Bimetallic Cooperativity in Catalysis

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This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program provides continued support for research on catalysis by Dr. George G. Stanley of the Chemistry Department, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. Bimetallic rhodium complexes of binucleating linear tetra(tertiaryphosphine) ligands have been prepared and used as selective catalysts for hydroformylation reactions. The catalysts become inactive if the rhodium centers are separated by long ligand chains, suggesting that bimetallic cooperativity is an important factor in their activity. Stanley will study the mechanism and kinetics of this reaction in order to understand the exact nature of the bimetallic cooperativity step. In addition, the effectiveness of complexes containing other metals and mixed metals will be tested and the suitability of the system for asymmetric catalytic reactions will be explored. &&Hydroformylation is the chemical process of converting alkenes into aldehydes, using hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide as the other reactants. The process is widely used commercially to produce aldehydes as well as alcohols. Stanley will study the reactions of new catalyts for this reaction with the goals of understanding the details of the reaction mechanism and of testing catalysts which can favor the production of specific products.