Keith Hollis (Faculty Member is Retired, or has otherwise left the University)
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Phone Number: (662)915-5337
Email: hollis@olemiss.edu
http://server.chem.olemiss.edu/hollis-group/index.html

Key Words: Fundamental Catalyst Design and Development: N-heterocyclic carbene Pincer complexes of the transition metals, Nanomaterials

Research Description: Our group is focused on developing novel architectures to provide the next privileged ligand. We attack this problem by doing the fundamental chemistry necessary to design, prepare and explore new architectures. Our present project involves the development of a new class of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, a CCC-NHC pincer architecture, which we conceived, designed and developed. To achieve our ligand architecture a new synthetic methodology was developed that is mild, fast and general. As illustrated in the equation below a Zr amide activated all three C-H bonds simultaneously. The Zr complex efficiently transmetallated to Rh in good to excellent yields. X-ray crystal structures are illustrated in the figure below for a) the asymmetric unit and b) the iodo-bridged dimer of the Rh complex with the butyl groups omitted for clarity. Current work involves the generalization of this methodology for other ligand structures and different metals. We are also develpoping chiral variants of the pincer carbene architecture. Nano-Materials/ Nano-Science Preparation of new nanomaterials based on our complexes through templated synthesis has been accomplished. Use of a standard procedure employing Porous Anodized Alumina Membranes as templates for the synthesis of organometallic nanotubes has been demonstrated. Study of the fundamental nature and control of these materials is underway.

Honors Theses:

LaBonia, Gabriel J. (2014) Synthesis and Characterization of a New Bimetallic Catalyst, GJL-46, and Its Use in the Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene. (full text)