Synthesis, structure, and highly efficient copper-catalyzed aziridination with a tetraaza-bispidine ligand

The distorted trigonal-bipyramidal Cu(II) complex [Cu(L(1))(NCCH(3))](2+) of the novel tetradentate bispidine-derived ligand L(1) with four tertiary amine donors (L(1)=1,5-diphenyl-3-methyl-7-(1,4,6-trimethyl-1,4-diazacycloheptane-6-yl)diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-9-one) is a very efficient catalyst for the aziridination of olefins in the presence of a nitrene source. In agreement with the experimental data (in situ spectroscopy, product distribution, and its dependence on the geometry of the substrate and of the nitrene source), a theoretical analysis based on DFT calculations indicates that the active catalyst has the Cu center in its +II oxidation state, that electron transfer is not involved, and that the conversion of the olefin to an aziridine is a stepwise process involving a radical intermediate. The striking change of efficiency and reaction mechanism between classical copper-bispidine complexes and the novel L(1)-based catalyst is primarily attributed to the structural variation, enforced by the ligand architecture.