CAREER: Heterobimetallic Complexes for Facile Hydrodenitrogenation Processes with Low Hydrogen Intake

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators

Abstract

With the support of the Chemical Synthesis Program in the Division of Chemistry and the the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Virginia Montiel-Palma of Mississippi State University is investigating catalysts that remove nitrogen from aromatic compounds commonly present in gasolines and petroleum feedstocks. Aromatic N-containing compounds, some of which can have a negative environmental and health impact, are difficult to remove from petroleum under current industry conditions. Thus, developing catalysts that facilitate the cleavage of C-N bonds in these compounds is a huge challenge. In this project, catalyst candidates that incorporate two metals are designed to react with and break the C-N bonds in aromatic N-containing compounds under mild conditions. In terms of broader impacts, the PI will continue to be actively engaged with the Mississippi Migrant Education Center where she participates in efforts to reach and provide science education to K-12 students who are children of migratory workers. These efforts are aimed at fighting educational inequities by addressing scientific topics that enrich the educational pathways and motivate students to complete and continue their education beyond the secondary level. This project will involve a systematic study of the hydrogenation of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds by heterobimetallic complexes made of a late transition metal and a group-13 metal. In some of these complexes, the transition metal binds to an aromatic ring, while the N atom binds directly to the main group metal. This particular arrangement is expected to allow for the scission of the C-N bonds at low hydrogen pressures. A multifaceted characterization plan will be used to interrogate the precise role of the metal coordination modes in the hydrogenolysis reaction, as well as the mechanism by which it occurs. These activities are expected to provide a foundational profile of the catalyst system and aid in the design of more efficient and robust hydrodenitrogenation catalysts. A diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students involved in the project will gain experience in synthetic, mechanistic, and computational methodologies in pursuing this research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.