Cobaloximes as functional models for hydrogenases. 2. Proton electroreduction catalyzed by difluoroborylbis(dimethylglyoximato)cobalt(II) complexes in organic media.

Cobaloximes are effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and thus functional models for hydrogenases. Among them, difluoroboryl-bridged complexes appear both to mediate proton electroreduction with low overpotentials and to be quite stable in acidic conditions. We report here a mechanistic study of [Co(dmgBF2)2L] (dmg2- = dimethylglyoximato dianion; L = CH3CN or N,N-dimethylformamide) catalyzed proton electroreduction in organic solvents. Depending on the applied potential and the strength of the acid used, three different pathways for hydrogen production were identified and a unified mechanistic scheme involving cobalt(II) or cobalt(III) hydride species is proposed. As far as working potential and turnover frequency are concerned, [Co(dmgBF2)2(CH3CN)2], in the presence of p-cyanoanilinium cation in acetonitrile, is one of the best synthetic catalysts of the first-row transition-metal series for hydrogen evolution.