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42822-B3
Investigation of the Lewis Acidic Properties of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands and Their Implications for Catalysis

Colin D. Abernethy, Keene State College

Having previously investigated several (cyclopentadienyl)vanadium compounds containing both chloride and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, this year we turned our attention to (cyclopentadienyl)metal complexes NHC ligands and either bromide or iodide ligands.   

The paramagnetic complexes CpCr(IMes)X (X = Br or I) were prepared by the following reactions:

Unfortunately, our attempts to form the vanadium analogs of these complexes by similar reactions of vanadocene with imidazolium bromides and iodides led to mixtures of paramagnetic materials. 

The presence of a PRF-supported undergraduate research program at Keene State College has had a transformative effect on student recruitment and retention in our chemistry program.  During the past three years we have seen the numbers of our students declaring majors in chemistry more than double from an average of 11 to over 25.  

Prior results from this research were presented at the 2008 International Conference on Coordination Chemistry in Jerusalem, Israel as a poster entitled, “(Cyclopentadienyl)Vanadium Nitride Complexes”.  The new results described above will be discussed in a presentation at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Salt Lake City UT in 2009.

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