N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in the Synthesis of Reactive Small Clusters of Group 11 Metals

佐治亚理工学院的Joseph Sadighi教授将获得化学合成(SYN)项目的这一奖项，他将研究具有双核和三核铜、银和金物种的活性N-杂环卡宾(NHC)化合物。NHC配体将支持三核金阳离子，其中金属-金属键主要通过S轨道相互作用产生，以及氢化物桥联的双核阳离子显示不同程度的金属-金属键。这项研究将包括调整三角簇合物以发展多电子氧化还原反应，以及合成类似的络合物，如三铜和三银离子，最终目标是使这些化合物成为催化反应发展的平台。将研究通过原子或基团转移反应形成的双核和三核金属元素簇合物，并开发利用二氢活化合成反应性金属氢化物配合物。最后，我们将探讨具有分数金属-金属键的奇电子络合物的稳定性。这项研究旨在为深入了解金属中心之间或金属与主族元素之间不寻常的成键类型提供帮助。不同寻常的结合模式可以被定制，以实现通常困难的键断裂和键形成过程。对这些过程的控制对于开发用于重要和具有挑战性的反应的新催化剂至关重要，例如利用大气中的氧气控制碳氢化合物的氧化，或者将二氧化碳或一氧化碳转化为液体燃料。预计这将为可持续化学做出贡献。进行这项研究的研究生和本科生将准备好作为学术研究人员和教师，或者作为化学工业或政府实验室的研究科学家，为美国科学的未来做出贡献。研究小组将联系当地的高中，从亚特兰大不同的学生群体中寻找感兴趣的学生，并让他们在大学环境中进行研究。

With this award from the Chemical Synthesis (SYN) Program, Professor Joseph Sadighi at the Georgia Institute of Technology will study reactive N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compounds having dinuclear and trinuclear copper, silver and gold species. The NHC ligand will support a trinuclear gold cation, in which metal-metal bonding results primarily from s-orbital interactions, as well as hydride-bridged dinuclear cations displaying varying degrees of metal-metal bonding. This research will include the tuning of trigold clusters to develop multielectron redox reactions, and the synthesis of analogous complexes such as tricopper and trisilver cations with the ultimate goal of having such compounds serve as platforms for the development of catalytic reactions. Dinuclear and trinuclear metal-element clusters, formed through atom- or group-transfer reactions, will be studied, and the synthesis of reactive metal hydride complexes through dihydrogen activation will be developed. Finally, the stabilization of odd-electron complexes with fractional metal-metal bonding will be explored.This research is designed to afford insight into unusual types of bonding among metal centers, or between metals and main group elements. Unusual bonding motifs can be tailored to enable normally difficult bond-breaking and bond-forming processes. Control of these processes is crucial to the development of new catalysts for such important and challenging reactions as the controlled oxidation of hydrocarbons, using oxygen from the atmosphere, or the conversion of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into liquid fuels. This is expected to contribute to sustainable chemistry. The graduate and undergraduate students who carry out this research will be prepared to contribute to the future of science in the United States as academic researchers and teachers, or as research scientists in chemical industry or in government laboratories. The research team will reach out to local high schools, to identify interested students from Atlanta's diverse student body and to give them the experience of research in the university setting.