RUI: CAS: Development of Iron Catalysts for Sustainable, Selective Oxidations and Reductions

化学系的化学催化计划支持葛底斯堡学院蒂莫西·芬克教授的研究。该项目的目标是开发安全、可持续的铁基催化剂。催化剂加快了化学反应的速度。由于环境原因，它们也很重要，因为它们可以促进所需产品的形成，产生更少的废物和不想要的副产品。金属基催化剂很常见，但许多都是从稀有元素中提取的。铁可以是催化的更好选择，因为它具有很高的地球丰度。芬克教授正在设计铁基催化剂，这种催化剂可以与从生物质中提取的化学物质一起工作。生物质是一种以植物为基础的原料，价格低廉，储量丰富。该项目的一部分侧重于这些新催化剂促进的成键和断键步骤的细节。这些信息使改进的催化剂的设计成为可能，这些催化剂仍然更有效。该项目支持对不同背景的本科生进行动手培训。培训强调在环境考虑范围内的化学催化作用。通过这次培训，该项目正在为学生在先进制造等技术领域的职业生涯做准备，从而支持国家的经济实力。在国家科学基金会化学催化计划的支持下，葛底斯堡学院的蒂莫西·芬克教授正在开发基于铁的可持续催化还原和氧化过程。空气和湿度稳定的双功能铁化合物催化转移氢化和脱氢反应。植物类化合物既是氢的供体，又是氢受体。用相对稳定的生物质衍生化合物取代活性氧化剂和还原剂提高了这些工艺的安全性和可持续性。特别是，Funk教授正在探索配体结构的细微差异如何影响双功能铁催化剂的反应活性和选择性。此外，Funk小组正在研究底物结构和氢供体或受体的还原电位如何改变这一过程。深入了解这些因素如何影响催化剂的反应性和选择性，有助于设计和开发新的催化工艺。总体而言，目标是开发安全、可持续、选择性的醇氧化和羰基还原工艺。来自不同背景的本科生正在接受培训，以便在开发新的化学工艺时考虑环境影响，并正在发展技能，为他们在科学研究中的职业生涯做准备。该项目还支持对来自不同背景的本科生进行动手培训。培训强调在环境考虑范围内的化学催化作用。通过这次培训，该项目为学生在技术领域的职业生涯做好了准备，从而支持了国家的经济利益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Chemical Catalysis Program of the Division of Chemistry supports the research of Professor Timothy Funk at Gettysburg College. The goal of this project is to develop safe and sustainable catalysts based on iron. Catalysts increase the speed of chemical reactions. They are also important for environmental reasons because they can promote the formation of the desired products, generating less waste with unwanted by-products. Metal-based catalysts are common, but many are derived from rare elements. Iron can be a better choice for catalysis because of its high earth abundance. Professor Funk is designing iron-based catalysts that work in conjunction with chemicals derived from biomass. Biomass, a plant-based starting material is inexpensive and abundant. Part of the project focuses on the details of the bond-making and bond-breaking steps promoted by these new catalysts. This information enables the design of improved catalysts, which are still more efficient. The project supports the hands-on training of undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. The training emphasizes chemical catalysis in the context of the environmental considerations. Through this training, the project is preparing students for careers in technical fields such as advanced manufacturing, thus supporting the economic strength of the nation. With support from the Chemical Catalysis Program of the National Science Foundation, Professor Timothy Funk at Gettysburg College is developing sustainable catalytic reduction and oxidation processes based on iron. The air and moisture-stable, bifunctional iron compounds catalyze transfer hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Plant-based compounds serve as hydrogen donors and acceptors. Replacing reactive oxidants and reductants with relatively stable, biomass-derived compounds increases both the safety and sustainability of these processes. In particular, Professor Funk is exploring how subtle differences in ligand structures affect the reactivity and selectivity of bifunctional iron catalysts. Additionally, the Funk group is examining how substrate structures and the reduction potentials of the hydrogen donors or acceptors modify the process. Insight into how these factors affect catalyst reactivity and selectivity is leading to the design and development of new catalytic processes. Overall, the goal is to develop safe, sustainable, selective alcohol oxidation and carbonyl reduction processes. Undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds are being trained to consider environmental impacts when developing new chemical processes and are developing skills that prepare them for careers in scientific research. The project also supports hands-on training of undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. The training emphasizes chemical catalysis in the context of the environmental considerations. Through this training, the project is preparing students for careers in technical fields, thus supporting the nation's economic interests.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.