New complexes and catalysts based on indenyl and PCP pincer ligands

我们的研究领域是有机金属化学和均相催化。有机络合物在化学工业中用于催化相对丰富的材料转化为增值产品。有机金属配合物在催化中的多功能性源于过渡金属的独特化学特性和它们的反应性通过它们周围的配体的广泛“可调性”。由于配体可以从根本上改变给定金属的化学性质，因此明智地选择金属-配体组合可以提供丰富的有用反应性。因此，提高我们对金属-配体相互作用的理解可以通过开发具有商业价值的新的有效化学工艺来促进长期经济增长。我们致力于发现过渡金属的反应性如何在不同的配位环境中进行操纵和修改，并利用这些知识开发新的或改进的催化过程。我们的研究使我们能够确定结构反应性的相关性，作为指导职位，在发展有效的催化过程。这种方法的应用也作为一个有价值的机制，培养我们的学生在现代技术的合成和表征。最后，这种研究方法促进了可以加速科学进步和技术创新的不可预见的发现。在下一个资助期内，我们计划在两个方面继续我们的工作：a）更深入地探索我们发现的反应性，以期优化它们并扩大它们的应用; B）探索有望表现出有趣反应性的新的金属配体组合。

Our research studies are in the areas of organometallic chemistry and homogenous catalysis. Organometallic complexes are used in the chemical industry for catalyzing the transformation of relatively abundant materials into value-added products. The versatility of organometallic complexes in catalysis stems from the unique chemical characteristics of transition metals and the broad "tunability" of their reactivities by the ligands that surround them. Since ligands can radically alter the chemistry of a given metal, judicious choice of metal-ligand combinations can provide a rich array of useful reactivities. Thus, improving our understanding of the metal-ligand interplay can contribute to long-term economic growth through the development of new and efficient chemical processes of commercial value. We strive to discover how the reactivities of transition metals can be manipulated and modified in different coordination environments and use this knowledge to develop new or improved catalytic processes. Our studies allow us to identify structure-reactivity correlations that serve as guiding posts in the development of efficient catalytic processes. The application of this methodology also serves as a valuable mechanism for training our students in modern techniques of synthesis and characterization. Finally, this approach to research fosters unforeseen discoveries that can accelerate scientific advancement and technological innovation. Over the next funding period, we plan to continue our work on two fronts: a) probe deeper into the reactivities we have discovered with a view to optimizing them and broadening their applications; b) explore new sets of metal-ligand combinations that promise to exhibit interesting reactivities.