Main Group and Lanthanide Elements in Controlled Coordination Environments: Synthesis, Structures, and Applications to Catalysis

在这个由化学系化学合成计划资助的项目中，范德比尔特大学化学系的蒂莫西·哈努萨教授将探索早期主族元素与稀土金属之间的关系。这项研究将有助于确定廉价和丰富的早期主要族金属，如钙、锶和钡，可以在多大程度上补充或替代日益昂贵的稀土元素，这些元素对现代社会具有巨大的重要性。具有非传统桥联的多齿配体，如膦基团，将被设计成可以将金属置于配位环境中，以补偿氧化状态的差异。然后，可以通过实验和计算来研究它们的结构和与极性分子的反应。随着稀土金属与可比主族元素之间关系的阐明，这一研究可能导致后者在有机转化和催化方面的新用途。这种反应在化学和聚合物工业中有潜在的广泛应用，特别是在需要廉价和无毒试剂的地方。此外，拟议的研究还包括对学生进行专业培训，包括指导他们的研究技能，以及口头和书面交流他们的研究结果。此外，正在进行教育努力，以扩大妇女和传统上代表性不足的群体成员对化学的参与，并向初中生和高中生伸出援手。

In this project funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Timothy Hanusa of the Department of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University will explore the relationships between early main-group elements and the lanthanide (rare earth) metals. This study will help establish the extent to which inexpensive and abundant early main group metals such as calcium, strontium, and barium can supplement or substitute for the increasingly expensive rare earth elements, which are of enormous importance to modern society. Multidentate ligands with unconventional bridges such as phosphonium groups will be designed so that the metals can be placed in coordination environments that will compensate for differences in oxidation states. Their structures and reactions with polar molecules can then be studied both experimentally and computationally. As the relationship between the rare earth metals and comparable main group elements is clarified, this research could lead to new uses of the latter in organic transformations and catalysis. Such reactions are potentially broadly applicable in the chemical and polymer industries, especially where inexpensive and non-toxic reagents are required. Furthermore, the proposed research involves the professional training of students, both in instruction in research skills, and in oral and written communications of their findings. In addition, educational efforts are being directed at broadening the participation of women and members of tradtionally underrepresented groups in chemistry and at reaching out to both middle and high school students.