This thesis describes investigations into the catalysed syntheses of amines and imines using organoiridium and organorhodium complexes with N-donor ligands as the catalysts. These catalysed syntheses were achieved via hydroamination, hydrosilylation, and hydrogenation reactions, as well as tandem hydroamination/imine reduction reactions. An in situ catalysis study found that the most active catalysts for the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1) to give 2-methyl-1-pyrroline (4) were formed from a combination of catalyst components that resulted in an electron deficient metal centre, indicating that an alkyne binding mechanism was most likely. The kinetics of the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1), catalysed by the complexes [Rh(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (7), [Ir(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (8), [Rh(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (9),and [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) (bpm = bis(1-pyrazolyl)methane and bim = bis(Nmethylimidazol- 2-yl)methane) were modelled and compared. The nature of the metal centre was found to have the most influence on the rate of the product release step, while the nature of the N-donor ligand was found to have the most influence on the rate of the substrate binding step. The investigation of the catalysed hydroamination of the phenyl substituted alkynylamines 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (2), 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine (13) and 2- phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (34) revealed a difference in catalytic activity between the rhodium and iridium complexes depending on the alkyne substituent. A series of novel rhodium(I) complexes were synthesised: [RhClCO(Mes-DAD(Me))] (38), [RhClCO(Mes-BIAN)] (22), [Rh(COD)(Mes-BIAN)][BF4] (39), [Rh2(COD)2(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (40) and [Rh2(CO)4(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (41), where Mes- DAD(Me) = biacetylbis(2,4,6-trimethylphenylimine), Mes-BIAN = bis(2,4,6- trimethylphenylimino)acenapthene and bmimen = 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-2- imidazolyl)methylene-amino]ethane. The cationic complex 40 was found to be an active hydroamination catalyst, while the neutral complexes 38 and 22 were only active in the presence of the tetraphenylborate counterion. A range of imines was found to be efficiently reduced to their respective amines via hydrosilylation or hydrogenation using the iridium(I) complex [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) as catalyst. The hydrosilylation reaction was found to be significantly faster in a protic solvent (methanol), giving the desilylated amines without the need for a desilylation step. The mechanism of this reaction was proposed to involve a monohydride iridium(I) complex as a key intermediate. The tandem hydroamination/hydrosilylation of a series of alkynylamine substrates was achieved using the iridium complexes 8 and 10, in which the iridium complex catalyses the two mechanistically distinct reactions in the one-pot. Catalysed tandem hydroamination/hydrogenation reactions were also achieved, but were less facile.

This thesis describes investigations into the catalysed syntheses of amines and imines using organoiridium and organorhodium complexes with N-donor ligands as the catalysts. These catalysed syntheses were achieved via hydroamination, hydrosilylation, and hydrogenation reactions, as well as tandem hydroamination/imine reduction reactions. An in situ catalysis study found that the most active catalysts for the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1) to give 2-methyl-1-pyrroline (4) were formed from a combination of catalyst components that resulted in an electron deficient metal centre, indicating that an alkyne binding mechanism was most likely. The kinetics of the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1), catalysed by the complexes [Rh(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (7), [Ir(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (8), [Rh(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (9),and [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) (bpm = bis(1-pyrazolyl)methane and bim = bis(Nmethylimidazol- 2-yl)methane) were modelled and compared. The nature of the metal centre was found to have the most influence on the rate of the product release step, while the nature of the N-donor ligand was found to have the most influence on the rate of the substrate binding step. The investigation of the catalysed hydroamination of the phenyl substituted alkynylamines 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (2), 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine (13) and 2- phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (34) revealed a difference in catalytic activity between the rhodium and iridium complexes depending on the alkyne substituent. A series of novel rhodium(I) complexes were synthesised: [RhClCO(Mes-DAD(Me))] (38), [RhClCO(Mes-BIAN)] (22), [Rh(COD)(Mes-BIAN)][BF4] (39), [Rh2(COD)2(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (40) and [Rh2(CO)4(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (41), where Mes- DAD(Me) = biacetylbis(2,4,6-trimethylphenylimine), Mes-BIAN = bis(2,4,6- trimethylphenylimino)acenapthene and bmimen = 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-2- imidazolyl)methylene-amino]ethane. The cationic complex 40 was found to be an active hydroamination catalyst, while the neutral complexes 38 and 22 were only active in the presence of the tetraphenylborate counterion. A range of imines was found to be efficiently reduced to their respective amines via hydrosilylation or hydrogenation using the iridium(I) complex [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) as catalyst. The hydrosilylation reaction was found to be significantly faster in a protic solvent (methanol), giving the desilylated amines without the need for a desilylation step. The mechanism of this reaction was proposed to involve a monohydride iridium(I) complex as a key intermediate. The tandem hydroamination/hydrosilylation of a series of alkynylamine substrates was achieved using the iridium complexes 8 and 10, in which the iridium complex catalyses the two mechanistically distinct reactions in the one-pot. Catalysed tandem hydroamination/hydrogenation reactions were also achieved, but were less facile.

