CAREER: Catalysis and Oxygen Atom Transfer

从现成的材料中制造化学品的新方法的发展影响了制药、农用化学品和材料工业。内华达大学里诺分校的Laina Geary博士领导的这项研究正在开发新的反应方法，以尽量减少这些过程中的浪费。这些目标是通过一种被称为氧原子转移的反应来实现的。这些反应被用来以新的方式生成碳-碳键。进一步利用机械洞察力来设计新的流程。这项研究是由高中到博士后水平的学生进行的。新的本科阶段的实验课程也被设计成将研究与课堂相结合。新的指导项目促进了高中、本科和研究生阶段学生之间的合作，培养学生成为更好的教师、导师和科学倡导者。内华达大学里诺分校（UNR）的Laina Geary博士在化学部化学催化项目的资助下，正在开发通过过渡金属催化作用，通过氧原子的穿梭来形成新的碳-碳键的方法。目前的方法通常使用高分子量材料作为氧汇或供体，这大大增加了浪费并使净化过程复杂化。应用低分子量气体分子代替这些氧气源，为减少浪费提供了一个有吸引力的替代方案，并暴露了一个新的机制歧管，在此基础上正在开发新的方法。该项目正在开发基于过渡金属催化氧原子转移的还原和氧化方法，使丰富的原料转化为新的、有价化合物。为了支持该研究项目的更广泛影响，Geary博士正在带领UNR努力支持STEM领域中代表性不足的高中生。她还开发了一些项目，以提高高中、本科和研究生教育水平的研究参与度和科学宣传。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The development of new ways to make chemicals from readily available materials impacts the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials industries. The research led by Dr. Laina Geary of the University of Nevada, Reno is developing new reactions to minimize waste in these processes. These goals are being met by using a type of reaction known as oxygen atom transfer. These reactions are being used to make carbon-carbon bonds in new ways. Mechanistic insights are further leveraged to design new processes. This research is being conducted by students from the high school to the postdoctoral level. New laboratory courses at the undergraduate level are also designed to integrate lessons from the research to the classroom. New mentoring programs foster collaboration between students at high school, undergraduate and graduate levels and train students to be better teachers, mentors, and science advocates.With funding from the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division, Dr. Laina Geary of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is developing methods to forge new carbon-carbon bonds, which are driven by the shuttling of oxygen atoms via transition metal catalysis. Current methods typically utilize high molecular weight materials as oxygen sinks or donors, significantly increasing waste and compounding the purification process. The application of low molecular weight, gaseous molecules in lieu of those oxygen sources provides an attractive alternate to reducing waste, and exposes a new mechanistic manifold upon which new methods are being developed. This program is developing both reductive and oxidative methods based on transition metal catalyzed oxygen atom transfer that is enabling the conversion of abundant, feedstock materials into new, valorized compounds. In support of the broader impacts of this research program, Dr. Geary is spearheading UNR's efforts to support underrepresented high school students in STEM fields. She is also developing programs that increase research engagement and scientific advocacy across high school, undergraduate and graduate levels of education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.