With this CAREER award from the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor M. Christina White, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, will develop catalytic organotransition metal methods for converting inert hydrocarbon molecules into functionally complex products. The aim of the research described in this proposal is the development and mechanistic study of highly selective, catalytic methods for effecting alkylation of alpha-olefin molecules. Allylic alkylation of alpha-olefins has previously only been possible via multi-step routes that are stoichiometric in palladium metal. The challenges associated with making such processes catalytic are discovering conditions that will support and regenerate the electrophilic Pd(II) catalyst required to effect the allylic C-H cleavage step in the presence of an alkylating reagent. The addition of these reactions to the organic chemist toolbox will streamline the synthesis of biologically significant compounds. Moreover, the mechanistic study of these reactions stands to contribute new principles of catalyst design and chemical reactivity to the field of organotransition metal chemistry.
With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division, Professor White will use fundamental principles of organotransition metal chemistry to devise strategies to solve challenging problems in organic synthesis. The development of an Organotransition Metal Chemistry Workshop and website is proposed with the objective of exposing a diverse group of talented undergraduate students to this powerful topic in chemistry. Two historically black colleges (HBCUs) will serve as test beds for the on-site and web-based versions of the workshop. An industrial scientist from Merck Pharmaceuticals will present a lecture in the workshop on the impact that catalytic organotransition metal chemistry has made in industry. Exposure to frontier research topics in modern organic chemistry will inspire talented students from diverse backgrounds to pursue advanced degrees and careers in chemistry thereby expanding the pool of young talent in the field of chemistry.