This thesis describes investigations into the catalysed syntheses of amines and imines using organoiridium and organorhodium complexes with N-donor ligands as the catalysts. These catalysed syntheses were achieved via hydroamination, hydrosilylation, and hydrogenation reactions, as well as tandem hydroamination/imine reduction reactions. An in situ catalysis study found that the most active catalysts for the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1) to give 2-methyl-1-pyrroline (4) were formed from a combination of catalyst components that resulted in an electron deficient metal centre, indicating that an alkyne binding mechanism was most likely. The kinetics of the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1), catalysed by the complexes [Rh(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (7), [Ir(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (8), [Rh(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (9),and [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) (bpm = bis(1-pyrazolyl)methane and bim = bis(Nmethylimidazol- 2-yl)methane) were modelled and compared. The nature of the metal centre was found to have the most influence on the rate of the product release step, while the nature of the N-donor ligand was found to have the most influence on the rate of the substrate binding step. The investigation of the catalysed hydroamination of the phenyl substituted alkynylamines 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (2), 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine (13) and 2- phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (34) revealed a difference in catalytic activity between the rhodium and iridium complexes depending on the alkyne substituent. A series of novel rhodium(I) complexes were synthesised: [RhClCO(Mes-DAD(Me))] (38), [RhClCO(Mes-BIAN)] (22), [Rh(COD)(Mes-BIAN)][BF4] (39), [Rh2(COD)2(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (40) and [Rh2(CO)4(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (41), where Mes- DAD(Me) = biacetylbis(2,4,6-trimethylphenylimine), Mes-BIAN = bis(2,4,6- trimethylphenylimino)acenapthene and bmimen = 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-2- imidazolyl)methylene-amino]ethane. The cationic complex 40 was found to be an active hydroamination catalyst, while the neutral complexes 38 and 22 were only active in the presence of the tetraphenylborate counterion. A range of imines was found to be efficiently reduced to their respective amines via hydrosilylation or hydrogenation using the iridium(I) complex [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) as catalyst. The hydrosilylation reaction was found to be significantly faster in a protic solvent (methanol), giving the desilylated amines without the need for a desilylation step. The mechanism of this reaction was proposed to involve a monohydride iridium(I) complex as a key intermediate. The tandem hydroamination/hydrosilylation of a series of alkynylamine substrates was achieved using the iridium complexes 8 and 10, in which the iridium complex catalyses the two mechanistically distinct reactions in the one-pot. Catalysed tandem hydroamination/hydrogenation reactions were also achieved, but were less facile.

