SusChEM: Catalytic Activation of Small Molecules by Nickel and Iron Pincer Complexes

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With this award, the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division is funding Professor Hairong Guan of the University of Cincinnati to design, synthesize and study catalysts using earth-abundant metals, such as nickel and iron. Such metals are inexpensive and display promise as the basis for the catalysis of chemical processes that are industrially and economically important. Examples include the conversion of a primary greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, to liquid fuels, the replacement of toxic reagents in pharmaceutical synthesis, and the release of hydrogen from a hydrogen-storage chemicals. Professor Guan is also developing research-based materials for a laboratory course focusing on catalysis, and providing research opportunities to American Chemical Society Project SEED students as well as to students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. In this project, Professor Guan is studying pincer-ligated nickel complexes as catalysts for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol using dihydrogen and the cyanomethylation of aldimines and epoxides to beta-amino nitriles and gamma-hydroxy nitriles. Related iron pincer complexes are being developed to catalyze the dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane, which exhibits desirable properties as a chemical hydrogen-storage material. The mechanistic details of these catalytic processes including the kinetics and thermodynamics of the elemental steps are being studied so that more active and robust catalysts can be designed rationally. Other broader impacts of the project include the development of a research-based laboratory course and collaborations with a primarily undergraduate institution and local chemical companies.