CAREER: Iron mediated catalytic C-H bond functionalization

化学催化项目支持哈佛大学Theodore Betley教授对铁介导的催化碳氢键功能化的研究。Betley教授的团队合成了具有瞬时形成的金属配体多重键的亲电配合物。这些金属催化剂含有硬供体、弱场二吡咯甲烷和三（吡咯基）乙烷配体支架，它们被选择是因为它们能够赋予第一排过渡金属离子广泛的空间和电子环境。催化C-H键胺化反应正在探索，以确定反应的范围，活性和机制。该奖项考察了碳氢键的活化作为一种将廉价的化学原料（碳氢化合物）转化为有价值的功能分子并产生最少废物的方法。重要的是，Betley教授和他的团队正在使用无毒的和地球上丰富的元素，如铁，来进行这些重要的转化。目标产品在许多领域都很有用，从制药生产到用于建筑和汽车的增值商品化学品。这项研究工作很好地融入了课堂。Betley教授组织了“亲身体验元素”活动，为波士顿当地小学和高中的K-12年级学生提供互动演示。在这个项目中，学生们被邀请参加一系列的实验，并在实验室观察化学现象。Betley教授还共同指导了一个学术推广项目，旨在吸引化学科学领域传统上代表性不足的少数民族学生，并积极参与夏威夷联邦政府资助的“向上发展”项目，以提高第一代学生对科学的兴趣。

The Chemical Catalysis Program supports the efforts of Professor Theodore Betley of Harvard University on iron-mediated, catalytic carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond functionalization. Professor Betley's group synthesizes electrophilic complexes featuring transiently-formed metal-ligand multiple bonds. These metal catalysts contain hard donor, weak-field dipyrromethane and tris(pyrrolyl)ethane ligand scaffolds that were selected for their ability to confer a wide range of steric and electronic environments to the first row-transition metal ion. Catalytic C-H bond amination reactions are being explored to determine the scope, activity, and mechanisms of the reaction.This award examines the activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds as a way of converting inexpensive chemical feedstocks (hydrocarbons) to valuable functional molecules with minimal waste generation. Importantly, Professor Betley and his group are using non-toxic and earth-abundant elements, such as iron, to perform these important transformations. The targeted products are useful in many fields, ranging from pharmaceutical production to value-added commodity chemicals for buildings and automobiles. This research effort is well-integrated into the classroom. Professor Betley organizes the Experience the Elements Firsthand, an interactive demonstration for students at the K-12 level from Boston's local grade schools and high schools. In this program, the students are invited to participate in a series of experiments and observe chemical phenomena in the laboratory. Professor Betley also co-directs an academic outreach program aimed at attracting traditionally underrepresented minority students in the chemical sciences and is active in Hawaii's federally-funded Upward-Bound program to promote interest in the sciences in first-generation students.