The Design and Synthesis of Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials as Base Catalysts

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Biological catalysts routinely achieve high degrees of enantioselectivity and activity, which is made possible via the nanoscale organization of organic functional groups within the active site. Achieving the same in synthetic heterogeneous catalysts has remained elusive. Accordingly, the intellectual merit of this proposal is to rationally design and synthesize functional catalytic sites in hybrid organic-inorganic materials via the control of relevant connectivity and spacial organization of organic functional groups on the nanoscale. The resulting heterogeneous catalysts rely on multifunctional mechanisms for facilitating specific adsorption and reactant activation for catalysis. The research will exploit recent successful efforts in achieving significant rate enhancements in base catalysis by the synthesis of catalysts in which an acid group acts cooperatively with base for reactant adsorption and activation. A systematic investigation will explore the effects of local acid-base separation and immobilized base strength, as well as the use of aqueous solvent environments for catalysis. Finally, a comprehensive approach for the incorporation of enantioselective reaction capability into these materials is proposed. The research activities broadly impact the training of future scientists in catalyst synthesis and characterization, with emphasis on catalysis using hybrid organic-inorganic materials. The training of graduate and undergraduate students will have special attention placed on the recruitment of female and minority students. Outreach activities include a K-12 component, in the form of research presentations to middle-school students on the topic of future directions and challenges in chemical engineering.