Activation of Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds at Multinuclear Metal Sites

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Simple hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane are now available from abundant supplies of natural gas. However, since these materials cannot easily be converted into other products, they are not good feedstocks for the chemical industry. In large part, this difficulty arises because the carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds in hydrocarbons are relatively unreactive. In this project, funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Richard D. Adams, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina, is developing methods to activate hydrocarbon C-H bonds. Metal complexes having two or more metal atoms are designed so that several C-H bonds in a hydrocarbon interact with the metals. These interactions activate the bonds and allow the hydrocarbons to be converted into valuable products, such as alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic acids. These lead to new processes for the production of industrial materials. In addition to the scientific component, the project involves both graduate and undergraduate students, including ones from underrepresented groups and prepares them for careers in science and technology.Multinuclear complexes of precious metal elements, such as ruthenium, rhodium, rhenium, iridium, and platinum, are evaluated for their ability to activate hydrocarbon C-H bonds. By using metal complexes having two or more metal atoms, multiple CH activations are achieved and several functionalities are introduced on a single hydrocarbon. The studies target C-C and C-O bond forming processes and include mechanistic investigations to uncover details of the transformations. New bimetallic complexes are converted into bimetallic nanoparticles to create a new generation of high activity heterogeneous catalysts. Broader impacts include the development of new processes for the conversion of simple hydrocarbons and related resources into valuable chemicals for use as industrial feedstocks. Graduate and undergraduate students are trained in the latest methods of scientific inquiry and analysis.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.