Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The identification of new and efficient methods for the construction of both inorganic and organic compounds represents an important challenge in modern synthetic chemistry, since such methods can enable: (a) the development of environmentally friendly methods for the conversion of abundant raw materials into value-added products, including pharmaceuticals; (b) the more efficient utilization of our diminishing hydrocarbon resources; (c) the identification of recyclable materials for the controlled release of combustible molecules such as hydrogen; and (d) the development of novel polymeric materials. In this context, research in the Stradiotto research group is focused on the development of new metal-mediated synthetic methods, in which a metal complex is exploited as a catalyst to activate (i.e. induce reactivity in) molecules that would otherwise not participate in chemical reactions under mild conditions. Notably, zwitterionic catalysts developed by the Stradiotto group (some of which are now commercially available through Strem Chemicals Inc.) exhibit remarkable reactivity with small molecule substrates, and represent promising leads for further catalyst development. In the quest to establish new synthetic methodologies, ready access to gas chromatographic (GC) instrumentation that allows for the rapid separation and quantification of reaction products is crucial. The requested automated GC instrumentation will be employed on an around-the-clock basis by synthetic chemistry researchers in the Department of Chemistry at Dalhousie University, thus greatly reducing the time required to identify effective strategies for addressing the synthetic challenges outlined above.