Saša Korom, PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Pau Ballester, has defended his PhD Thesis entitled “Studies on Iridium(I), Rhodium(I) and Ruthenium(II) Metallocavitands Derived from Resorcin[4] arene” (assigned to the Organic and Analytical Chemistry Department of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili) publicly on April 13th at the ICIQ auditorium.
The members of his evaluation committee were: Prof. Enrico Dalcanale (Università degli estudi di Parma), Prof. Arjan Kleij (ICIQ), and Prof. Ana María Costero Nieto (Universitat de València).
Dr. Korom with his supervisor, Prof. Pau Ballester, and the evaluation committee
Abstract:
This thesis includes the results of fundamental research on metallocavitand chemistry. The first project describes the effects produced by constraining the organometallic complex (THF-d8)•Ir(I)•COD into the aromatic cavity provided by Rebek’s octaamide cavitand. The unexpected dynamic behavior of the included organometallic complex led to the detection of surprising examples of supramolecular isomerism. The second project deals with the synthesis of an unprecedented series of pyridyl-decorated self-folding heptaamide cavitands. The coordination of Rh(I)•COD with the cavitand’s series produced a cationic organometallic complexes with different binding geometries. The produced Rh(I)-complexes were tested as catalysts in the hydrogenation of norbornadiene. The third project discloses the design, synthesis and characterization of a new cavitand functionalized with a terpyridine Ru(II)•(H2O) complex with 2-(phenylazo)pyridine as an ancillary ligand. The Ru(II)•(H2O) metallocavitand was used as a catalyst in the epoxidation reaction of olefins and the oxidation of primary alcohols.