Control of Ligand pKa Values Tunes the Electrocatalytic Dihydrogen Evolution Mechanism in a Redox-Active Aluminum(III) Complex

Redox-active ligands bring electron- and proton-transfer reactions to main-group coordination chemistry. In this Forum Article, we demonstrate how ligand pKa values can be used in the design of a reaction mechanism for a ligand-based electron- and proton-transfer pathway, where the ligand retains a negative charge and enables dihydrogen evolution. A bis­(pyrazolyl)­pyridine ligand, iPrPz2P, reacts with 2 equiv of AlCl3 to afford [(iPrPz2P)­AlCl2(THF)]­[AlCl4] (1). A reaction involving two-electron reduction and single-ligand protonation of 1 affords [(iPrHPz2P–)­AlCl2] (2), where each of the electron- and proton-transfer events is ligand-centered. Protonation of 2 would formally close a catalytic cycle for dihydrogen production. At −1.26 V versus SCE, in a 0.3 M Bu4NPF6/tetrahydrofuran solution with salicylic acid or (HNEt3)+ as the source of H+, 1 produced dihydrogen electrocatalytically, according to cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis experiments. The mechanism for the reaction is most likely two electron-transfer steps followed by two chemical steps based on the available reactivity information. A comparison of this work with our previously reported aluminum complexes of the phenyl-substituted bis­(imino)­pyridine system (PhI2P) reveals that the pKa values of the N-donor atoms in iPrPz2P are lower, which facilitates reduction before ligand protonation. In contrast, the PhI2P ligand complexes of aluminum are protonated twice before reduction liberates dihydrogen.