1. HYDROPHILIC AND LIPOPHILIC SYSTEMS FOR CATALYTIC ALKANE FUNCTIONALIZATION
Andrei N. Vedernikov, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Transformations of CH bonds present in various organic substrates to other functional groups (CH functionalization) can lead to variety of valuable chemical products. Usually CH functionalization reactions are multi-step, require high temperatures or the use of highly aggressive or expensive chemicals such as H2PtCl6, AgOAc, PhI(OAc)2 etc.
In this project we were successful in tuning the reactivity of Pt and Pd centers, so that oxygen from the air could be used as an oxidant for organometallic intermediates resulting from substrate CH activation with Pt or Pd complexes. Water or acetic acid (AcOH) could be used as solvents in these oxidation reactions leading to alcohols or acetates; all at temperatures not exceeding 80oC. Pd-mediated reactions in AcOH are catalytic. We also designed novel Pt complexes for catalytic alkane dehydrogenation, currently, in the presence of hydrogen acceptors. Alkanes themselves serve as solvents. Some examples of this chemistry are given below.