-C bond formation via heteroatom-directed C-H bond activation.
    Chemical Reviews 06/2009; 110(2):624-55. · 40.20 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Synthesis of dihydropyridines and pyridines from imines and alkynes via C-H activation.
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    ABSTRACT: A convenient one-pot C-H alkenylation/electrocyclization/aromatization sequence has been developed for the synthesis of highly substituted pyridine derivatives from alkynes and alpha,beta-unsaturated N-benzyl aldimines and ketimines that proceeds through dihydropyridine intermediates. A new class of ligands for C-H activation was developed, providing broader scope for the alkenylation step than could be achieved with previously reported ligands. Substantial information was obtained about the mechanism of the reaction. This included the isolation of a C-H activated complex and its structure determination by X-ray analysis; in addition, kinetic simulations using the Copasi software were employed to determine rate constants for this transformation, implicating facile C-H oxidative addition and slow reductive elimination steps.
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 04/2008; 130(11):3645-51. · 9.91 Impact Factor
  • Article: Fulvene dialdehyde strategy for adj-dicarbaporphyrinoid synthesis: preparation of a 22-carbaazuliporphyrin.
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 12/2007; 129(45):13800-1. · 9.91 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stereoselective alkylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated imines via C-H bond activation.
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    ABSTRACT: The stereoselective alkylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated imines via C-H activation followed by imine hydrolysis produces tri- and tetrasubstituted alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. In the presence of a rhodium catalyst, alpha,beta-unsaturated N-benzyl imines derived from methacrolein, crotonaldehyde, and tiglic aldehyde undergo directed C-H activation at the beta-position and react with terminal alkenes and alkynes to form the tri- and tetrasubstituted alpha,beta-unsaturated imines with very high stereoselectivity. Hydrolysis to provide alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes can be performed under carefully controlled conditions that maintain the stereochemistry of the beta-alkylated imine products. Alternatively, for beta-alkylation products of the N-benzyl imine of methacrolein, hydrolysis can be performed under conditions that provide complete isomerization to the E isomer.
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 06/2006; 128(17):5604-5. · 9.91 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stereoselective Alkylation of α,β-Unsaturated Imines via C−H Bond Activation
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    ABSTRACT: The stereoselective alkylation of α,β-unsaturated imines via C−H activation followed by imine hydrolysis produces tri- and tetrasubstituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. In the presence of a rhodium catalyst, α,β-unsaturated N-benzyl imines derived from methacrolein, crotonaldehyde, and tiglic aldehyde undergo directed C−H activation at the β-position and react with terminal alkenes and alkynes to form the tri- and tetrasubstituted α,β-unsaturated imines with very high stereoselectivity. Hydrolysis to provide α,β-unsaturated aldehydes can be performed under carefully controlled conditions that maintain the stereochemistry of the β-alkylated imine products. Alternatively, for β-alkylation products of the N-benzyl imine of methacrolein, hydrolysis can be performed under conditions that provide complete isomerization to the E isomer.
    04/2006;
  • Article: Synthesis, spectroscopy, and reactivity of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues. Oxidative ring contractions to carba-, oxacarba-, thiacarba-, and selenacarbaporphyrins.
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    ABSTRACT: This paper reports the first detailed study on meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins, an important family of porphyrin-like molecules where one of the usual pyrrole rings has been replaced by an azulene subunit. Although the azulene moiety introduces an element of cross-conjugation, zwitterionic resonance contributors with tropylium and carbaporphyrin substructures give azuliporphyrins diatropic character that falls midway between true carbaporphyrins and nonaromatic benziporphyrins. Protonation affords an aromatic dication where this type of resonance interaction is favored due to the associated charge delocalization. Two different "3 + 1" syntheses of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins have been developed. Acid-catalyzed reaction of readily available tripyrrane dicarboxylic acids with 1,3-azulenedicarbaldehyde, followed by oxidation with DDQ or FeCl(3), affords good yields of azuliporphyrins. Alternatively, azulene reacted with acetoxymethylpyrroles (2 equiv) in refluxing acetic acid/2-propanol to give tripyrrane analogues, and following a deprotection step, condensation with a pyrrole dialdehyde in TFA-CH(2)Cl(2) gave the azuliporphyrin system. The latter approach was also used to prepare 23-thia- and 23-selenaazuliporphyrins. However, reaction of the azulitripyrrane with 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde produced a mixture of three oxacarbaporphyrins in moderate yield. The free base forms of thia- and selenaazuliporphyrins both showed intermediary aromatic character that was considerably enhanced upon protonation. The UV-vis spectra for azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues showed four bands between 350 and 500 nm and broad absorptions at higher wavelengths. Addition of TFA gave dications that showed porphyrin-like spectra with Soret bands between 460 and 500 nm. In the presence of pyrrolidine, azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues undergo nucleophilic attack on the seven-membered ring to give carbaporphyrin adducts. These systems also undergo oxidative rearrangements under basic conditions with t-BuOOH to give benzocarbaporphyrins. The selenaazuliporphyrin afforded two benzoselenacarbaporphyrins, a previously unknown core-modified carbaporphyrin system. The proton NMR spectra for these compounds showed strong diatropic ring currents with the internal CH resonance upfield above -5 ppm, while the meso-protons resonated downfield near 10 ppm. The UV-vis spectra were also porphyrin-like and gave strong Soret bands at ca. 440 nm.
