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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Prof. Larry Que, University of Minnesota
Hydrocarbon oxidations by bio-inspired nonheme iron catalysts
School Colloquia
Inspired by the versatile oxidation chemistry catalyzed by nonheme iron enzymes, we have been investigating the iron-catalyzed oxidations of hydrocarbons. Highly stereoselective conversions of olefins to epoxides and/or cis-diols have been observed with the use of Fe(N4)(OTf)2 complexes where N4 is a tetradentate ligand with four nitrogen donor sites such as TPA (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) and BPMEN (BPMEN = N,Nâ-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N,Nâ-dimethyl-1,2-diaminothane). Insights into the catalytic mechanism have been obtained from a combination of product distribution studies, 18O labeling experiments, spectroscopic characterization of intermediates trapped at low temperature, and DFT calculations. These results implicate an FeV=O oxidant. In a related study, hydrocarbon oxidation is observed for a biomimetic iron complex that reacts with O2. The shape selectivity observed for this reaction is quite unusual, suggesting that substrate recognition can be elicited even in a relatively simple model complex.
For more information contact Prof. Jake Soper (404-894-4022).
