Catalytic Coupling Reactions via C-H, C-C and C-N Bond Activation

美国国家科学基金会化学部的化学催化项目支持Marquette大学的Chae S. Yi教授的研究工作，研究过渡金属催化的非活性碳氢键、碳碳键和碳氮键偶联反应的合成和机理。本研究的第一个目标是开发和利用新的催化碳氢偶联方法来合成复杂的有机分子。本研究阐明了多种钌催化剂的分子机理。本研究项目的第二个目标涉及从生物质来源的底物中开发新的催化碳-碳和碳-氮键激活方法。这些研究促进了催化键活化和功能化方法的基础知识。这些反应具有根本性的重要性，因为从石化和生物质衍生剂中实现具有成本效益和环境友好的产品具有巨大的合成和经济潜力。这些反应的产物在石油化工、精细化工和制药工业中具有重要意义。研究工作培养研究生和博士后学生，为美国高技能的化学劳动力做出贡献。易教授从本地和地区院校以及国际院校招收学生。面对日益严重的环境污染，催化研究中心面临的最紧迫的挑战之一是开发新的催化工艺，既能得到所需的产物，又不会产生浪费的副产物。易教授所描述的过渡金属催化键活化方法在实现节能和生态友好的有机化学商品合成方面具有巨大的潜力。易教授的研究小组研究了一些高选择性的合成方法，这些合成方法使用容易获得的醇底物，耐受广泛的官能团，并且只产生水作为副产物。

The Chemical Catalysis Program of the NSF Division of Chemistry supports the research efforts of Professor Chae S. Yi of the Marquette University to investigate the synthetic and mechanistic aspects of transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions involving unreactive carbon-hydrogen, carbon-carbon, and carbon-nitrogen bonds. The first objective of this research is to develop and utilize novel, catalytic carbon-hydrogen coupling methods directed towards the synthesis of complex organic molecules. The research elucidates the molecular mechanisms exhibited by a variety of ruthenium catalysts. The second objective of this research project involves the development of novel, catalytic carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bond activation methods from biomass-derived substrates. These studies advance fundamental knowledge in catalytic bond activation and functionalization methods. Such reactions are of fundamental importance due to the enormous synthetic and economic potential of realizing cost-effective and environmentally-benign products from petrochemical and biomass-derived agents. The products of these reactions are of importance in the petrochemical, fine chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. The research effort trains graduate and postdoctoral students to contribute to the highly-skilled U.S. chemical workforce. Professor Yi recruits students from local and regional colleges as well as internationally. Faced with growing environmental pollution from petrochemical use, one of the most urgent challenges in catalysis research centers is the development of new catalytic processes that give the desired products without forming wasteful byproducts. Transition metal catalyzed bond activation methods such as those described by Professor Yi hold tremendous potential in achieving energy-efficient and ecologically-friendly syntheses of organic chemical commodities. Professor Yi's group investigates a number of highly selective syntheses that employ readily-available alcohol substrates, tolerate a wide range of functional groups, and generate only water as the by-product.