Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7204-9835

Advisor

Emerson, Joseph P.

Committee Member

Stokes, Sean L.

Committee Member

Collins, Galen A.

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Chemistry

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Chemistry

Abstract

This thesis explores two sustainable methodologies by modifying established catalytic processes using group ten metal complexes from nickel and palladium. Efforts were made to provide alternatives for processes that often do not follow the principles of green chemistry. In the first project, a nickel(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complex was used to perform catalytic hydrogenation of 2-acetylpyridine under mild conditions. The complex was synthesized and characterized with techniques including mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR. Following this, the reactions were carried out to optimize conditions and yield moderate conversions. For the second project, the Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling of 7-chlorotryptophan occurred utilizing a palladium complex with the Buchwald ligand sSPhos. The research investigated challenges with aryl chlorides and performed optimizations for successful coupling. Products with a significant variation to the fluorescent emission were identified utilizing LC-MS and were discussed with other byproducts. The resulting yields were estimated to show moderate conversion with minimal signal overlap.

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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