Ripon College, Chemistry, Ripon, WI 54971
Sulfur-transition metal bonds are frequently encountered in biological (eg. nitrogenase) and industrial processes (eg. hydrodesulfurization). Our aim is to contribute more to the field by exploring the organometallic chemistry of late transition metal complexes bearing thioether chelates and compare them to those bearing conventional ligands. Before doing so, there is one question we hope to address: How soft is sulfur? [put Bryan’s sentences] We have prepared ligands and bound them to the same metal complex and, by use of IR spectroscopy, examine each analogue’s characteristics to possibly discover why sulfur is needed in such a way to remove itself from petroleum products. By using IR, we hope to discover how electron-rich the metal center is by analyzing the carbonyl peaks of the metal complex, according to which ligand is attached. We then hope to discover how ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ (the softer the ligand, the more electron-rich) the thioethers are in relation to others (phosphines, amines). Many different ligands were prepared and some organometallic complexes were synthesized bearing these ligands. We are studying these complexes using IR spectroscopy to address electron richness at the metal center. More ligands will be prepared in the future for comparison when bound to the metal complex. Our progress toward this goal will be described.
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