Fluorinated Organometallic Complexes

达特茅斯学院化学系Russell P. Hughes博士得到化学系无机、生物无机和有机金属项目的支持，研究过渡金属激活碳氟键的过程。本研究的主要目的是开发过渡金属氟烷基配合物的合成，并利用这些配合物作为氟碳链功能化的试剂。将开发利用氢和水等常见试剂将氟碳化合物分解为CO和HF的反应。将研究另一种在室温下使用氢气将C-F键转化为C-H键的方法，作为氢氟碳化合物温和转化的途径。金属中心如何能够激活这些通常不反应的C-F键的细节将被探索，从金属到反键C-F基团轨道的pi背键的程度将被测量。含氟有机分子在我们的生活和长期环境质量中发挥着重要作用。氯氟烃（CFC）和全氟化碳（PFC）被认为是造成臭氧消耗和全球变暖的罪魁祸首。这些物质的替代品是对环境友好的氢氟碳化合物（HFC）。因此，有必要设计有效的方法来回收和销毁CFC和PFC，并制备HFC。这项研究的目的是开发过渡金属中心，可以在碳和氟之间建立和破坏键。它将允许开发金属催化剂，对氟碳化合物进行有效和精确控制的化学反应。

Dr. Russell P. Hughes, Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program of the Chemistry Division to investigate processes in which a transition metal activates carbon-fluorine bonds. The principal objectives of the study are to develop the syntheses of transition-metal fluoroalkyl complexes and use these complexes as reagents to functionalize fluorocarbon chains. Reactions will be developed for the destruction of fluorocarbons to CO and HF using common reagents such as hydrogen and water. Another process that converts C-F to C-H bonds at room temperature using hydrogen gas will be investigated as route to the mild conversion of hydrofluorocarbons. The details of how the metal center is capable of activating these normally unreactive C-F bonds will be probed and the extent of pi-backbonding from the metal to antibonding C-F group orbitals will be measured.Fluorinated organic molecules play important roles in our lives and the long term quality of our environment. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) and perfluorocarbons (PFC's) are thought to be responsible for ozone depletion and global warming. Replacements for these substances are the environmentally friendly hydrofluorocarbons (HFC's). Thus, there is a need to devise efficient ways to recycle and destroy CFC's and PFC's, and to prepare HFC's. This study aims toward developing transition metal centers that can make and break bonds between carbon and fluorine. It will permit metal catalysts to be developed that perform efficient and precisely controlled chemical reactions on fluorocarbons.