Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The MacQuarrie research program combines two unique fields of chemistry, nanomaterials and catalysis by synthesizing and characterizing highly organized functionalized nanomaterials composed of proline and N-heterocyclic carbene-derived skeletons. The resulting immobilized organocatalysts will be invesitgated in C-C bond forming reactions such as the aldol or Stetter reaction to test the applicability and reusability of the catalysts and discover optimum reaction conditions. These highly ordered organosilicas will have uniform porosity, permitting reactants to freely access the catalytically active microenvironments leading to highly effective enantioselection. The novel organic siloxane monomers will be prepared through a simple modular synthetic approach and directly incorporated into three-dimensional inert, thermally stable and non-toxic silicon oxide backbone through six covalent bonds, leading to complete homogeneous distribution of the organic components with strong anchoring points. This research program facilitates the collaboration between interdisciplinary sciences providing undergraduate student researchers with industrially relevant research experience and exposure to multidisciplinary areas of chemistry. The individual projects of the proposed research are specifically designed with targeted projects well suited for students at a primarily undergraduate institution. Initial efforts will focus on proline and N-heterocyclic carbene based materials utilized in organocatalytic reactions, the research can be extended to include the addition of transition metals such as palladium (Pd) or rhodium (Rh) for use in transition-metal based catalysis as well. The new catalytic materials proposed herein have the potential to revolutionize the catalysis industry, reduce chemical waste and provide metal-free alternatives to homogeneous transition metal based catalysts.