Transition metal complexes for homogeneous catalysis

我小组的学生是合成化学家，他们制造含金属化合物作为催化剂（也就是说，加速原本缓慢或耗能的反应）。我们用这些化合物解决的两个主要问题是：“我们能否从二氧化碳等可再生原料（原料）中制造出新的聚合材料（塑料）？”以及“我们能否在不使用昂贵或有毒金属的情况下制造出催化形成新的碳-碳键的化合物？”问第一个问题的原因是，大多数现代塑料是由不可再生的石化原料制成的。我们的研究将使用可从可再生材料（如植物）或废物（如二氧化碳）中经济地获得的替代起始材料。然而，二氧化碳是一种非常稳定的分子，通常需要强制条件（如长反应时间，非常高的温度或压力）才能用于化学反应。我们将使用含金属催化剂，以更快速、更节能的方式从二氧化碳中制造聚碳酸酯等塑料。这些塑料还具有可生物降解的优点。第二个问题出现了，因为目前制造C-C键的大多数技术（包括制药工业用于制造药物的大部分转化）使用昂贵且有毒的钯催化剂。对更经济、毒性更小的替代品的需求将铁基催化剂带到了最前沿。我们正在开发新的铁催化剂，可以在温和条件下加速反应物之间C-C键的形成。这表明，可以使用毒性更低、价格更贵的催化剂来制造诸如药物之类的有机化合物。我将制定一个完善的基础研究计划，在新的、可生物降解的材料和有机合成方法方面具有重要的潜在应用。该课程的学生将学习现代化学中的“绿色”原则，并掌握催化剂、聚合物和有机化合物的合成和表征技能。

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.