This study investigated the electrophilic homocoupling method of creating carbon-carbon bonds using a high-speed ball mill. This method of mechanochemistry was selected as the reactions are greener and have mechanical effects that could potentially result in different chemical outcomes. Mechanochemical reactions are viewed as a greener alternative method due to its ability to exclude solvent in the reaction step. The starting materials used in this project include compounds like aryl halides with no substituents, and aryl halides with electron-donating groups as well as electron-withdrawing groups. NiCl<sub>2</sub>, manganese and bipyridine were selected as the catalytic system due to their original success in reductive coupling reactions. Initially the purpose of the project was to test which additives were necessary for a successful reaction, indicated by the creation of the carbon-carbon bond, with solventless conditions. Once those ideal conditions were found, different starting materials were tested under the same conditions. Different solvents and the amount of solvent used was also explored. Interestingly, solid starting materials did not react. Consequently, varying amounts of solvent were added to the reaction conditions to determine the effect of solvent on the reaction. The main purpose of this project is to determine if there is a way to develop a method for cheaper and greener ways of creating carbon-carbon bonds using a high-speed ball mill.

Nickel catalyzed electrophillic homocoupling reactions using mechanochemistry

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.