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Altus, Kristof

University of British Columbia

Within this thesis, the syntheses of novel Pt⁽ᴵᴵ⁾ complexes that show reactivity towards carbon-hydrogen and carbon-halogen bonds is explored. Understanding the nuances of fundamental reactivity is important for catalyst design. These nuances allow for the development of novel systems capable of tackling challenging reactions such as alkane activation and functionalisation. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the current understanding of the mechanisms for C-H activation of alkanes and how the communities understanding has changed over the last 20 years. In chapter 2 the intermolecular oxidative addition of aryl halides to Pt⁽ᴵᴵ⁾ complexes is presented. The work in chapter 2 forms part of a proposed catalytic cycle for methane functionalisation, using aryl halides as oxidants. The oxidative addition of aryl halides to Pt⁽ᴵᴵ⁾ complexes has so far only been reported for aryl halides that are tethered to the ligand backbone. The work in chapter 2 therefore constitutes a significant advance in the reactivity of aryl halide chemistry with platinum. Novel ligand design and synthesis of new platinum complexes targeted towards small molecule activation is presented in chapter 3. The new ligands provide an entry into the synthesis of (hetero)bimetallic complexes that could show activity in cascade or tandem reactions. The use of bimetallic complexes is important for tailoring the reactivity of two catalysts simultaneously in the same molecule allowing for a higher degree of control over a reaction or multiple reactions in the same flask. The C-H activation of pyridine via the formation of Pt-Pt bonded bimetallic species is shown in chapter 4. Furthermore, a detailed computational and experimental study into the donor-acceptor nature of the Pt-Pt bond shows how bimetallic complexes of platinum could be used in challenging C-H activation reactions. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the work in this thesis and gives new avenues for the continued development of new platinum compounds for small molecule activation reactions.

Text

2022-08-31

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82637

Chemistry

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/