Les MOFs sont des solides à la structure cristalline poreuse à base de clusters métalliques et de ligands organiques qui font l'objet de très nombreuses études, dans des champs d'applications très variés, qui vont de la catalyse au « drug delivery », en passant par le stockage de gaz et, plus récemment, en tant que senseurs biologiques. Les ligands organiques, qui les constituent, peuvent lorsqu'ils possèdent un point d'ancrage, comme des groupements amino, être fonctionnalisés grâce à des réactions chimiques. Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse reportent la fonctionnalisation de MOFs, via différentes stratégies, comme des greffages covalent et issues de la chimie de coordination, tel que le couplage peptidique ou encore la synthèse d'urée. Dans cette thèse, est notamment présentée une nouvelle méthode permettant de greffer très rapidement des peptides chiraux dans les nanopores des MOFs. Une large bibliothèque MOF-peptides a ainsi été obtenue et caractérisée. Ces nouveaux composés ont également été utilisés pour l'ancrage de complexes organométalliques dans les cavités des MOFs. Suivant un échange de ligands post-synthétique, il a aussi été possible d'intégrer un complexe organométallique photo-catalytique dans la structure d'un MOF, améliorant ainsi ses activités et sélectivités pour la photo-réduction de CO2. Enfin, les performances catalytiques de ces derniers matériaux MOFs se sont révélées supérieures aux versions homogènes des complexes, ce qui offre de nouvelles opportunités pour la catalyse fine / Metal Organic Frameworks, MOFs, are porous crystalline solid based on metal clusters and organic ligands, investigated for numerous applications such as catalysis, drug delivery, gas storage and, more recently, biosensors. The work presented in this thesis focuses on functionalizing MOFs through different strategies, such as covalent grafting or surface coordination chemistry, through chemical reactions, such as peptide coupling or synthesis of urea. In particular, a new method to very quickly graft chiral peptides into the nanopores of MOFs is reported. A large library of MOF-peptides has thus been obtained and characterized. These novel compounds have also been used for grafting organometallics in the cavities of MOFs. Following a post-synthetic ligand exchange, it was also possible to integrate a photocatalytic complex in the structure of a MOF, improving its activities and selectivities for the photocatalytic CO2 reduction. In general, the catalytic performances of these materials were superior to those of their homogeneous counterparts, thus further expanding the potential of MOFs as well-defined heterogeneous catalysts for fine chemistry

Les alpha oléfines linéaires courtes sont des molécules de base en pétrochimie donc le marché est en constante augmentation notamment pour les oléfines légères (butène-1, hexène-1, octène-1). Ces oléfines, utilisées massivement dans l’industrie des plastiques, sont produites par la réaction catalytique d’oligomerisation de l’éthylène. IFPEN a contribué à développer plusieurs procédés homogènes d’oligomérisation de l’éthylène (AlphaButol, AlphaHexol, AlphaSelect) à base des complexes de titane, chrome ou zirconium. A travers une collaboration avec l’Université d’Amsterdam de nouvelles stratégies de développement de ligands ont été entreprises afin de rendre les catalyseurs à base de nickel sélectifs pour cette transformation. Ainsi, une approche supramoléculaire basée sur des interactions par liaison hydrogène, jusqu’alors décrite pour les métaux nobles, a été développée et appliquée aux complexes de nickel. Des complexes organométalliques originaux ont pu être générés et les interactions supramoléculaires ont été caractérisées par diffraction aux rayons X notamment. Ces complexes se présentent sous forme zwitterionique et sont formés par la combinaison de deux ligands simples donneurs et/ou accepteurs d’hydrogène. Ces complexes se sont avérés très actifs vis-à-vis de l’éthylène et ne nécessite pas l’ajout d’activateur du fait de la présence d’une liaison nickel-carbone réactive. Ils ont permis d’accéder à des sélectivités très importantes en butène-1. Appuyé par des expériences in situ et l’évaluation en catalyse de plusieurs complexes aux propriétés électroniques et stériques variées, cette approche a permis d’identifier l’espèce active et de mesurer l’impact de plusieurs descripteurs permettant de moduler la sélectivité et l’activité de la réaction catalytique en profondeur. / The demand for short linear alpha olefins is constantly increasing and motivates the development of robust and selective catalysts. In this thesis, several libraries of phosphorus ligands with the capacity to form dissymmetric or supramolecular assemblies were synthesized. The variability observed within the aminophosphine libraries, clearly reflected by the various tautomeric equilibrium of the ligand, was also observed in the nickel complexes as a single ligand could generate several complexes with different structures. Sulphonyliminobisphosphine were then introduced as a new class of ligands. These precursors rearrange in the presence of nickel to generate diphosphinamine nickel complexes. Activated by MAO, these complexes are active in the reaction of ethylene oligomerisation and produce short chain olefins. A new approach that forms stable supramolecular nickel complexes was developed by combining two phosphorus ligands with Ni(0). These complexes stabilised by hydrogen bonding are directly active in the reaction of ethylene oligomerisation with some catalysts leading to high selectivity to 1-butene (up to 84%). To understand the origin of that selectivity, the scope of complexes was extended to ligands with different steric and electronic properties. Their evaluation in the reaction of ethylene oligomerisation evidenced a relation between the catalyst structure and the selectivity of the reaction. Mechanistic studies, under an ethylene atmosphere, reveals that cationic complexes rearrange to neutral complexes, which are likely, the active species.

