SusChEM: Catalytic Element-Element Bond Formation: Selectivity and New Catalysis with a Movement Toward Sustainability

美国国家科学基金会化学部的化学催化项目支持佛蒙特大学的罗里·沃特曼教授在发现和理解主要族元素之间形成键的催化反应方面的研究工作。在这个奖项下的努力集中在新的或改进的催化反应性转化，形成键到磷(P)。将磷化氢催化脱氢偶联用于合成P-P sigma键新材料。加氢磷化催化剂，特别是那些具有初级磷化氢底物的催化剂，被应用于制备新的过渡金属配体用于其他催化反应。沃特曼教授发现的独特的磷烯烃合成方法被用于催化制备不饱和磷产品。利用磷化氢作为底物的α消除催化的扩展也被寻求。对这些转变的调查是为了扩展到其他元素，并提供了一个培训大学生的场所，以及将高中生纳入研究的推广机会。催化合成含有较重的主族元素（如磷或硅）的分子继续大大落后于有机类似物。转变难易程度的差异减缓了主要群体材料的发展，并导致目前主要群体产品在所需能源和产生的废物方面成本高昂。这些主要的含基团分子是工业和消费品的重要组成部分。仅产值130亿美元的硅胶行业就证明了这一点。该奖项的研究旨在提供新的原料、合成方法、材料或更有效的合成，以改善这些企业。磷是一种有限资源。高效合成的发现可能有助于保护磷资源。这项研究被认为是可持续化学投资组合的一部分，因为它正在寻找在某些应用中可以取代磷的过渡金属催化剂，以保护我们的含磷资源。参与这项研究的学生正在接受培训，为化学工业做出贡献，同时也在学习如何利用催化促进可持续发展。

The Chemical Catalysis Program of the NSF Division of Chemistry supports the research efforts of Professor Rory Waterman of the University of Vermont in the discovery and understanding of catalytic reactions that form bonds between main group elements. Efforts under this award focus on new or improved catalytic reactivity for transformations that form bonds to phosphorus (P). Catalytic dehydrocoupling of phosphines is applied toward the synthesis of novel materials featuring P-P sigma-bonds. Hydrophosphination catalysts, particularly those with primary phosphine substrates, are applied in the preparation of new transition-metal ligands for other catalytic reactions. The unique phosphaalkene synthesis discovered by Prof. Waterman is used in the catalytic preparation of unsaturated phosphorus products. An expansion of alpha elimination catalysis using phosphines as substrates is sought as well. Investigation of these transformations is geared toward expansion to other elements, and provides a venue to train university students as well as outreach opportunities to include high school students in research.Catalytic syntheses of molecules containing heavier main group elements such as phosphorus or silicon continue to lag substantially behind organic analogs. The disparity in the ease of transformations has slowed the development of main group materials and resulted in high costs for current main group-containing products in terms of both the energy required and the waste produced. These main group-containing molecules are essential components to industrial and consumer products. Some evidence for this comes from the $13 billion silicone industry alone. Research under this award seeks to provide new feedstocks, synthetic methods, materials, or more efficient syntheses that could improve such enterprises. Phosphorus is a finite resource. The discovery of efficient syntheses may help to preserve phosphorus resources. This research is identified as part of a sustainability chemical portfolio because it is identifying transition metal catalysts that can replace phosphorus in certain applications, to protect our phosphorus-containing resources. Students involved in this research are training to contribute to chemical industry and are also learning to use catalysis for sustainability.