Surface Properties and Chemical Behavior of Alumina

这项由有机动力学计划颁发的奖项将支持Paul Kropp博士在调解有机反应的背景下处理氧化铝的表面性质和化学行为的研究。我们将从机理和合成两个方面进行研究，并与早期使用二氧化硅的结果进行比较。将研究的反应包括烷基卤化物的脱氢卤化、Cannizzaro氧化-醛的还原、环氧化物的重排以及HNC与烯烃的加成。结构反应性和立体化学都将被探讨。表面氧化物和铝中心将分别用酸和吡啶猝灭进行表征，并用红外光谱、拉曼光谱和电子自旋共振技术进行观察。除了为氧化铝在有机反应中的中介作用提供机理方面的见解外，这项研究还将导致新的合成有用的方法，凭借易于回收的固体催化剂，这些方法对环境无害。

This award, made in the Organic Dynamics Program will support the research of Dr. Paul Kropp dealing with the surface properties and chemical behavior of alumina in the context of mediating organic reactions. Both mechanistic and synthetic aspects will be investigated and compared with earlier results using silica. Reactions that will be studied include dehydrohalogenation of alkyl halides, Cannizzaro oxidation-reduction of aldehydes, rearrangement of epoxides, and addition of HNCS to alkenes. Both structure-reactivity and stereochemistry will be probed. Surface oxide and aluminum sites will be characterized by quenching with acid and pyridine respectively, and observed by IR, Raman and ESR techniques. In addition to providing mechanistic insights into the role of alumina in mediating organic reactions, this research will lead to new synthetically useful methodologies which, by virtue of easily recovered solid catalysts, are environmentally benign.