Les travaux dans cette thèse ont pour objectif la synthèse de catalyseurs (nanoparticules de cuivre) de taille contrôlée pour la synthèse de nanofils de silicium dans des conditions compatibles CMOS, c'est-à-dire en évitant l'utilisation de l'or comme catalyseur et pour des croissances basse température (<450°C). Les résultats obtenus ont permis de montrer que les techniques de chimie de surface classiquement utilisées pour la préparation de catalyseurs sur des supports 3D (silice, nitrure de titane…) sont directement applicables et transférables sur des supports 2D (wafer de silicium recouvert de films fins de SiO2, SiOx et TiN). Nous avons par exemple pu préparer des nanoparticules de cuivre de taille contrôlée (de 3 nm à 40 nm de diamètre moyen suivant les conditions expérimentales et supports). De plus, les mécanismes de formation des nanoparticules en fonction des propriétés de surface des matériaux étudiés ont été démontrés en combinant diverses techniques d'analyses de surface. La croissance de nanofils de silicium à partir de ces catalyseurs sur substrats 2D a également été réalisée avec succès dans des procédés à basse température. Il a notamment été montré l'existence d'un diamètre minimum critique à partir de laquelle la croissance basse température était possible / The work presented in this PhD thesis aimed at the preparation of copper nanoparticles of controllable size and their utilization as catalysts for the growth of silicon nanowires in a process compatible with standard CMOS technology and at low temperature (< 450°C). The growth of silicon nanowires by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) via the catalytic decomposition of a silicon precursor on metallic nanoparticles at low temperature (Vapor Solid-Solid process) was demonstrated to be possible from an oxidized Cu thin film. However, this process does not allow the control over nanowires diameter, which is controlled by the diameter of the nanoparticle of catalyst. In this PhD is presented a fully bottom-up approach to prepare copper nanoparticles of controllable size directly on a surface without the help of external stabilizer by mean of surface organometallic chemistry. First, the preparation of copper nanoparticles is demonstrated on 3D substrates (silica and titanium nitride nanoparticles), along with the fine comprehension of the formation mechanism of the nanoparticles as a function of the surface properties. Then, this methodology is transferred to planar (2D) substrates typically used in microelectronics (silicon wafers). Surface structure is demonstrated to direct the Cu nanoparticles diameter between 3 to 40 nm. The similarities between the 2D and 3D substrates are discussed. Finally, the activity of the Copper nanoparticles in the growth of Silicon nanowire is presented and it is demonstrated that in our conditions a critical diameter may exist above which the growth occurs

