Alan Goldman

Catalytic Alkane Conversion with Pincer-Iridium Complexes: Mechanism and Selectivity

The ability of pincer-iridium complexes to catalyze the dehydrogenation of n-alkanes has been well established in the past 15 years, and more recently exploited in a number of tandem or concerted catalytic systems. Possibly the most promising aspect of these systems (or transition-metal based systems for alkane conversion in general) is the ability to afford high selectivity, in particular for products that results from cleavage of the stronger C-H bonds in the substrate. Many aspects of the full mechanistic cycle ultimately determine the selectivity or product distribution of a catalytic system. Several alkane conversion systems that have been developed in our laboratory will be discussed, with an emphasis on the mechanistic aspects that determine selectivity.