Daniel Mindiola

New Developments in Dehydrogenation of Volatile Alkanes with Ti-C Multiple Bonds.

We will present the reactivity of a transient titanium alkylidyne (PNP)Ti≡C^tBu (PNP = N[2-P(CHMe₂)₂-4-methylphenyl]₂^–), specifically how this species engages in intermolecular C-H activation and functionalization reactions. Such species can dehydrogenate methane, and C2-C8 alkanes selectively at the terminal position (in the case of linear alkane C4-C8) to form the olefin product. The mechanism to this transformation as well as other new reactions such as the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane, trapping reactions, and denitrogenation of N-heterocycles (if time permitted) will be presented and discussed. A new catalytic cycle for dehydrogenation of alkanes will be also presented as well as the formation of new Ti-C mulitiply-bonded scaffolds such as phosphino-alkylidenes and alkylidynes and phosphonio-alkylidynes.