Designer Catalysts:

Abstract

The chemical industry, which accounts for ~7% of the US’s energy consumption, is the source of synthetic products used every day, from plastics to pharmaceuticals. Catalysts are used abundantly in industry because they make reactions faster and more selective, thus generating less waste. One important class of reactions is alkene hydrosilylation, which combines two molecules (an alkene with a carbon-carbon double bond and a silane) into one molecule that is then used to make products like rubbers and cosmetics. Hydrosilylation is limited because purifying the starting alkene is energy intensive. Current industrial catalysts use rare platinum metal and produce waste. In our research, we utilize catalysts based on nickel, an Earth-abundant metal, for hydrosilylation of alkenes. In this project, 15 nickel catalysts were tested to determine their reactivity with styrene and diphenyl silane. Two of the 15 catalysts were designed and synthesized in multi-step organic synthesis. A primary objective of the work was designing and synthesizing a library of proposed catalytic compounds. It was found that of the 15, the two synthesized in lab were by far the most effect catalysts in terms of both selectivity and yield. Based on the work, we were able to hypothesize a catalytic reaction mechanism. Using this rational approach to catalyst design, we aim to develop a novel catalyst that can influence the chemical industry.