    The Journal of Organic Chemistry 01/2005; 69(25):8851-64. · 4.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: New riches in carbaporphyrin chemistry: silver and gold organometallic complexes of benzocarbaporphyrins.
    Timothy D Lash, Denise A Colby, Lisa F Szczepura
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    ABSTRACT: The NH-N-NH-N core of the porphyrin system represents one of the best studied and most versatile platforms for coordination chemistry. However, the replacement of one or more of the interior nitrogens with carbon atoms would be expected to diminish the ability of these systems to form metallo derivatives considerably. Despite this expectation, carbaporphyrinoid systems have been shown to form stable organometallic derivatives. Although azuliporphyrins and benziporphyrins act as dianionic ligands, benzocarbaporphyrins are trianionic ligands. Treatment of five different meso unsubstituted benzocarbaporphyrins and two different meso tetraarylbenzocarbaporphyrins with excess silver(I) acetate afforded 65-97% yields of the corresponding silver(III) organometallic derivatives. The insertion of silver metal was confirmed by mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography. The UV-vis spectra showed a strong Soret band at wavelengths between 437 and 451 nm, together with a series of Q-type bands at longer wavelengths. The new metallo carbaporphyrins demonstrate the presence of a strong diatropic ring current in their proton NMR spectra, and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy indicates that the derivatives retain a plane of symmetry. The reaction of meso tetraaryl carbaporphyrins with gold(III) acetate afforded the related gold(III) complexes, and these also showed strongly porphyrin-like aromatic characteristics. The UV-vis spectra for the gold complexes again showed a strong Soret band between 437-439 nm, but a secondary band near 400 nm is somewhat intensified for the gold species compared to the spectra for the related silver(III) meso tetrasubstituted carbaporphyrins. The ring currents observed for the gold(III) complexes by proton NMR spectroscopy were comparable to those of the silver(III) derivatives, implying that both series have similar macrocyclic conformations. Cyclic voltammetry was performed on two different carbaporphyrins, their silver(III) derivatives, and a gold(III) complex. The silver complexes display a reversible cathodic wave that is assigned to the Ag(III/II) couple. However, the gold porphyrinoid gave a value for the reductive wave that could be due to a gold(III/II) couple or a ligand-based process.
    Inorganic Chemistry 09/2004; 43(17):5258-67. · 4.60 Impact Factor
  • Article: Oxidative metalation of azuliporphyrins with copper(II) salts: formation of a porphyrin analogue system with a unique fully conjugated nonaromatic azulene subunit.
    Angewandte Chemie International Edition 04/2004; 43(11):1346-9. · 13.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: Carbaporphyrinoid chemistry has a silver lining! silver(III) oxybenzi-, oxynaphthi-, tropi-, and benzocarbaporphyrins.
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    ABSTRACT: [structure: see text] Carbaporphyrinoid systems with semiquinone, cycloheptatriene, or indene subunits react under mild conditions with silver(I) acetate to give stable silver(III) organometallic derivatives.
    Organic Letters 03/2004; 6(4):549-52. · 5.86 Impact Factor
  • Article: Further Studies on the Synthesis of meso‐Tetraarylazuliporphyrins under Lindsey−Rothemund Reaction Conditions and Their Conversion into Benzocarbaporphyrins
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    ABSTRACT: Azulene has been shown to react with pyrrole and a series of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrins 6. Good yields of azuliporphyrins were obtained for benzaldehyde, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 4-bromobenzaldehyde, and 4-iodobenzaldehyde, and under dilute conditions p-tolualdehyde gave respectable yields. In each case, substantial amounts of meso-tetraarylporphyrins were also formed and a minor fraction of carbaporphyrin by-products could be detected, but otherwise no other macrocyclic products could be identified. 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde gave relatively poor yields of the corresponding azuliporphyrin, while p-anisaldehyde only gave trace amounts of product. Pentafluorobenzaldehyde gave variable results, although in this case a large number of additional by-products were identified including N-fused pentaphyrin, hexaphyrin, and higher order porphyrinoids, but no expanded azulene-containing macrocycles could be detected. Azuliporphyrins undergo reversible nucleophilic substitution on the seven-membered ring with pyrrolidine, benzenethiol, hydrazine, or benzylamine to give carbaporphyrin adducts. This property appears to facilitate an oxidative ring contraction of azuliporphyrins 6 with tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of potassium hydroxide to produce mixtures of benzocarbaporphyrins 19 and 20. Tetraaryl-benzocarbaporphyrins exhibit slightly reduced diatropic ring currents compared to their meso-unsubstituted counterparts, although their UV/Vis spectra are very porphyrin-like and exhibit strong Soret bands near 450 nm. The benzocarbaporphyrins undergo reversible protonation to give monocationic and dicationic species. The latter involves C-protonation to generate an internal CH2 within the macrocyclic cavity. X-ray crystallography of tetraphenylbenzocarbaporphyrin 19a confirms that the preferred tautomer has the two NHs on either side of the indene subunit, in agreement with previous theoretical and spectroscopic studies. In addition, the presence of phenyl substituents at the 5,20-positions was found to tilt the indene moiety substantially by 27.4(1)° relative to the [18]annulene substructure. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)
    Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie 11/2003; 2003(23):4533 - 4548. · 3.10 Impact Factor
  • Article: Organometallic chemistry of azuliporphyrins: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and structural characterization of nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes of azuliporphyrins.
