Thien Nguyen / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Gyeongjin (Jane) Park
Catalytic oxidation reactions play a crucial role in synthetic chemistry by enabling selective oxygen incorporation into molecules. While transition metals have traditionally been the catalysts of choice, recent developments in main-group chemistry suggest that main group elements, in particular the heavy pnictogen oxides such as antimony oxides, can become a promising alternative. However, monomeric Sb-O bonds present scientists with stabilization and reactivity challenges due to the large atomic orbitals and notable electronegativity differences between oxygen and antimony. To address these concerns, bulky substituents and Lewis acids, such as tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, are applied to help stabilize these oxides. In this study, we propose that (C6H5)3SbOB(C6F5)3, a µ-oxo-bridge binuclear compound, can promote oxygen transfer through a Lewis pair interaction mechanism, with the Sb-O-B bridge acting as a stabilizing reactive intermediate. The research examines the compound’s electronic structure as well as reactivity, with the focus on improving its oxygen-transfer efficiency. We evaluate its oxygen atom transfer capability by reacting with triphenyl phosphine, while its reversible interaction with water indicates that it remains stable even in previously incompatible conditions. This flexibility creates new pathways to explore its effectiveness across diverse reaction environments. We also look to broaden the potential of main-group based catalytic systems as visible alternatives to transition-metal catalyst in oxidation reactions, increasing the applications of catalytic oxidation in synthetic chemistry.
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