1. New bond forming catalysis involving asrines
Rory Waterman
Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont
Readily prepared triamidoamine zirconium complexes are active catalysts for the first instances of catalytic arsenic bond formation. In these dehydrocoupling reactions, where the only byproduct is hydrogen, evidence for two different mechanisms using the same catalyst has been uncovered.
In the first case, a dehydrocoupling pathway for secondary arsines based on s-bond metathesis steps is observed. In the second case, primary arsines are dehydrocoupled by a mechanism involving a-arsinidene elimination, or the extrusion of a low-valent arsenic fragment. These new catalytic methods may have future impact in the preparation of materials.