Transition metal complexes with ambiphilic and borabenzene ligands and their reactivity with small molecules

刘易斯酸在使用过渡金属的催化中发挥了重要作用，但是与刘易斯碱性分子相比，含硼和铝的物种的配位化学仍然研究不足。在过去的十年中，几个研究小组已经研究了稳定刘易斯酸和过渡金属之间的相互作用，使用刘易斯碱螯合，形成正式称为两亲性配体。我们的小组对这些两亲分子与过渡金属的相互作用感兴趣。两个不同的骨干将在未来五年的研究计划。首先，我们将继续研究具有一般形态L-E-Z（L =刘易斯碱，E =单原子间隔基，Z = B-或Al-刘易斯酸）的配体。我们还将研究在borabenzene框架的各个位置中整合官能团，以产生以不涉及芳香环的pi系统的新方式与过渡金属相互作用的物种。

Lewis acids have played an important role in catalysis using transition metals, but the coordination chemistry of boron and aluminum containing species is still understudied compared to that of Lewis basic molecules. Over the past decade, several research groups have look at stabilizing interactions between Lewis acids and transition metals using chelation with a Lewis base, forming what are formally called ambiphilic ligands. Our group is interested in the interaction of these ambiphilic molecules with transition metals. Two different backbones will be studied in the next five years of our research program. First, we will continue our investigation of ligands having the general morphology L-E-Z (L = Lewis base, E = a one-atom spacer, Z = B- or Al- Lewis acid). We will also look at integrating functional groups in various positions of a borabenzene framework in order to generate species that will interact with transition metals in a novel fashion not involving the pi system of the aromatic ring.