Research Projects

The study aims to develop novel bio-inspired complexes containing two iron atoms in proximity to catalyze the selective aerobic hydroxylation of aromatic C-H bonds. Phenols are a class of alcohols found in various pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and natural products. Introducing phenolic hydroxyl groups at aromatic rings is a challenging task, requiring waste-generating protecting group strategies and careful consideration of electronic directing effects. Current catalysts require waste-generating directing groups and are based on precious metals, which are toxic trace metals. The study hypothesizes that synthetic complexes that mimic the diiron core of the T4MoH enzyme could catalyze selective aromatic C-H hydroxylation using molecular oxygen as the oxidant. The work plan includes Ligand synthesis, synthesis of diiron complexes, Catalytic investigations, and Mechanistic investigations. The main focus will be on iron, with related copper and nickel chemistry also investigated as a risk mitigation step. The study aims to explore the catalytic potential of the diiron complexes towards the oxidation of aromatic C-H bonds and provide insights into the operation mechanism of aromatic C−H bond oxidation by synthesized bimetallic complexes.