With this award, the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports the research work of Dr. Klaus Theopold of the University of Delaware. The project will explore the synthetic routes and reaction chemistry of a paramagnetic class of organometallic compounds, specifically high oxidation state paramagnetic chromium-oxo alkyls and alkylidenes. These compounds are unstable and difficult to characterize, but have great potential and relevance as commercial catalysts. The alkylidines have been postulated as reactive intermediates in organometallic transformations. The synthetic chemistry is expected to result in new compounds relevant to catalysis in polymerizations and oxidations. Early metal alkylidene compounds will be used as catalysts for the preparation of previously inaccessible polymeric materials with unusual properties.
This project is fundamental in nature but has the potential to have practical impact on commercial catalyst development. The work will examine how the oxygen atom transfers to and hydrogen abstraction from hydrocarbons takes place with the presently employed toxic hexavalent chromium catalysts, and develop alternative catalysts that will be environmentally beneficial. The work will have a significant impact in other material sciences disciplines. Undergraduate and graduate students will experience a varied research culture and will gain a strong background in synthetic chemistry which is in high demand in chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
