New Catalysts to Expand the Scope of Donor/Acceptor Carbenes

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With this award, the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Division of Chemistry is supporting the research of Professor Huw M. L. Davies of Emory University. Professor Davies and his research team are developing new highly active catalysts for the synthesis of value-added compounds of importance to the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and materials science industries. These catalysts are improved versions of catalysts based upon rhodium metal that have been widely successful and that have new features to improve their function. A streamlined approach for making these elaborate catalysts is being implemented and their reactivity is being systematically evaluated. These studies are also serving as an excellent training environment for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers. Professor Davies is further supporting the career development of chemists through the ACS Young Investigator Symposium and promoting diversity through the establishment of the Network for Diversity in Chemical Research. Professor Davies and his research group are also actively engaged in outreach activities to broaden engagement in STEM disciplines.Dirhodium tetracarboxylate paddlewheel complexes are highly-active catalysts for carbene transfer and insertion. Due to the fact that rhodium is a precious metal, the continued optimization of the reactivity and selectivity of these catalysts represents a critical need to be able to apply their reactivity to large scale chemical processes. Professor Davies and his research group are preparing new C4-symmetric dirhodium tetracarboxylate catalysts with periphery directing groups and/or critical additives to achieve high activity and unusual site selectivity. These studies are being directed toward cyclopropanation reactions with donor/acceptor carbenes in situations with competitive reactivity patterns or where opportunities for tandem reactivity are available. Professor Davies is following a robust student-mentoring plan to insure student/advisor focus. Dr. Davies is also leading several initiatives to enhance the academic research environment such as building a new model for collaborative research between academia and industry, organizing world-wide virtual symposia, and organizing special symposia for Assistant Professors to showcase their research at the national meetings of the American Chemical Society.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.