A Convergent Synthesis Approach to the Uranium-Carbon Triple Bond

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了麻省理工学院克里斯托弗·康明斯教授的研究，该研究旨在研究早期鳗系元素与碳形成三重键的能力。铀和碳之间的三键还没有在实验上实现，但它有可能发生炔烃歧化反应。提出的传递铀-碳三键的方法集中在非传统的、异双金属键活化反应上，这允许加入13C同位素标记，该标记将被用来探测铀-碳三键的性质。这将使用实验性的CPMAS固态核磁共振方法，并借助量子化学计算进行数据解释。这些新反应将从结构、成键和机理等方面进行表征，试图将新反应应用于化学合成。这项研究将与德国埃尔兰根大学的Karsten Meyer教授合作进行。铀化学与核能相关的问题有关。通过对这一领域的学生进行培训，他们将获得国际研究经验，该项目将有助于提高我国在吖系元素科学方面的国家能力。随着核能成为更受欢迎的清洁能源来源，贫铀应该越来越多地可用；贫铀的生产性用途是一项重大的潜在社会效益。

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Professor Christopher Cummins at MIT to study the ability of the early actinide elements to engage in triple bonding to carbon. The triple bond between uranium and carbon has not yet been realized experimentally, but it has potential for the alkyne metathesis reaction. The proposed methods for delivering the uranium-carbon triple bond center on non-traditional, heterobimetallic bond-activation reactions, which allow for incorporation of a 13C isotopic label, which will be used to probe the nature of the uranium-carbon triple bond. This will be done using experimental CPMAS solid-state NMR methods, with data interpretation aided by quantum chemical calculations. The new reactions will be characterized in terms of structure, bonding, and mechanism with attempts to apply the new reactions in chemical synthesis.The research will be performed in collaboration with Prof. Karsten Meyer at the University of Erlangen in Germany. Uranium chemistry is relevant to the problems associated with nuclear energy. By training students in this area, who will receive an international research experience, the project will contribute to our national competency in actinide science. Depleted uranium should become increasingly available as nuclear becomes a more popular source of clean energy; productive uses for depleted uranium represent a major potential societal benefit.