Synthetic, Mechanistic, and Catalytic f-Element Organometallic Chemistry

无机化学、生物无机化学和金属有机化学项目的这一奖项支持西北大学化学系托宾·马克斯教授对涉及f元素和相关有机金属分子的化学计量和催化转化的研究。主要使用P.I.和合作者合成的较重的14-16族茂金属络合物，利用反应热法来定量金属-配体多键的强度。这项研究的目标是发现、理解、改进和应用涉及有机金属分子和分子碎片的化学转化，包括氢胺化、磷化和硼化以及烯烃聚合，以生成端基为硅、锡、硼、铝的聚合物。这项工作的重点是利用相对未开发的领域--镧系金属有机络合物--来实现这些转变，其中包括用于生产燃料、聚合物材料、医药和其他重要经济化学品的催化过程。该项目将有助于建立一个广泛的知识库和一支经过培训的技术熟练的研究人员队伍，以开发更有效、更有选择性、对环境无害和在经济上具有竞争力的工艺技术。

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research on the stoichiometric and catalytic transformations involving f-element and related organometallic molecules by Professor Tobin Marks of the Chemistry Department at Northwestern University. Using primarily heavier group 14-16 metallocene complexes synthesized by the P.I. and collaborators, reaction calorimetry is utilized to quantify the strengths of metal-ligand multiple bonds. The scope and mechanisms of organolanthanide/actinide catalyzed reactions will be determined, to include hydroamination, phosphination and boration as well as olefin polymerization to produce polymers end-capped with a hetroatom (Si, Sn, B, Al) group.The goal of this research is to discover, understand, improve and apply chemical transformations involving organometallic molecules and molecular fragments to numerous areas of US industrial chemistry. The work focuses on the use of organometallic complexes of lanthanides and actinides, a relatively unexplored area, to effect these transformations which include catalytic processes for the production of fuels, polymeric materials, pharmecuticals and other economically important chemicals. This project will help to build both a broad knowledge base and a technically skilled cadre of researchers trained to develop more efficient, selective, environmentally benign and economically competitive process technologies.