Author (Your Name)

Jonathan Natkin, Colby College

Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Open Access)

Department

Colby College. Chemistry Dept.

Advisor(s)

Rebecca R. Conry

Second Advisor

Dasan M. Thamattoor

Abstract

Aziridines are three-membered rings containing one nitrogen atom. They are useful as synthetic intermediates in many organic reactions. Much work has been devoted to synthesizing their analogs, cyclopropanes and epoxides, but little work has been done on the aziridination reaction. This study endeavored to probe the efficiencies of novel copper aziridination catalysts with N3 and S3 macrocyclic ligands compared to an NS2 analog for the reaction with the nitrene precursor (N-(paratosylsulfonyl) imino)phenyliodinane, PhINTs, and the olefin styrene. The nitrogen containing catalyst complex gave higher yields than the sulfur containing catalyst complex. Both ligands were found to decrease the yield of the aziridination reaction relative to the catalyst complex Cu(acac)2. However, for the N3 ligand system, only a slight decrease occurred and the possibility remains that the system could be adjusted to obtain higher yields. Preliminary studies using an NS2 macrocyclic ligand in the copper catalyst complex showed it to have slightly higher yields than the N3 and S3 systems.

Keywords

Catalysts, Ligands, Copper compounds, Nitrogen, Sulfur, Macrocyclic compounds

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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