This thesis describes investigations into the catalysed syntheses of amines and imines using organoiridium and organorhodium complexes with N-donor ligands as the catalysts. These catalysed syntheses were achieved via hydroamination, hydrosilylation, and hydrogenation reactions, as well as tandem hydroamination/imine reduction reactions. An in situ catalysis study found that the most active catalysts for the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1) to give 2-methyl-1-pyrroline (4) were formed from a combination of catalyst components that resulted in an electron deficient metal centre, indicating that an alkyne binding mechanism was most likely. The kinetics of the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1), catalysed by the complexes [Rh(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (7), [Ir(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (8), [Rh(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (9),and [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) (bpm = bis(1-pyrazolyl)methane and bim = bis(Nmethylimidazol- 2-yl)methane) were modelled and compared. The nature of the metal centre was found to have the most influence on the rate of the product release step, while the nature of the N-donor ligand was found to have the most influence on the rate of the substrate binding step. The investigation of the catalysed hydroamination of the phenyl substituted alkynylamines 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (2), 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine (13) and 2- phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (34) revealed a difference in catalytic activity between the rhodium and iridium complexes depending on the alkyne substituent. A series of novel rhodium(I) complexes were synthesised: [RhClCO(Mes-DAD(Me))] (38), [RhClCO(Mes-BIAN)] (22), [Rh(COD)(Mes-BIAN)][BF4] (39), [Rh2(COD)2(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (40) and [Rh2(CO)4(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (41), where Mes- DAD(Me) = biacetylbis(2,4,6-trimethylphenylimine), Mes-BIAN = bis(2,4,6- trimethylphenylimino)acenapthene and bmimen = 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-2- imidazolyl)methylene-amino]ethane. The cationic complex 40 was found to be an active hydroamination catalyst, while the neutral complexes 38 and 22 were only active in the presence of the tetraphenylborate counterion. A range of imines was found to be efficiently reduced to their respective amines via hydrosilylation or hydrogenation using the iridium(I) complex [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) as catalyst. The hydrosilylation reaction was found to be significantly faster in a protic solvent (methanol), giving the desilylated amines without the need for a desilylation step. The mechanism of this reaction was proposed to involve a monohydride iridium(I) complex as a key intermediate. The tandem hydroamination/hydrosilylation of a series of alkynylamine substrates was achieved using the iridium complexes 8 and 10, in which the iridium complex catalyses the two mechanistically distinct reactions in the one-pot. Catalysed tandem hydroamination/hydrogenation reactions were also achieved, but were less facile.

This thesis describes investigations into the catalysed syntheses of amines and imines using organoiridium and organorhodium complexes with N-donor ligands as the catalysts. These catalysed syntheses were achieved via hydroamination, hydrosilylation, and hydrogenation reactions, as well as tandem hydroamination/imine reduction reactions. An in situ catalysis study found that the most active catalysts for the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1) to give 2-methyl-1-pyrroline (4) were formed from a combination of catalyst components that resulted in an electron deficient metal centre, indicating that an alkyne binding mechanism was most likely. The kinetics of the hydroamination of 4-pentyn-1-amine (1), catalysed by the complexes [Rh(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (7), [Ir(bim)(CO)2][BPh4] (8), [Rh(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (9),and [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) (bpm = bis(1-pyrazolyl)methane and bim = bis(Nmethylimidazol- 2-yl)methane) were modelled and compared. The nature of the metal centre was found to have the most influence on the rate of the product release step, while the nature of the N-donor ligand was found to have the most influence on the rate of the substrate binding step. The investigation of the catalysed hydroamination of the phenyl substituted alkynylamines 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (2), 4-phenyl-3-butyn-1-amine (13) and 2- phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine (34) revealed a difference in catalytic activity between the rhodium and iridium complexes depending on the alkyne substituent. A series of novel rhodium(I) complexes were synthesised: [RhClCO(Mes-DAD(Me))] (38), [RhClCO(Mes-BIAN)] (22), [Rh(COD)(Mes-BIAN)][BF4] (39), [Rh2(COD)2(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (40) and [Rh2(CO)4(bmimen)](BPh4)2 (41), where Mes- DAD(Me) = biacetylbis(2,4,6-trimethylphenylimine), Mes-BIAN = bis(2,4,6- trimethylphenylimino)acenapthene and bmimen = 1,2-bis[(1-methyl-2- imidazolyl)methylene-amino]ethane. The cationic complex 40 was found to be an active hydroamination catalyst, while the neutral complexes 38 and 22 were only active in the presence of the tetraphenylborate counterion. A range of imines was found to be efficiently reduced to their respective amines via hydrosilylation or hydrogenation using the iridium(I) complex [Ir(bpm)(CO)2][BPh4] (10) as catalyst. The hydrosilylation reaction was found to be significantly faster in a protic solvent (methanol), giving the desilylated amines without the need for a desilylation step. The mechanism of this reaction was proposed to involve a monohydride iridium(I) complex as a key intermediate. The tandem hydroamination/hydrosilylation of a series of alkynylamine substrates was achieved using the iridium complexes 8 and 10, in which the iridium complex catalyses the two mechanistically distinct reactions in the one-pot. Catalysed tandem hydroamination/hydrogenation reactions were also achieved, but were less facile.

