The Grotjahn lab has developed two catalysts that are highly selective in the production of (E)-alkenes from terminal alkenes. The cyclopentadienyl (Cp)-catalyst produces a mixture of internal (E) isomers, while the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*)-catalyst selectively produces (E)-2 alkenes in up to ca. 95% yield. Currently, there are several alkene isomerization catalysts that convert terminal alkenes to internal (E)-alkenes relatively selectively, but fewer that select for (Z)-alkenes. As a result, an unmet need is to have a catalyst that makes (Z)-alkenes which tolerate polar functional groups, including alcohol and acid OH groups. We hypothesize that the high (E)-selectivity originates from the bifunctionality of the phosphine ligand. A potential approach to reversing selectivity is to further modify the Cp ligand to incorporate even bulkier R groups and change the position of the nitrogen base. Furthermore, the use of our newly designed Cp ligands to make iridium-based anticancer agents to attempt to significantly reduce cancer’s ability to become resistant to small-molecule therapy will be discussed.<br/>The synthesis and characterization of functionalized cyclopentadienyl ligands, their respective ruthenium and iridium complexes, as well as their efficacy toward selective alkene isomerization and cancer therapy, will be presented.

Transition metal complexes: Toward catalysis and small molecule therapy

256th National Meeting (2018)

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