In this CAREER award funded by the Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis Programs, Professor Liviu Mirica of the Department of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis will synthesize novel paramagnetic Pd(III) and Ni(III) complexes and investigate in detail their electronic properties and reactivity, with the long-term goal of developing catalytic transformations that involve these less common oxidation states. Of particular interest are Pd-mediated aerobic oxidative C-H functionalization reactions and detailed reactivity studies of organometallic Ni(III) complexes relevant to cross coupling reactions. These studies include a combination of synthetic organometallic and inorganic chemistry, catalysis, electrochemistry, and physical inorganic spectroscopy, and thus will provide the students interdisciplinary training and the opportunity to develop a broad range of scientific skills. In addition, these studies will be fully integrated with outreach activities that will expose students from underrepresented groups to chemistry through lectures and demonstrations at public schools from the St. Louis metro area.
Palladium and nickel complexes act as catalysts for a wide range of chemical reactions that are essential for the synthesis of commodity chemicals, fine chemicals, and bioactive compounds. The proposed research should lead to unique metal-mediated oxidative transformations relevant to organic synthesis that may impact how chemists put atoms together to build complex molecules more efficiently and economically.