The recovery of organometallic catalysts from polymer matrices is of great importance in promoting the application of homogeneous catalysts in industry. Such a green recovery technique will not only popularize the techniques of green catalytic hydrogenation of polymers by Rempel’s group, but also consummates the technique of heterogenization of organometallic catalysts. The high value product of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) with dissolution of Wilkinson’s catalyst [RhCl(TPP)3] was selected as the model polymer matrix for developing a green separation technique. The supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) soluble fluorous Wilkinson’s catalyst [RhCl(P(p-CF3C6H4)3)3] was synthesized and shown exhibit a very limited activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of bulk HNBR. Its recovery from a HNBR matrix using scCO2 however failed. In spite of the assistance of the scCO2 dissolvable chelating ligand thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA), the weak compatibility of scCO2 with rhodium complexes failed again as an extraction solvent for the HNBR matrix. Inspired by the merits of CO2-expanded liquids (CXLs) and the versatility of CO2 in changing the physical properties of polymer melts, CXLs were tested as extracting solvents for separation of Wilkinson’s catalyst from bulk HNBR. CO2-expanded water (CXW) and CO2-expanded alcohols including methanol and ethanol (CXM and CXE) were examined with the assistance of a variety of chelating agents. The investigated chelating agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-Na2), diethylenetriamine (DETA), N,N,N',N',N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), and N,N,N’,N’-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA). CXM and PMDETA were recognized as the optimal combination of extracting solvent and chelating agent for recovery of Wilkinson’s catalyst from HNBR. An extraction system consisting of CXM and PMDETA was carefully investigated with respect to the effects of temperature and pressure on the extraction performance over the temperature range of 40 to 100 °C and the pressure range of 20 to 200 bar. Increasing temperature effectively increased the extraction rate and became less influential when the temperature was above 80 °C. Increasing pressure at a fixed temperature was found to improve the extraction rate followed by suppressing it. Nevertheless, further increasing the pressure to an extreme high value above the respective critical point was able to promote the extraction rate again. The complex effects of pressure were thoroughly investigated by the means of analyzing the dissolution behavior of CO2 in HNBR and the variation of the extraction phase composition at different operational conditions. 0.14 g/mL was determined as the CO2 density by which the optimal pressure at a fixed temperature can be estimated. Based on a careful interpretation of the experimental results, an extraction mechanism was illustrated for interpreting the present extraction system. Additionally, the reactions involved in the extraction process were illustrated to reveal the principal challenges present in the extraction process and pointed out the potential solution for eliminating the obstacles. Two special operations-sequential operation and pressure varying procedure were tested for their effectiveness in enhancing the extraction ratio. A pressure varying procedure was found to be beneficial in further improving the extraction ratio, while sequential operation did not show any promise in enhancing the recovery. At last, the developed technique was shown to be highly efficient in applying it to HNBR particles coagulated from the HNBR latex. A residue of 59 ppm rhodium was obtained after 9 hours of operation. This study establishes a technology platform for separating the expensive catalyst from the polymer matrix, using “green” CO2-expanded liquids.

The recovery of organometallic catalysts from polymer matrices is of great importance in promoting the application of homogeneous catalysts in industry. Such a green recovery technique will not only popularize the techniques of green catalytic hydrogenation of polymers by Rempel’s group, but also consummates the technique of heterogenization of organometallic catalysts. The high value product of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) with dissolution of Wilkinson’s catalyst [RhCl(TPP)3] was selected as the model polymer matrix for developing a green separation technique. The supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) soluble fluorous Wilkinson’s catalyst [RhCl(P(p-CF3C6H4)3)3] was synthesized and shown exhibit a very limited activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of bulk HNBR. Its recovery from a HNBR matrix using scCO2 however failed. In spite of the assistance of the scCO2 dissolvable chelating ligand thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA), the weak compatibility of scCO2 with rhodium complexes failed again as an extraction solvent for the HNBR matrix. Inspired by the merits of CO2-expanded liquids (CXLs) and the versatility of CO2 in changing the physical properties of polymer melts, CXLs were tested as extracting solvents for separation of Wilkinson’s catalyst from bulk HNBR. CO2-expanded water (CXW) and CO2-expanded alcohols including methanol and ethanol (CXM and CXE) were examined with the assistance of a variety of chelating agents. The investigated chelating agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-Na2), diethylenetriamine (DETA), N,N,N',N',N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), and N,N,N’,N’-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA). CXM and PMDETA were recognized as the optimal combination of extracting solvent and chelating agent for recovery of Wilkinson’s catalyst from HNBR. An extraction system consisting of CXM and PMDETA was carefully investigated with respect to the effects of temperature and pressure on the extraction performance over the temperature range of 40 to 100 °C and the pressure range of 20 to 200 bar. Increasing temperature effectively increased the extraction rate and became less influential when the temperature was above 80 °C. Increasing pressure at a fixed temperature was found to improve the extraction rate followed by suppressing it. Nevertheless, further increasing the pressure to an extreme high value above the respective critical point was able to promote the extraction rate again. The complex effects of pressure were thoroughly investigated by the means of analyzing the dissolution behavior of CO2 in HNBR and the variation of the extraction phase composition at different operational conditions. 