Selective catalytic isomerization and hydrogenation of polyunsaturated molecules

化学制造业是加拿大经济的重要组成部分。改进的精细化学品制备方法的发展提供了竞争优势，同时增加了可持续性。本研究项目的目标是开发新的化学工艺，并了解如何通过过渡金属催化将小分子原料转化为高附加值产品。这一提议直接延续了巴斯夫/NSERC在2020-2021年支持的成功合作。该项目寻求通过异构化将原料中含有烯烃的分子转化为新产品的方法。金属基催化剂将被用来将低价值的前体重新安排为更高价值的目标。由于目标分子具有适度的化学稳定性，将开发量身定制的催化剂和反应条件，以提供高化学产率和纯度的产品，同时使用低负载的金属催化剂。该项目的一个相关目标涉及多不饱和底物中的一个烯烃单元的选择性加氢。对基本机制和催化剂行为的了解还将为伙伴组织提供可推广的概念，这些概念可用于改进其他结构相关目标的合成。

Chemical manufacturing is an important part of Canada's economy. The development of improved methods for the preparation of fine chemicals provides a competitive advantage while increasing sustainability. The goal of this research project is to develop new chemical processes and to understand to how small molecule feedstocks can be converted into high value products by transition metal catalysis. This proposal directly continues a successful collaboration supported by BASF/NSERC in 2020-2021. This project seeks to find methods to convert feedstock alkene-containing molecules into new products by isomerization. Metal-based catalysts will be used to rearrange low-value precursors into higher value targets. As the target molecules are of modest chemical stability, tailored catalysts and reaction conditions will be developmed to deliver products in high chemical yield and purity while using low loadings of metal catalyst. A related objective of the project involves the selective hydrogenation of one alkene unit in polyunsaturated substrates. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms and catalyst behaviour will also provide the partner organization with generalizable concepts that can be applied to the improved synthesis of other structurally related targets.