Princeton, NJ - According to Tien Nguyen of Princeton University, "Using a light-activated catalyst, researchers have unlocked a new pathway in nickel chemistry to construct carbon-oxygen (C-O) bonds that would be highly valuable to pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries."
“It was extraordinary to see the reaction go from zero to 91 percent yield just by adding a photocatalyst and switching on a light,” said David MacMillan, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and principal investigator of the work published on August 12 in the journal Nature.
The article reported the first general C-O cross-coupling reaction, which connects ring-shaped molecules, called aromatics, to alcohol-containing molecules, using a dual nickel-photoredox catalyst system. Extending nickel’s reach to C-O coupling reactions has great potential given the tremendous impact nickel chemistry has had on analogous C-C coupling reactions.
For the most part, these C-O cross-coupling reactions have been unattainable by traditional nickel catalysis. That’s because the final bonding-forming step—called reductive elimination—in which nickel excises itself to leave behind a C-O bond, is fundamentally unfavorable. By introducing a photocatalyst, the research team was able to remove a single electron from the key nickel intermediate to access an elusive oxidation state of nickel that can readily form the desired bond.
For the full story: https://blogs.princeton.edu/research/2015/08/12/new-pathways-for-nickel-chemistry-nature/
The article reported the first general C-O cross-coupling reaction, which connects ring-shaped molecules, called aromatics, to alcohol-containing molecules, using a dual nickel-photoredox catalyst system. Extending nickel’s reach to C-O coupling reactions has great potential given the tremendous impact nickel chemistry has had on analogous C-C coupling reactions.
For the most part, these C-O cross-coupling reactions have been unattainable by traditional nickel catalysis. That’s because the final bonding-forming step—called reductive elimination—in which nickel excises itself to leave behind a C-O bond, is fundamentally unfavorable. By introducing a photocatalyst, the research team was able to remove a single electron from the key nickel intermediate to access an elusive oxidation state of nickel that can readily form the desired bond.
For the full story: https://blogs.princeton.edu/research/2015/08/12/new-pathways-for-nickel-chemistry-nature/
