Presenter : Aditya Nathan
Mentor : Bryan Nell
Major : Biochemistry
Poster 7
Although society is progressing towards increased dependency on alternative sources of energy, natural gas remains as the one of the most relied upon sources of energy. A major contaminant of natural gas is dinitrogen. Our research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a water-soluble macrocyclic iron-phosphine complex that is capable of reversibly binding dinitrogen. Our intended method for developing such a complex involves a multistep process beginning with a template synthesis, which involves the coordina- tion of open-chain phosphine ligands to a transition metal atom (specifically Ni(II), Pd(II), or Pt(II) for the sake of square planar geom- etry). Subsequently, the components would be linked/bridged together using base and an alpha/omega dihalide to form the macrocycle. The complex would then be demetallated using cyanide ion or a sulfide source and subsequently coordinated to Fe(II). In order to confer the complex with water-solubility, we plan on adding water-soluble functional groups to the side chains of the macrocycle. Thus far, we have been able to synthesize and characterize key intermediate complexes that serve as the precursor for the macrocycles. In addition, we have investigated methods for macrocyclizing the intermediate complexes.