Catalysis for sustainable aluminum-carbon bond formation

在这个由化学部化学催化项目资助的项目中，爱荷华州立大学的Aaron Sadow教授正在研究铝的新型化学反应性。这项研究支持了美国的经济，因为铝在北美广泛可用，在许多行业，包括饮料，住房和运输行业都有价值。特别令人感兴趣的是许多有用的与碳键相连的铝化合物。萨多教授正在开发制造这种铝碳键的新方法。具体的目标是用新设计的催化剂来产生这些键，这些催化剂可以加速和引导反应形成所需的产物。这项工作的某些方面是具有挑战性的，因为典型的有机铝化合物在接触空气和水时会分解。除了这个研究项目，Sadow博士还致力于社区外展，目的是教育广大受众关于主题问题（如绿色化学）的挑战和机遇。主要场所是社区广播节目，通过网站和存档节目网络向当地和全国观众播放。萨多教授还参加了一个正在进行的化学职业系列研讨会，向本科生和研究生介绍工业和学术化学家和其他科学家。在这个项目中，爱荷华州立大学的Aaron Sadow教授正在研究碳氢（C-H）键与铝化合物的催化反应，以有效地合成炔基、乙烯基和芳基铝化合物。在没有催化剂的情况下，烷基铝与炔烃和烯烃的反应是无选择性的，根据不饱和反应物和铝试剂的不同，会产生金属化、碳铝化和氢铝化的混合物。此外，碳铝化而不是铝化是早期过渡金属催化的典型途径。相反，萨多博士正在开发一种催化方法，用C-H键取代C-Al键来催化烷基铝化。催化、无盐废物的合成使新的有机铝物种可以用于两步、一锅反应，并利用了烷基铝的极化亲核特性。Sadow博士还通过动力学研究反应机理，与碳铝化反应进行比较。Sadow博士正在开发一个社区广播节目，广泛讨论化学社区在可持续企业方面所面临的挑战和取得的进展。此外，他正在为爱荷华州立大学的本科生组织一系列讲座，重点介绍绿色化学和学术和工业化学研究中可持续性的挑战和技术进步。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。

In this project funded by the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Aaron Sadow of Iowa State University is studying the novel chemical reactivity of aluminum. This research supports the economy of the United States since aluminum is widely available in North America and is of value in many industries including the beverage, housing, and transportation industries. Of particular interest are the many useful aluminum compounds with bonds to carbon. Professor Sadow is developing new methods for making such aluminum-carbon bonds. The specific goal is to generate these bonds with newly designed catalysts that speed-up and guide the reactions to form desired products. Aspects of the work are challenging because typical organoaluminum compounds decompose upon contact with air and water. In addition to this research project, Dr. Sadow is engaged in community outreach with the goal of educating broad audiences about the challenges and opportunities of topical issues, such as green chemistry. The principal venue is community radio programming, which reaches both a local and national audience through a network of websites and archived shows. Professor Sadow also participates in an on-going seminar series on careers in chemistry, which introduces industrial and academic chemists and other scientists to undergraduate and graduate students.In this project, Professor Aaron Sadow of Iowa State University is studying the catalytic reactions of carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds with aluminum compounds to efficiently synthesize alkynyl-, vinyl-, and aryl-aluminum compounds. Reactions of aluminum alkyls with alkynes and alkenes are unselective without a catalyst, giving mixtures resulting from metalation, carboalumination, and hydroalumination, depending on the unsaturated reactant and aluminum reagent. In addition, carboaluminum, rather than alumination, is the typical pathway catalyzed by early transition metals. Instead, Dr. Sadow is developing catalytic methods for alumination of alkynes involving substitution of a C-H bond for C-Al bond. The catalytic, salt-waste-free synthesis allows the new organoaluminum species to be used in two-step, one-pot reactions and takes advantage of the polarized nucleophilic character of alkynylaluminums. Dr. Sadow is also investigating the reaction mechanism through kinetics, for comparison with carboalumination. Dr. Sadow is developing a community radio program that broadly discusses the challenges and advances made by the chemistry community toward sustainable enterprises. Additionally, he is organizing a lecture series for Iowa State undergraduate students that highlights challenges and technical advances in green chemistry and sustainability in academic and industrial chemistry research.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.