CAS: Molecular Catalysts to Control Dinitrogen Reduction and Ammonia Oxidation

这项由蒙大拿州立大学迈克尔·莫克教授领导的项目由美国国家科学基金会化学部设立的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)和化学催化计划提供支持。莫克教授领导了一项工作，开发从空气中的氮和从空气中的氮产生的氨中提取的燃料。首要目标是探索新的能源储存系统。重点是氮气和氨气相互转化的新型金属催化剂的合成和分析。新的催化剂以Ru、镍、铁和铬为基础。由这些金属组成的化合物被认为具有促进氮和氨相互转化的新行为。特别令人感兴趣的是附着和移除氢原子的策略。一种方法是制造化学继电器，将氢从金属输送到氮气中。这些继电器的化学合成是莫克教授的专长。除了这项研究，莫克教授还在开展推广活动，让地区学校的学生参与进来，向他们传授能源技术。他还从蒙大拿部落学院招募美国原住民本科生到他的实验室工作。通过向美洲原住民提供化学和催化方面的实践经验，该项目正在加强美国的技术劳动力。蒙大拿州立大学的迈克尔·莫克教授正在领导一项研究，通过合成新的分子催化剂，开发一种以氮为基础的循环，将能量储存在N-H键中，这些基本过程涉及到氮素(N2)和氨(NH3)的相互转化。这项研究的目标是开发氮气还原和氨氧化的分子催化体系，其共同的策略是将H原子输送到氮气中，并从NH3配体中去除氢原子。本项目旨在通过表征金属-NxHy中间体和测量热力学N-H键强度来了解这些过程的反应机理，以推进催化剂设计。关于催化氮气还原方案的拟议工作使用了化学上坚固的铬配合物。在NH3氧化催化剂的开发中，Ru和Ni基平台的使用推动了理解均质N-H键断裂和N-N偶联步骤生成N_2的目标。除了这项研究，莫克教授正在开展科学推广活动，让地区学校和部落学院的学生了解替代形式的能源和对环境和社会产生积极影响的新化学技术。莫克教授正在通过暑期实习从蒙大拿州部落学院招募美国原住民本科生到他的实验室，以获得化学和催化剂方面的实践经验。这一奖项反映了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 Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Chemistry Division, both of the National Science Foundation, support this project led by Professor Michael Mock of Montana State University. Professor Mock leads an effort to develop fuels that are derived from nitrogen in the air and ammonia that is produced from that nitrogen. The overarching goal is to explore new systems for energy storage. The focus is on the synthesis and analysis of new metal catalysts for the interconversion of nitrogen gas and ammonia. The new catalysts are based on ruthenium, nickel, iron, and chromium. Compounds consisting of these metals are proposed to exhibit novel behavior that facilitates the interconversion of nitrogen and ammonia. Of specific interest are strategies for the attachment and removal of hydrogen atoms. One approach involves creating chemical relays that carry the hydrogen from the metal to the nitrogen. The chemical synthesis of these relays is a specialty of Professor Mock. In addition to the research, Professor Mock is developing outreach activities to engage students at area schools, teaching them about energy technologies. He also is recruiting Native American undergraduate students from Montana Tribal Colleges to work in his laboratory. By providing hands-on experience in chemistry and catalysis to Native Americans, the project is strengthening the technical workforce in the United States. Professor Michael Mock of Montana State University is leading an effort to develop a nitrogen-based cycle to store energy in N-H bonds by synthesizing new molecular catalysts for the fundamental processes involved in the interconversion of dinitrogen (N2) and ammonia (NH3). The goal of this research is the development of molecular catalytic systems for N2 reduction and NH3 oxidation with a common strategy of delivery of H-atoms to N2 and and the removal of H-atoms from NH3 ligands. This project seeks to understand the reaction mechanisms of these processes by characterizing metal-NxHy intermediates, and measuring thermodynamic N-H bond strengths to advance catalyst design. The proposed work on catalytic N2 reduction schemes uses chemically robust chromium complexes. In the development of NH3 oxidation catalysts, the use of Ru and Ni-based platforms is advancing the goal of understanding homolytic N–H bond cleavage and N–N coupling steps en route to N2 formation. In addition to this research, Professor Mock is developing science outreach activities to engage students at area schools and Tribal Colleges about alternative forms of energy and new chemical technologies that have a positive impact on the environment and society. Professor Mock is recruiting Native American undergraduate students to his lab from Montana Tribal Colleges through summer internships to gain hands-on experience in chemistry and catalysis.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.