0.14 g/mL was determined as the CO2 density by which the optimal pressure at a fixed temperature can be estimated. Based on a careful interpretation of the experimental results, an extraction mechanism was illustrated for interpreting the present extraction system. Additionally, the reactions involved in the extraction process were illustrated to reveal the principal challenges present in the extraction process and pointed out the potential solution for eliminating the obstacles. Two special operations-sequential operation and pressure varying procedure were tested for their effectiveness in enhancing the extraction ratio. A pressure varying procedure was found to be beneficial in further improving the extraction ratio, while sequential operation did not show any promise in enhancing the recovery. At last, the developed technique was shown to be highly efficient in applying it to HNBR particles coagulated from the HNBR latex. A residue of 59 ppm rhodium was obtained after 9 hours of operation. This study establishes a technology platform for separating the expensive catalyst from the polymer matrix, using “green” CO2-expanded liquids.

Despite the degradability and biocompatibility of poly(α-hydroxy acids), their utility remains limited because their thermal and mechanical properties are inferior to those of commodity polyolefins, which can be attributed to the lack of side-chain functionality on the polyester backbone. Attempts to synthesize high-molecular-weight functionalized poly(α-hydroxy acids) from O-carboxyanhydrides have been hampered by scalability problems arising from the need for an external energy source such as light or electricity. Herein, an operationally simple, scalable method for synthesizing stereoregular, high-molecular-weight (>200 kDa) functionalized polyesters have been developed by means of controlled ring-opening polymerization of O-carboxyanhydrides mediated by a highly redox reactive manganese complex and a zinc-alkoxide. Mechanistic studies indicated that the ring-opening process proceeded via the Mn-mediated decarboxylation with alkoxy radical formation (Chapter 2). In addition to the polymerization, a two-step facile chemical recycling strategy for poly(α-hydroxy acids) was developed to achieve closed-loop life cycles (Chapter 3). Moreover, this synthetic strategy is not limited to preparing homopolymers and block copolymers but also to producing stereoblock and gradient copolymers (Chapter 4). In particular, the gradient copolymers exhibited better ductility and toughness than their corresponding homopolymers and block copolymers, highlighting the potential feasibility of functionalized polyesters as strong and resilient polymeric materials (Chapter 5). Next, an atom-economical, scalable method for block copolymerization of O-carboxyanhydrides and epoxides to prepare functionalized poly(ester-b-carbonates) with high molecular weights (>200 kDa) was identified, that uses a single Lewis acidic zinc complex at room temperature in the absence of pressurized CO2 (Chapter 6). Kinetic studies showed that the first stage of the process, ring-opening polymerization of the O-carboxyanhydrides, exhibited zero-order kinetics, suggesting that the polymerization rate was independent of monomer concentration, thus allowing for a sharp switch in mechanism without a tapering effect (Chapter 7). The obtained poly(ester-b-carbonates) showed better toughness than their corresponding homopolymers and outperformed some commodity polyolefins (Chapter 8). Exploring this new chemical space of poly(ester-b-carbonates) via stereosequence-controlled synthetic methods would be a critical step toward improving this promising class of functionalized sustainable polymers (Chapter 9). / Doctor of Philosophy / Poly(α-hydroxy acids) is an environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical polyolefins due to their excellent degradability and biocompatibility. However, it is difficult to synthesize high-molecular-weight functionalized polyesters on a large scale due to the inefficient catalysts and the need for external energy, such as light and electricity. Herein, a highly reactive Mn/Zn catalytic system for controllable O-carboxyanhydrides (OCAs) polymerization has been designed. Compared with the previously reported catalytic system, this method can be used to produce low-cost, large-scale preparation of high molecular weight (>200 kDa) polyesters without the need for external energy sources (Chapter 2). In addition, our synthesized polyesters can be completely degraded under mild conditions, thereby achieving a circular economy in the polyester industry (Chapter 3). More importantly, our operationally simple synthetic method could afford polyesters with different compositions, such as homopolymers, block copolymers, stereoblock copolymers, and gradient copolymers (Chapter 4). In particular, the obtained gradient copolymer is tough and ductile that could compete with commercial polyolefins in terms of mechanical and thermal properties, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (Chapter 5). Next, we developed a single Lewis acidic zinc complex to achieve the copolymerization of OCA and epoxide to synthesize poly(ester-b-carbonates), which enriches the class of degradable polymers (Chapter 6). Moreover, this copolymerization showed unique reaction kinetics that enabled the perfectly clean switching of the polymerization mechanism during chain propagation (Chapter 7). The obtained poly(ester-b-carbonates) showed better toughness than their corresponding homopolymers and outperformed some non-degradable plastics (Chapter 8). The exploration of novel degradable polymers by sequence-controlled polymerization to replace non-degradable polyolefin on the market will continue in the near future (Chapter 9).