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    ABSTRACT: Four azuliporphyrins, two meso-unsubstituted and two meso-tetraaryl substituted, were investigated in the synthesis of novel organometallic compounds. The meso-unsubstituted or "etio" series azuliporphyrins 8 reacted with nickel(II) acetate, palladium(II) acetate, and platinum(II) chloride in DMF to give the corresponding chelates 14-16, where the metal cation lies within the macrocyclic cavity and binds to all three nitrogens and the internal carbon atom. The newly available meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrins 13 similarly afforded the corresponding nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes, 17-19, respectively. The new organometallic complexes are stable nonpolar compounds and were fully characterized spectroscopically and by mass spectrometry. The UV-vis data indicate that these complexes, in common with the parent azuliporphyrin system 8, do not possess porphyrin-type aromaticity. However, electron donation from the azulene unit can give rise to dipolar resonance contributors that provide a degree of carbaporphyrin-type aromatic character. The platinum(II) azuliporphyrins 16 gave noteworthy proton NMR spectra where the meso-protons showed satellite peaks due to transannular coupling to platinum-195. The pyrrolic protons of the platinum(II) meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrin 19b also showed similar satellite peaks due to coupling from the platinum-195 isotope. The electrochemistry of free base tetraphenylazuliporphyrin 13a and the related nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, and these data indicate that metal coordination improves the reversibility of the ligand-based oxidations. Nickel(II) azuliporphyrin 14a and palladium(II) tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)azuliporphyrin 18b were also structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The macrocyclic core of the palladium(II) complex 18b was significantly more planar than the nickel(II) derivative 14b, and this difference was attributed to the better size match between the azuliporphyrin cavity and the larger palladium(II) ion. The straightforward synthesis of metalloazuliporphyrins under mild conditions, and their interesting spectroscopic, electrochemical, and structural features, demonstrates that the azuliporphyrin system holds great promise as a platform for organometallic chemistry.
    Inorganic Chemistry 11/2003; 42(22):7326-38. · 4.60 Impact Factor
  • Article: Adaptation of the Rothemund reaction for carbaporphyrin synthesis: preparation of meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin and related benzocarbaporphyrins.
    Denise A Colby, Timothy D Lash
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    ABSTRACT: Electrophilic substitution of azulene has recently been shown to provide the means by which carbon-carbon bonds can be generated to form novel macrocyclic systems such as calixazulenes. These studies inspired us to develop a "one-pot" Rothemund-type synthesis of meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin. Azuliporphyrins, a group of cross-conjugated carbaporphyrinoids that exhibit intriguing chemistry and metallation properties, have previously only been available by multistep syntheses. In this work, azulene, pyrrole and benzaldehyde were shown to react in a 1:3:4 ratio in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin 7a. The free base shows only a minor diatropic ring current, but addition of TFA generates the related dication which shows greatly enhanced diatropicity where the internal CH shifts from delta = +3.35 to -0.5 ppm. Addition of pyrrolidine to 7a gave rise to a carbaporphyrin adduct which showed a porphyrin-like UV/Vis spectrum and the internal CH shifted further upfield to give a resonance near delta = -5.7 ppm. Treatment of 7a with tertbutyl hydroperoxide in the presence of potassium hydroxide afforded a mixture of benzocarbaporphyrins 9a-c. These tetraphenylcarbaporphyrins were fully aromatic by NMR spectroscopy and gave typical porphyrin-type UV/Vis spectra with a strong Soret band near 446 nm. This new methodology makes these important porphyrin analogues readily available for further study.
    Chemistry 01/2003; 8(23):5397-402. · 5.93 Impact Factor
  • Article: An azulene analogue of the tripyrranes and carbaporphyrinoids therefrom.
    Shelley R Graham, Denise A Colby, Timothy D Lash
    Angewandte Chemie International Edition 04/2002; 41(8):1371-4. · 13.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: Calix[4]azulene.
    Denise A Colby, Timothy D Lash
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    ABSTRACT: Azulene reacts with paraformaldehyde in the presence of florisil to give excellent yields of calix[4]azulene.
    The Journal of Organic Chemistry 03/2002; 67(3):1031-3. · 4.45 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2006–2011
    • University of California, Berkeley
      • Department of Chemistry
      Berkeley, MO, USA
  • 2009
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
      • Chemical Sciences Division
      Berkeley, CA, USA
  • 2002–2009
    • Illinois State University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Normal, IL, USA