Theses and Dissertations
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2937-640X
Advisor
Hollis, T. Keith
Committee Member
Lovely, Carl
Committee Member
Scott, Colleen
Committee Member
Webster, Charles
Committee Member
Maji, Rajat
Date of Degree
5-15-2026
Original embargo terms
Embargo 2 years
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Major
Chemistry
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Chemistry
Abstract
Azolium salts are stable, commercially available precursors to N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). Today, there is no shortage of methodologies to synthesize mono or poly-azolium salts which coordinate to a metal via the normal NHC binding mode upon deprotonation. The Hollis group employs copper-catalyzed Ullman reactions and N-alkylation/ arylation reactions to synthesize phenylene-bridged bis-azolium salts as bis-normal N-heterocyclic carbene precursors. In Chapter II, the use of these nNHC precursors is explored for the synthesis of CCC-nNHC-Pt pincer complexes with auxiliary azolide ligands. CCC-nNHC-Pt-azolide complexes were found to emit in solution and solid state. The excited state lifetimes of the CCC-nNHC-Pt-azolide complexes were measured between 0.12 and 0.27 μs. In Chapter III, the synthesis and characterization of reactive oxo complexes of Pt is was explored. Noticeable changes in the IR spectrum and loss of emission suggest the BuCiCiCBu-Pt-Cl complex is being oxidized upon the addition of dioxirane. Far less examples to synthesize tridentate pincer ligands with bis-abnormal NHCs exist. A methodology to convert the bis-nNHC precursor to the bis-abnormal NHC precursor was devised in Chapter IV. The C-H functionalization of the two C2 protons of a bis-imidazolium salt with phenyl iodide is an efficient pathway to access phenylene bridged bis-abnormal NHC precursors. The metalation and transmetalation of the bis-abnormal NHC precursors are yet to be widely explored in our group. However, promising results with a bis-abnormal NHC Pt pincer complex and the ability to now access other precursors allow for much opportunities to discover.
Recommended Citation
Cecil, Alan Christopher, "The synthesis of bis-azolium salts and their metal complexes of group 10: For applications in catalysis and OLED devices" (2026). Theses and Dissertations. 6879.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6879
