RUI: Reactivity of compounds containing1,1'-bis(phosphino)metallocenediyl or 1,1'-bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands

化学系的化学合成计划支持Chip Nataro教授的项目。Nataro教授是拉斐特学院化学系的教员。他正在开发含有膦配体的新化合物，这些膦配体具有金属茂骨架，具有有趣的催化性能。这些配体在催化应用中受到相当大的关注，这在制药工业中是重要的。这项研究的目的是研究这些配体的细微变化如何影响含有配体的化合物的反应性。特别感兴趣的是在茂金属骨架中心的金属原子。这种金属原子可以以各种方式改变，预期会增加化合物的反应性。该项目非常适合本科阶段的科学家教育。 Nataro教授的小组成功地撰写了高质量的科学论文，其中许多学生继续获得化学和生物化学领域的高级学位。 双（膦基）双烯是通常用于各种催化反应的配体。这些配位体的化合物通常表现为显著的上级催化剂，这归因于茂金属骨架进行氧化还原反应的能力和茂金属骨架对配位体施加的独特空间约束。在这个项目中，正在进一步研究对这些配体的这两个方面进行改变。主链中金属的氧化是改变双（膦基）茂金属配体的一种方法。通过从骨架的金属中除去电子，配体变得对第二金属中心的电子供体较少。此外，氧化还导致主链的金属与C5环之间的距离增加，这导致配体的空间体积增加。正在研究由配体的氧化对含有这些配体的化合物的反应性引起的变化的影响。改变双（膦基）茂金属配体的第二种方法是迫使主链的金属与第二金属中心相互作用。这种相互作用是非常弱的，这将大大提高第二金属中心的反应性。此外，这种相互作用极大地扭曲了双（膦基）茂金属配体，这增加了配体的空间需要。该项目是培养本科生科学实践和程序的理想选择，有利于学生为化学工业做好准备，追求化学高级学位。

The Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division supports the project by Professor Chip Nataro. Professor Nataro is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Lafayette College. He is developing new compounds containing phosphine ligands having a metallocene backbone that have interesting catalytic properties. These ligands have received considerable attention in catalytic applications, which are important in the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of this research is to examine how subtle alterations to these ligands impacts the reactivity of compounds containing the ligands. Of particular interest is the metal atom at the center of the metallocene backbone. This metal atom can be altered in a variety of ways that are anticipated to increase the reactivity of the compound. The project is well suited for the education of scientists at the undergraduate level. Professor Nataro's group has been successful at producing high-quality scientific papers and many of these students go on to obtain advanced degrees in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. Bis(phosphino)metallocenes are ligands that are commonly employed in a variety of catalytic reactions. Compounds of these ligands often behave as significantly superior catalysts and this has been attributed to both the ability of the metallocene backbone to undergo redox reactions and the unique steric constraints imposed upon the ligand by the metallocene backbone. In this project, making changes to both of these aspects of these ligands are being examined further. Oxidation of the metal in the backbone is one method of altering bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands. By removing an electron from the metal of the backbone, the ligand become less electron-donating to a second metal center. In addition, oxidation also causes the distance between the metal of the backbone and the C¬5¬ rings to increase, which causes the steric bulk of the ligand to increase. The impact of the changes caused by oxidation of the ligands on the reactivity of compounds containing these ligands is being examined. A second method of altering bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands is to force the metal of the backbone to interact with a second metal center. This interaction is very weak, which should greatly enhance the reactivity of the second metal center. In addition, the interaction greatly distorts the bis(phosphino)metallocene ligand, which increasse the steric needs of the ligand. This project is ideal for training undergraduate students in scientific practices and procedures, which benefit the students in preparing for chemical industry the pursuit of advanced degrees in chemistry.