Ce projet de recherche porte sur la formation de nouvelles liaisons C-C et la production de produits chimiques valorisables grâce à l'utilisation de complexes de nickel chélatés. La première partie de cette thèse est dédiée à des complexes bis-phosphines de nickel employés comme catalyseurs pour le couplage croisé de Negishi. Le précatalyseur [(dcpp)Ni(n2-toluene)] (dcpp = 1,3 bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)propane) permet de coupler efficacement des chloro-arènes avec des organozinciques en utilisant de faibles charges catalytiques (0,2 mol% - 0,1 mol%) et des conditions douces (THF, 60 °C). Une étude mécanistique fondée sur des réactions stœchiométriques et des calculs DFT prouve la présence d'intermédiaires Ni(0)/Ni(II) au cours de la catalyse et exclut tout passage par un mécanisme de type Ni(I)/Ni(III). La seconde partie de ce travail porte sur le couplage oxydant entre l'éthylène et le CO2 sur des complexes de nickel chélatés par des bis-phosphines ou des bis-NHC. Une étude cinétique de l'équilibre entre [(dcpp)Ni(C2H4)] et [(dcpp)nickelalactone] a été réalisée. Le complexe [(dcpp)nickelalactone] peut ensuite être réduit et fonctionnalisé en dérivé du propanol en présence de pinacolborane. Des études mécanistiques et catalytiques préliminaires ont eté menées. De plus, de nouvelles méthodologies de synthèses ont été développées afin d'obtenir les premiers complexes [(bis-NHC)Ni(C2H4)] et [(bis-NHC)nickelalactone]. / The aim of this research project is to promote the formation of new C-C bonds and the production of valuable chemicals by using chelated nickel complexes. The first part of this thesis is dedicated to [nickel(bis-phosphine)] complexes employed as catalysts for Negishi cross coupling reactions. Designed Ni(0) precatalyst [(dcpp)Ni(n2-toluene)] (dcpp = 1,3-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)propane) promotes efficiently the Negishi cross coupling between aryl chlorides and phenylzinc chloride derivatives at low catalyst loadings (down to 0.2 mol% - 1 mol%) under mild conditions (THF, 60°C). Mechanistic investigations relying on stoichiometric reactions and DFT calculations prove the involvement of Ni(0)/Ni(II) intermediates rather than Ni(I)/Ni(III) species during the catalysis. The second part of this work deals with the oxidative coupling between ethylene and CO2 at bis-phosphine and bis-NHC chelated nickel complexes for the production of value-added chemicals. The equilibrium between [(dcpp)Ni(C2H4)] and [(dcpp)nickelalactone] has been investigated by kinetic studies. The subsequent cleavage of [(dcpp) nickelalactone] by pinacolborane leads to its reductive functionalization into a propanol derivative. Preliminary mechanistic and catalytic investigations have been undertaken. Moreover, new methodologies are provided for the synthesis of the first [(bis-NHC)Ni(C2H4)] and [(bis-NHC)nickelalactone] complexes.

<div>Enantioselective syntheses of hexacyclic aspidoalbidine alkaloids (+)-fendleridine and (+)-acetylaspidoalbidine are described. These syntheses feature an asymmetric decarboxylative allylation and photocyclization of a highly substituted enaminone. Also, the synthesis highlights the formation of a C19-hemiaminal ether via a reduction/condensation/intramolecular cyclization cascade with the C21-alcohol. The present synthesis provides convenient access to the aspidoalbidine hexacyclic alkaloid family in an efficient manner.</div><div>A copper-catalyzed cross-coupling is described. Use of Cu(I) salts in the presence of allyl bromides and organostannyl furans were found to undergo catalytic turnover under ambient conditions and afford the coupled products in good to great yields. Model substrate screening led to conditions used in the concise formal synthesis of FR901464 analogues. Optimization of the described coupling step led to suppression of undesired isomers and byproducts affording the desired diene coupled product in high yield, stereo-, and regioselectivity on a multigram scale. Novel protection of the resulting diene moiety as an unconventional protecting group, and a facile four-step single column chromatographic stereoselective sequence are also reported.</div>

