A glovebox for discovery of new metal-catalyzed methods

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Our research program is motivated by the need for synthetic methods that are more efficient, selective, and environmentally sustainable.  Towards this challenge, we plan to develop innovative ways to functionalize carbon-hydrogen bonds, use carbon dioxide as a raw material, and build nitrogen-containing heterocycles. While these important goals are diverse, our research strategy maintains an essential theme: the discovery of new transition metal-catalysts to rapidly transform readily available reagents into valuable organic products. Transition metal complexes have an amazing ability to make, break, and rearrange bonds within an organic molecule via mechanisms which cannot be accessed using more traditional catalysts (e.g. protic or Lewis acids).  However, many reactive metal-complexes (and their corresponding ligands) are also highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture.  Because manipulation of these air and moisture sensitive species is critical to our proposed research, we are requesting an inert atmosphere dry box or 'glovebox'.  The requested equipment will enable the synthesis, characterization, and application of various ligands and metal-complexes under an inert atmosphere. This technology will enable the discovery of transformations, catalysts, and reagents which would be impossible to discover under normal atmospheric conditions.  In addition, the researchers involved in this program will be trained in the most advanced techniques of modern organic chemistry and develop the necessary skills to perform air and moisture sensitive transformations.     The equipment proposal to be supported will ultimately lead to the discovery of fundamentally new chemical reactivity and enhance our ability to make molecules of interest to many fields of research.