CAS: Catalysis with Cobalt Hydrides

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Hairong Guan and his group at the University of Cincinnati will examine the catalytic activities of cobalt hydrides. Catalysis plays an indispensable role in chemical synthesis for pharmaceutical, energy, and materials applications. Precious metals are often the metals of choice for designing catalysts. However, they are expensive, limited in supply, and sometimes difficult to remove from the products. In this project, Dr. Guan will focus on cobalt, an inexpensive and earth-abundant metal, to study the reactivity of molecules bearing cobalt-hydrogen bonds, which are poorly understood, but are key intermediates in many cobalt-catalyzed reactions. Through this project, Dr. Guan and his team will be actively engaged in outreach and training activities that benefit students from underrepresented groups, including those participating in the Undergraduates Pursuing Research in Science and Engineering Program at the University of Cincinnati and the ACS Project SEED Program as well as from collaborating predominantly undergraduate institutions. Dr. Guan will also develop research-based course materials and spectral resources that are expected to enhance the educational experience. In this project, Professor Hairong Guan and his research team aim to develop an understanding of how different ligand platforms impact the reactivity of cobalt hydrides. This research project will focus on elucidating the mechanistic details of hydrosilylation, hydroboration, and hydrophosphination reactions catalyzed by monophosphine-stabilized cobalt hydride complexes, and explore new reactions catalyzed by pincer-ligated cobalt hydrides. Also under investigation will be how pi-allyl and hydroxycyclopentadienyl cobalt complexes behave as masked hydrides in hydrogen transfer reactions as well as electrocatalysts for the reduction of carbon dioxide and the dehalogenation of chlorinated and fluorinated compounds. The proposed research studies are expected to contribute to the foundational knowledge of cobalt hydrides in catalysis. The lessons learned in these studies have the potential for broad scientific impact in the larger field of earth abundant transition metal catalysis. 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.