Les Metal-Organic Frameworks résultent de l’organisation de clusters métalliques et demolécules organiques chélatantes qui forment un réseau cristallin poreux. Leur découverte apermis des avancées majeures dans le domaine du stockage et de la séparation des gaz.Malheureusement la faible stabilité et l’acidité modérée de ces matériaux ne les rendent quepeu compétitifs par rapport aux zéolites dans le domaine du raffinage ou de la dépollution. Ils’agit d’explorer, avec ces matériaux, de nouvelles applications catalytiques en tirant partie deleur principale qualité : leur modularité. En effet le large choix de métaux, de ligands, ainsique la post fonctionnalisation de ces derniers permet la synthèse contrôlée de matériauxpossédant des propriétés de flexibilité, de confinement ainsi qu’un environnement chimiquesimilaire à celui des sites actifs des enzymes. Ce travail s’inspire du procédé catalytique desenzymes pour obtenir des MOFs hautement sélectifs en conditions douces. Nous décrivons ledéveloppement de méthodes pour encapsuler des catalyseurs organométalliques dans despores calibrés afin de modifier la sélectivité d’une réaction d’oxydation et stabiliser lecatalyseur. Quatre MOFs supportant des groupes amino ont été synthétisés afin de permettreleur post fonctionnalisation. Les propriétés de flexibilité ainsi que la distribution des sitespotentiellement actifs du MOF MIL-53 ont également été contrôlés grâce à lafonctionnalisation partielle de la structure. Enfin ces amino MOFs furent post fonctionnalisésen isocyanate en deux étapes afin d’améliorer la réactivité de la structure et de permettre legreffage de diverses amines. Ces outils pourraient permettre à court terme la conception deMOFs dont les pores ont un environnement semblable aux metalloenzymes. / MOFs are generated from the association of metallic clusters connected by organic linkers toform crystalline porous materials. Their discovery was a breakthrough in the domain ofseparation and gas storage. Unfortunately, MOFs have a low stability and moderate acidityand cannot compete with zeolites for use in industrial catalysis. To design a viable MOFcatalyst, we can take advantage of its almost infinite possibility of customisation. Indeed, alarge choice of metal, linkers or post synthetic modifications allow the creation ofenvironments similar to the active sites of enzymes and can lead to the synthesis of solidswith analogue flexibility or “molecular recognition” properties. This work takes inspirationfrom enzymes to mimic their ability to catalyse reactions with high chemio-, region- andenantio-selectivity in mild conditions. We developed a method for the encapsulation oforganometallic complexes in the large pore of MOF MIL-101. The selectivity of an oxidationreaction was modified and the catalyst was stabilised within the MOF. In addition, four aminofunctionalized MOFs were synthesized as starting materials for post functionalization. Theirflexibility and the active site distribution were controlled by the use of a “mixed linker”strategy: functionalized linkers were diluted with unfunctionalized ones during the synthesis.Lastly, these amino-MOFs were post-functionalized in two steps in isocyanate in order toameliorate the structure reactivity and allow for the grafting of a large range of amines. Thiswork brings the tools for the synthesis of potential “artificial enzymes”.

No description available.