SusChEM: Catalytic Element-Element Bond Formation: Selectivity and New Catalysis with a Movement Toward Sustainability

美国国家科学基金会化学部的化学催化计划支持佛蒙特州大学的罗里·沃特曼教授在发现和理解主要族元素之间形成键的催化反应方面的研究努力。该奖项的工作重点是新的或改进的与磷(P)形成键的转化的催化反应性。将膦催化脱氢偶联应用于合成具有P-P sigma键的新型材料。氢化磷化催化剂，特别是那些具有伯膦底物的催化剂，被用于制备用于其他催化反应的新的过渡金属配体。沃特曼教授发现的独特的磷杂烯合成方法被用于催化制备不饱和磷产品。还寻求了使用膦作为底物的α消除催化的扩展。对这些转化的研究着眼于扩展到其他元素，并提供了培训大学生的场所以及包括高中生参与研究的外展机会。含有较重主族元素的分子(如磷或硅)的催化合成继续大大落后于有机类似物。转化难易程度的差异减缓了主族材料的开发，并导致当前含有主族的产品在所需能源和产生的废物方面的高成本。这些主要含有基团的分子是工业和消费品的重要组成部分。这方面的一些证据仅来自价值130亿美元的硅胶行业。该奖项下的研究旨在提供新的原料、合成方法、材料或更有效的合成，以改善此类企业。磷是一种有限资源。高效合成的发现可能有助于保护磷资源。这项研究被确定为可持续化学品组合的一部分，因为它正在确定在某些应用中可以取代磷的过渡金属催化剂，以保护我们的含磷资源。参与这项研究的学生正在接受培训，为化学工业做出贡献，并学习如何使用催化来实现可持续发展。

The Chemical Catalysis Program of the NSF Division of Chemistry supports the research efforts of Professor Rory Waterman of the University of Vermont in the discovery and understanding of catalytic reactions that form bonds between main group elements. Efforts under this award focus on new or improved catalytic reactivity for transformations that form bonds to phosphorus (P). Catalytic dehydrocoupling of phosphines is applied toward the synthesis of novel materials featuring P-P sigma-bonds. Hydrophosphination catalysts, particularly those with primary phosphine substrates, are applied in the preparation of new transition-metal ligands for other catalytic reactions. The unique phosphaalkene synthesis discovered by Prof. Waterman is used in the catalytic preparation of unsaturated phosphorus products. An expansion of alpha elimination catalysis using phosphines as substrates is sought as well. Investigation of these transformations is geared toward expansion to other elements, and provides a venue to train university students as well as outreach opportunities to include high school students in research.Catalytic syntheses of molecules containing heavier main group elements such as phosphorus or silicon continue to lag substantially behind organic analogs. The disparity in the ease of transformations has slowed the development of main group materials and resulted in high costs for current main group-containing products in terms of both the energy required and the waste produced. These main group-containing molecules are essential components to industrial and consumer products. Some evidence for this comes from the $13 billion silicone industry alone. Research under this award seeks to provide new feedstocks, synthetic methods, materials, or more efficient syntheses that could improve such enterprises. Phosphorus is a finite resource. The discovery of efficient syntheses may help to preserve phosphorus resources. This research is identified as part of a sustainability chemical portfolio because it is identifying transition metal catalysts that can replace phosphorus in certain applications, to protect our phosphorus-containing resources. Students involved in this research are training to contribute to chemical industry and are also learning to use catalysis for sustainability.