Improving Catalysis Sustainability

提高催化可持续性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-05584
• 负责人: Organ, Michael
• 金额: $ 7.65万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=713740
• 关键词: Improving; Catalysis; Sustainability

Over the last 5 years, research in the Principal Investigator's (PI) group has developed Pd (palladium) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysts to solve synthetic problems in the formation of C-C, C-S, and C-N bonds. With these innovations, processes that only worked under harsh conditions (e.g., strong base, high temperatures) can now be done routinely with mild base at RT. These Pd catalysts have all been commercialized and are being used in laboratories worldwide. While catalysis itself is viewed as one of the Twelve Principals of Green Chemistry, more must be done to make such chemistry truly sustainable. Pd is a popular metal for catalysis because of its unsurpassed broad-spectrum reactivity and selectivity. However, Pd is also among the most scarce elements and goes from being concentrated in mining deposits to being distributed widely into waste streams that do allow the metal to be recovered and recycled, thus essentially losing it forever. Further, the shear volume of earth that has to be moved to find rare metals causes large-scale environmental damage. The overriding objective of this research proposal is to improve catalysis sustainability following four concepts: 1) making longer-living, high reactivity catalysts thereby significantly reducing the amount of metal and associated ligand necessary for catalysis, 2) adapting more abundant metals (e.g., cobalt) for wider synthetic applications through ligand design, 3) devising catalysts to work effectively in more environmentally friendly solvents including water and alcohol, and 4) performing co-catalysis employing enzymes, which are nature's catalysts. In approaching the above objectives four new tools will be developed for the catalysis toolbox that will help make this area of synthetic chemistry more sustainable. Importantly, proposed research targets large-scale chemical production from the outset, so results should be more directly applicable to current manufacturing practices. Specifically, new ligand designs will improve catalyst lifetime allowing far less precious (and non-precious) metals to be used and we will move catalysis away from large-scale organic solvent use by making existing catalytic processes amenable to being conducted in water. White papers of many chemical manufacturers prominently highlight catalysis and biocatalysis as key technologies for achieving a zero-carbon footprint in synthesis, thus significant impact and application of the outcomes in this proposal are anticipated. Important applications being pursued using this methodology include the pursuit of new pharmaceutical and diagnostics agents to battle disease, new materials for the electronics industry, and new agrochemicals to help ensure a reliable food supply. The PI is well connected with companies in these sectors, which will streamline the transformation of these discoveries into goods and services to benefit society.

在过去的5年里，首席研究员（PI）小组的研究开发了Pd（钯）n -杂环碳（NHC）催化剂，以解决C-C， C-S和C-N键形成的合成问题。通过这些创新，只能在恶劣条件下（如强碱、高温）工作的工艺现在可以在室温下用温和的碱进行常规处理。这些钯催化剂已经全部商业化，并在世界各地的实验室中使用。虽然催化本身被视为绿色化学的十二原则之一，但要使这种化学真正可持续发展，还需要做更多的工作。钯具有广谱反应性和选择性，是一种很受欢迎的催化金属。然而，钯也是最稀缺的元素之一，从集中在矿藏中到广泛分布在废物流中，这使得金属可以被回收和循环利用，因此基本上永远失去了它。此外，为了寻找稀有金属而必须移动的泥土的剪切体积会造成大规模的环境破坏。