Transition metal complexes for homogeneous catalysis

我所在小组的学生是合成化学家，他们制造起催化剂作用的含金属化合物(也就是说，加速原本缓慢或能量密集的反应)。我们用这些化合物解决的两个主要问题是：“我们能用二氧化碳等可再生原料(原料)制造新的聚合物材料(塑料)吗？”还有，“我们能不能在不使用昂贵或有毒金属的情况下，制造出能催化形成新的碳-碳键的化合物？”问第一个问题的原因是，大多数现代塑料都是由不可再生的石化原料制成的。我们的研究将使用替代的起始材料，这些材料可以从植物等可再生材料或二氧化碳(CO2)等废物中经济地获得。然而，二氧化碳是一种非常稳定的分子，通常需要强制条件(如较长的反应时间、非常高的温度或压力)才能用于化学反应。我们将使用含金属的催化剂，以更快、更节能的方式从二氧化碳中制造塑料，如聚碳酸酯。这些塑料还具有可生物降解的优势。第二个问题之所以出现，是因为目前大多数制造碳-碳键的技术(包括制药业用于制造药物的大部分转化)使用的是昂贵且有毒的钯催化剂。对更经济、毒性更低的替代品的需求，使铁基催化剂走在了前列。我们正在开发新的铁催化剂，在温和的条件下加速反应物之间C-C键的形成。这表明，药物等有机化合物可以使用毒性较低、成本较高的催化剂来制造。我将制定一个健全的基础研究计划，在有机合成的新的、可生物降解的材料和方法方面具有重要的潜在应用。受过该课程培训的学生将学习现代化学中的“绿色”原则，并获得催化剂、聚合物和有机化合物的合成和表征方面的技能。

The students in my group are synthetic chemists who make metal-containing compounds that act as catalysts (that is, accelerate reactions that are otherwise slow or energy intensive). The two main questions we are addressing with these compounds are: "Can we make new polymeric materials (plastics) from renewable starting materials (feedstocks) such as carbon dioxide?" and, "Can we make compounds that catalyze the formation of new C-C bonds without using expensive or toxic metals?" The reason for asking the first question is that most modern plastics are made from non-renewable petrochemical sources. Our research will use alternative starting materials that can be economically obtained from renewable materials, such as plants, or from waste products, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2, however, is a very stable molecule and often requires forcing conditions (such as long reaction times, very high temperatures or pressures) for it to be used in chemical reactions. We will use metal-containing catalysts to make plastics, such as polycarbonates, from CO2 in a more rapid and energy efficient manner. These plastics also have the advantage of being biodegradable. The second question arises because most of the current technology for making C-C bonds (which comprises a large percentage of the transformations used by the pharmaceutical industry to make drugs) uses expensive and toxic palladium catalysts. The need for more economic, less toxic alternatives has brought iron-based catalysts to the forefront. We are developing new iron catalysts that accelerate the formation of C-C bonds between reactants under mild conditions. This demonstrates that organic compounds such as pharmaceuticals can be made using less toxic and expensive catalysts. I will develop a sound program of fundamental research with important potential applications in new, biodegradable materials and methods for organic synthesis. Students trained in this program will learn "green" principles in modern chemistry and acquire skills in the synthesis and characterization of catalysts, polymers and organic compounds.