<p dir="ltr">Transitioning to a carbon-neutral future will require a broad portfolio of green energy generation and storage solutions. With the abundant availability of solar radiation across the Earth’s surface, energy generation from photovoltaics (PVs) will be an important part of this green energy portfolio. While silicon-based solar cells currently dominate the PV market, temperatures exceeding 1000 °C are needed for purification of silicon, and batch processing of silicon wafers limits how rapidly Si-based PV can be deployed. Furthermore, silicon’s indirect band gap necessitates absorber layers to exceed 100 µm thick, limiting its applications to rigid substrates.</p><p dir="ltr">Solution processed thin-film solar cells may allow for the realization of continuous, high-throughput manufacturing of PV modules. Thin-film absorber materials have direct band gaps, allowing them to absorb light more efficiently, and thus, they can be as thin as a few hundred nanometers and can be deposited on flexible substrates. Solution deposition of these absorber materials utilizing molecular precursor-based inks could be done in a roll-to-roll format, drastically increasing the throughput of PV manufacturing, and reducing installation costs. In this dissertation, solution processed synthesis and the characterization of two emerging direct band gap absorber materials consisting of earth abundant elements is discussed: the enargite phase of Cu₃AsS₄ and the distorted perovskite phase of BaZrS₃.</p><p dir="ltr">The enargite phase of Cu₃AsS₄ (ENG) is an emerging PV material with a 1.42 eV band gap, making it an ideal single-junction absorber material for photovoltaic applications. Unfortunately, ENG-based PV devices have historically been shown to have low power conversion efficiencies, potentially due to defects in the material. A combined computational and experimental study was completed where DFT-based calculations from collaborators were used inform synthesis strategies to improve the defect properties of ENG utilizing new synthesis techniques, including silver alloying, to reduce the density of harmful defects.</p><p dir="ltr">Chalcogenide perovskites are viewed as a stable alternative to halide perovskites, with BaZrS₃ being the most widely studied. With a band gap of 1.8 eV, BaZrS₃ could be an excellent wide-bandgap partner for a silicon-based tandem solar cell.Historically, sputtering, and solid-state approaches have been used to synthesize chalcogenide perovskites, but these methods require synthesis temperatures exceeding 800 °C, making them incompatible with the glass substrates and rear-contact layers required to create a PV device. In this dissertation, these high synthesis temperatures are bypassed through the development of a solution-processed deposition technique.A unique chemistry was developed to create fully soluble molecular precursor inks consisting of alkaline earth metal dithiocarboxylates and transition metal dithiocarbamates for direct-to-substrate synthesis of BaZrS₃ and BaHfS₃ at temperatures below 600 °C.</p><p dir="ltr">However, many challenges must be overcome before chalcogenide perovskites can be used for the creation of photovoltaic devices including oxide and Ruddlesden-Popper secondary phases, isolated grain growth, and deep level defects. Nevertheless, the development of a moderate temperature solution-based synthesis route makes chalcogenide perovskite research accessible to labs which do not have high temperature furnaces or sputtering equipment, further increasing research interest in this quickly developing absorber material.</p>

Chemical modification of proteins is critical for many areas of biochemistry and medicine. Several methods for site-selective protein modification are reported in this Thesis that are useful in accessing both natural and artificial protein architectures. Multiple, complementary methods for the conversion of cysteine to dehydroalanine are described. Dehydroalanine is used as a general precursor to several post-translational modifications and glycosylation, polyprenylation, phosphorylation, and lysine methylation and acetylation are all accessible. These modifications and their mimics were explored on multiple proteins, including histone proteins. Unnatural modifications were also explored. The first examples of olefin metathesis and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling on protein substrates are reported. Allyl sulfides were discovered to be remarkably reactive substrates in olefin metathesis, allowing use of this reaction in water and on proteins. For Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, a new catalyst is described that is fully compatible with proteins. Both olefin metathesis and cross-coupling allow the formation of carbon-carbon bonds on proteins. The prospects of these transformations in chemical biology are discussed. Finally, a novel strategy is reported for the installation of natural, unnatural, and post-translationally modified amino acid residues on proteins. This technology relies on addition of carbon radicals to dehydroalanine. This method of "chemical mutagenesis" is anticipated to complement standard genetic manipulation of protein structure.

