Activation of Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds at Multinuclear Metal Sites

简单的碳氢化合物，如甲烷和乙烷，现在可以从丰富的天然气供应中获得。然而，由于这些材料不容易转化为其他产品，它们不是化学工业的良好原料。在很大程度上，这种困难的出现是因为碳氢化合物中的碳氢（C-H）键相对不活泼。本课题由化学系化学合成项目资助，由美国加州大学伯克利分校的Richard D.南卡罗来纳州大学化学和生物化学系的亚当斯正在开发激活碳氢化合物C-H键的方法。设计具有两个或更多个金属原子的金属络合物，使得烃中的几个C-H键与金属相互作用。这些相互作用激活了键，并使烃转化为有价值的产品，如醇，醛和羧酸。这些导致了工业材料生产的新工艺。除了科学部分，该项目还涉及研究生和本科生，包括来自代表性不足的群体的学生，并为他们在科学和技术领域的职业生涯做准备。贵金属元素的多核络合物，如钌，铑，铱，铂，评估其激活碳氢化合物C-H键的能力。通过使用具有两个或更多个金属原子的金属络合物，实现了多个CH活化，并且在单个烃上引入了几个官能团。这些研究针对C-C和C-O键形成过程，并包括机理研究，以揭示转化的细节。新的双金属络合物被转化为双金属纳米颗粒，以创造新一代高活性多相催化剂。更广泛的影响包括开发新的工艺，将简单的碳氢化合物和相关资源转化为有价值的化学品，用作工业原料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Simple hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane are now available from abundant supplies of natural gas. However, since these materials cannot easily be converted into other products, they are not good feedstocks for the chemical industry. In large part, this difficulty arises because the carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds in hydrocarbons are relatively unreactive. In this project, funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Richard D. Adams, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina, is developing methods to activate hydrocarbon C-H bonds. Metal complexes having two or more metal atoms are designed so that several C-H bonds in a hydrocarbon interact with the metals. These interactions activate the bonds and allow the hydrocarbons to be converted into valuable products, such as alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic acids. These lead to new processes for the production of industrial materials. In addition to the scientific component, the project involves both graduate and undergraduate students, including ones from underrepresented groups and prepares them for careers in science and technology.Multinuclear complexes of precious metal elements, such as ruthenium, rhodium, rhenium, iridium, and platinum, are evaluated for their ability to activate hydrocarbon C-H bonds. By using metal complexes having two or more metal atoms, multiple CH activations are achieved and several functionalities are introduced on a single hydrocarbon. The studies target C-C and C-O bond forming processes and include mechanistic investigations to uncover details of the transformations. New bimetallic complexes are converted into bimetallic nanoparticles to create a new generation of high activity heterogeneous catalysts. Broader impacts include the development of new processes for the conversion of simple hydrocarbons and related resources into valuable chemicals for use as industrial feedstocks. Graduate and undergraduate students are trained in the latest methods of scientific inquiry and analysis.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.