One of the most common methods of fine-tuning any catalytic reaction is to alter the ligands around the metal complex. Our laboratory is interested in investigating ligands that produce catalysts that increase catalytic activity and reactivity in biphasic organic/ionic liquid systems.<br/><br/>It has been shown in the literature that ligands having a positively charged moiety remain within the ionic liquid media better than their neutral and anionic analogs. However, the rate of these reactions is still slower than heterogeneous analogs, since much of the reaction chemistry only occurs at the interface between the ionic and organic phases. We have synthesized and fully characterized several imidazolium analogs of diphenylalkylphosphines with different carbon chain lengths between the phosphorus atom and the imidazolium group(s). The separation of the cationic group from the phosphine by a large carbon chain should promote self-assembly of the phosphines into a micellar or monolayer structures at the interface of the biphasic organic/ionic liquid reaction media; increasing catalytic activity.

Synthesis of novel phosphine ligands with an imidazolium tether for use in biphasic reaction media

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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