CAREER: Poly(hydrosilyl) rare earth compounds for new organosilane transformations and catalysis

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With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Chemistry Division, Professor Aaron Sadow of the Chemistry Department at Iowa State University will provide insight into the unique structural and electronic properties of poly(hydrosilyl)lanthanide compounds using detailed NMR and infrared spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction studies and to further explore possible Ln-SiH interactions and electronic delocalization. This proposal by Professor Sadow aims to better understand the reactivity of lanthanide-silicon bonds. The chemistry of f-element silyl complexes is still in its infancy, so exploration of its potential is of great importance. The proposed studies will be further enhanced by using ligands with Si-H groups which can participate and provide interesting reactivity pathways of the resulting lanthanide silyl. The proposal seeks various routes to the synthesis of Ln-Si complexes. The new poly(hydrosilyl) anions that will be developed during the course of this project may find application in other areas of silicon, main group or organometallic chemistry beyond the scope of this proposal. The reactivity of the resulting materials will also be studied and compared to their carbon analogs.With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Chemistry Division, Professor Sadow will explore an area of chemistry where relatively few rare earth silyl compounds are known and even fewer contain SiH groups. Much of the chemistry of rare earth metal-silicon ([Ln]-SiR3) compounds is unexplored. The most favorable reaction pathways of poly(hydrosilyl) rare earth compounds, particularly elimination and abstraction reactions involving the SiH moieties on the ligands, will be discovered and their mechanisms will be investigated. Clarification of these structural, bonding, and reactivity issues will facilitate new catalytic chemistry. Broader Impacts and the Educational Plan are built on a solid rationale to increase the number of undergraduate majors at Iowa State, combined with outreach activities, which are commendable. The PI proposes to develop a course for undergraduates to explore career issues and to generate interest in chemistry. The PI has a chemical education colleague, Dr. Burnett on board. For the graduate students engaged in this research project, collaboration with Professor Marschner's group at the University of Graz in Graz, Austria will provide an international exchange of scientific expertise.