Rachel F Wallick, Sagnik Chakrabarti, John H Burke, Richard Gnewkow, Ju Byeong Chae, Thomas C Rossi, Ioanna Mantouvalou, Birgit Kanngießer, Mattis Fondell, Sebastian Eckert, Conner Dykstra, Laura E Smith, Josh Vura-Weis, Liviu M Mirica, Renske M van der Veen
Photoassisted catalysis using Ni complexes is an emerging field for cross-coupling reactions in organic synthesis. However, the mechanism by which light enables and enhances the reactivity of these complexes often remains elusive. Although optical techniques have been widely used to study the ground and excited states of photocatalysts, they lack the specificity to interrogate the electronic and structural changes at specific atoms. Herein, we report metal-specific studies using transient Ni L- and K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy of a prototypical Ni photocatalyst, (dtbbpy)Ni( o -tol)Cl (dtb = 4,4'-di- tert -butyl, bpy = bipyridine, o -tol = ortho -tolyl), in solution...
May 1, 2024: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters