N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in the Synthesis of Reactive Small Clusters of Group 11 Metals

凭借化学合成（SYN）计划的这一奖项，格鲁吉亚理工学院的Joseph Sadighi教授将研究具有双核和三核铜、银和金物种的反应性N-杂环卡宾（NHC）化合物。NHC配体将支持三核金阳离子，其中金属-金属键合主要来自s-轨道相互作用，以及显示不同程度的金属-金属键合的桥联双核阳离子。这项研究将包括调整trigold簇，以开发多电子氧化还原反应，以及合成类似的络合物，如三铜和三银阳离子，最终目标是使这些化合物作为平台，用于催化反应的发展。将研究通过原子或基团转移反应形成的双核和三核金属元素簇，并将开发通过二氢活化合成反应性金属氢化物络合物。最后，我们将探讨部分金属-金属键合的奇电子络合物的稳定性，这项研究旨在深入了解金属中心之间或金属与主族元素之间的不寻常类型的键合。可以定制不寻常的键合图案，以实现通常困难的键合断裂和键合形成过程。这些过程的控制对于开发新催化剂至关重要，这些新催化剂用于重要且具有挑战性的反应，例如使用大气中的氧气对烃进行受控氧化，或将二氧化碳或一氧化碳转化为液体燃料。预计这将有助于可持续化学。谁进行这项研究的研究生和本科生将准备在美国科学的未来作为学术研究人员和教师，或作为化学工业或政府实验室的研究科学家作出贡献。该研究小组将接触到当地的高中，以确定从亚特兰大的多样化的学生团体感兴趣的学生，并给他们在大学环境的研究经验。

With this award from the Chemical Synthesis (SYN) Program, Professor Joseph Sadighi at the Georgia Institute of Technology will study reactive N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compounds having dinuclear and trinuclear copper, silver and gold species. The NHC ligand will support a trinuclear gold cation, in which metal-metal bonding results primarily from s-orbital interactions, as well as hydride-bridged dinuclear cations displaying varying degrees of metal-metal bonding. This research will include the tuning of trigold clusters to develop multielectron redox reactions, and the synthesis of analogous complexes such as tricopper and trisilver cations with the ultimate goal of having such compounds serve as platforms for the development of catalytic reactions. Dinuclear and trinuclear metal-element clusters, formed through atom- or group-transfer reactions, will be studied, and the synthesis of reactive metal hydride complexes through dihydrogen activation will be developed. Finally, the stabilization of odd-electron complexes with fractional metal-metal bonding will be explored.This research is designed to afford insight into unusual types of bonding among metal centers, or between metals and main group elements. Unusual bonding motifs can be tailored to enable normally difficult bond-breaking and bond-forming processes. Control of these processes is crucial to the development of new catalysts for such important and challenging reactions as the controlled oxidation of hydrocarbons, using oxygen from the atmosphere, or the conversion of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into liquid fuels. This is expected to contribute to sustainable chemistry. The graduate and undergraduate students who carry out this research will be prepared to contribute to the future of science in the United States as academic researchers and teachers, or as research scientists in chemical industry or in government laboratories. The research team will reach out to local high schools, to identify interested students from Atlanta's diverse student body and to give them the experience of research in the university setting.