Le travail décrit dans ce mémoire concerne l'étude de la métallation régiosélective de deux bicycles fusionnés complexes : les furo[3,2-b]- et [2,3-c]pyridines. L'influence de la nature du système basique sur le cours de la réaction et sur la régiosélectivité de la lithiation a été étudiée avec différentes bases : n-BuLi, LTMP, LDA et [n-BuLi/LiDMAE]. D'un point de vue fondamental, cette étude nous a permis d'établir quelques règles pour la fonctionnalisation des hétérocycles complexes, ce qui nous a conduit à l'obtention efficace et rapide d'une vaste chimiothèque de furo[3,2-b]- et [2,3-c]pyridines polyfonctionnalisés et refonctionnalisables. Quelques composés préparés ont ainsi été mis en jeu dans des réactions de couplage catalysées par les métaux de transition (Pd, Ni). Les difficultés rencontrées au cours de ce travail nous ont permises de mettre en évidence une séquence de double fonctionnalisation des hétérocycles ?-déficients par une séquence "one-pot" combinant le piégeage d'un intermédiaire lithié par un électrophile et l'addition nucléophile d'une espèce réactive générée in-situ. Le développement de cette séquence nous a conduits à l'obtention directe de pyrazines, pyridines et furo[3,2-b]pyridines disubstituées / The work described in this PhD thesis concerns a regioselective metalation study of two fused heterocycles : the furo[3,2-b]- et [2,3-c]pyridines. The influence of the lithiated agent on the reaction course and on the selectivity of the lithiation has been studied with several bases : n-BuLi, LTMP, LDA and [n-BuLi/LiDMAE]. From a fundamental point of view, this study allowed us to establish some rules concerning the functionalisation of fused heterocycles, and then, a chemical library of polyfunctionalised furo[3,2-b]- and [2,3-c]pyridines has been designed. Some of the compounds obtained in this way were engaged in metallo-catalysed coupling reactions. The difficulties we met during this work allowed us to discover a double functionalisation sequence of ?-deficient heterocycles via a cascade process combining the trapping of lithiated intermediates and the nucleophilic addition of some in-situ released species. The development of this sequence afforded direct access to difunctionalised pyrazines, pyridines and furo[3,2-b]pyridines

This thesis explores the capacity of sterically and electronically unsaturated boranes to bind substrates of biological and environmental interest, and transduce such binding events into a photo-physical and/or electrochemical response, hence reporting the presence of these substrates. Chapter three details the synthesis of a range of novel ferrocenyl boranes featuring either a proximal hydrogen-bond donor or a second Lewis acidic centre. These novel boranes were shown to be competent at binding both cyanide and fluoride anions, with the role played by a proximal hydrogen-bond donor or a second Lewis acidic centre in anion binding investigated by both NMR and crystallographic studies. Chapter four reports the synthesis of novel pyridinyl and related boronic esters, as well as unexpected mixed alkenyl/aryl boranes. The capacity of both types of system to bind fluoride or cyanide anions in solution was investigated by UV-Vis and NMR studies. The photo-physical responses to these anions were also probed, leading to the establishment of both switch-on and switch-off fluorescent responses. Chapter five extends the knowledge derived from selective anion receptor design and combines this with recent developments in the field of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) to activate, bind and report the presence of nitrous oxide (N₂O) molecule. Thus, the syntheses of novel, highly Lewis acidic ferrocenyl boranes that incorporate a high degree of steric loading around the boron centre are reported. The electrochemical and photo-physical response of an FLP system to the presence of N₂O was investigated leading to the development of a novel N₂O reporting system.

This Thesis describes the synthesis and characterisation of sulfonamide supported titanium, zirconium and aluminium complexes and their use as ring opening polymerisation catalysts for ε-caprolactone and rac-lactide. Chapter 1 introduces polyester use, development and characterisation in general. Metal catalysed ring opening polymerisation of cyclic esters is considered in a literature review of the field. Titanium, zirconium and aluminium complexes supported by polydentate sulfonamide ligands are also discussed. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis and characterisation of new sulfonamide supported titanium amide, isopropoxide and zirconium isopropoxide complexes. Their application as catalysts for the ring opening polymerisation of ε-caprolactone and rac-lactide is discussed and compared with known zirconium isopropoxide complexes supported by bis(phenolate) amine ligands. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis and characterisation of Cs symmetric titanium amide and alkoxide complexes supported by dianionic, tri- and tetradentate sulfonamide ligands. Zirconium alkyl and amide complexes supported by C3- symmetric trianionic ‘tren’ type ligands bearing three different sulfonamide groups are also presented. The application of these complexes for the ring opening polymerisation of ε-caprolactone and rac-lactide is described and compared with the complexes presented in Chapter 2. Chapter 4 provides an overview of the synthesis and characterisation of aluminium alkoxide and alkyl complexes supported by dianionic, tri- and tetradentate sulfonamide ligands. Solution state behaviour and solid state structures are presented and discussed. An assessment of these complexes for the ring opening polymerisation of rac-lactide is presented. Chapter 5 presents full experimental procedures and characterisation data for the new complexes reported. CD Appendix contains .cif files for all new crystallographically characterised complexes described, and additional polymerisation graphs.