NSF Award
1565648
The Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division supports the project by Professor Chip Nataro. Professor Nataro is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Lafayette College. He is developing new compounds containing phosphine ligands having a metallocene backbone that have interesting catalytic properties. These ligands have received considerable attention in catalytic applications, which are important in the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of this research is to examine how subtle alterations to these ligands impacts the reactivity of compounds containing the ligands. Of particular interest is the metal atom at the center of the metallocene backbone. This metal atom can be altered in a variety of ways that are anticipated to increase the reactivity of the compound. The project is well suited for the education of scientists at the undergraduate level. Professor Nataro's group has been successful at producing high-quality scientific papers and many of these students go on to obtain advanced degrees in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. <br/><br/>Bis(phosphino)metallocenes are ligands that are commonly employed in a variety of catalytic reactions. Compounds of these ligands often behave as significantly superior catalysts and this has been attributed to both the ability of the metallocene backbone to undergo redox reactions and the unique steric constraints imposed upon the ligand by the metallocene backbone. In this project, making changes to both of these aspects of these ligands are being examined further. Oxidation of the metal in the backbone is one method of altering bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands. By removing an electron from the metal of the backbone, the ligand become less electron-donating to a second metal center. In addition, oxidation also causes the distance between the metal of the backbone and the C¬5¬ rings to increase, which causes the steric bulk of the ligand to increase. The impact of the changes caused by oxidation of the ligands on the reactivity of compounds containing these ligands is being examined. A second method of altering bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands is to force the metal of the backbone to interact with a second metal center. This interaction is very weak, which should greatly enhance the reactivity of the second metal center. In addition, the interaction greatly distorts the bis(phosphino)metallocene ligand, which increasse the steric needs of the ligand. This project is ideal for training undergraduate students in scientific practices and procedures, which benefit the students in preparing for chemical industry the pursuit of advanced degrees in chemistry.
