# Iron-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Forming Reactions

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2020 · $308,000

## Abstract

Transition metal catalysis has solved countless problems in total synthesis, pharmaceutical chemistry, and
the production of fine chemicals. While these reactions have traditionally been performed using platinum
group metals (PGMs), there has been a recent push to develop methods that circumvent the need for
expensive and toxic precious metal catalysts. A growing body of research has demonstrated that iron can be
an excellent catalyst across a wide variety of organic transformations, including reactions that have proven
difficult for PGMs, such as the cross-coupling of alkyl halides and Grignard reagents with both high activity and
selectivity. While iron-catalyzed C-C cross-couplings and olefin aminofunctionalizations offer tremendous
potential for sustainable, low-cost methods for selective C-C and C-N bond formation in organic synthesis, a
detailed molecular-level understanding of these systems has remained elusive, thus, hindering rational catalyst
development. This limitation is in stark contrast to palladium chemistry, where detailed studies of active
catalyst structure and mechanism have provided the foundation for the continued design and development of
catalysts with novel and/or improved catalytic performance. Our long-term goal is to develop iron-catalyzed
carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions to the level of understanding currently present
for palladium, thus permitting the rational development of iron chemistry across the spectrum of desired C-C,
C-N and C-X (X = B, F, etc.) bond forming reactions.! In the proposed grant, a novel experimental approach
combining inorganic spectroscopies, density functional theory, synthesis and kinetic studies will be utilized to
provide molecular-level insight into the active iron catalysts and reaction mechanisms involved in iron-
catalyzed C-C cross-coupling and olefin aminofunctionalization. These insights can be utilized to inspire and
facilitate the development of new catalysts and reaction methodologies with improved catalytic performance.
Following our successful work in the prior grant period, the specific aims of the proposal are to: (1) expand
molecular-level understanding of the active iron catalysts and reaction mechanisms present in iron-ligand
catalyzed C-C cross-coupling, (2) expand molecular-level understanding of the active iron catalysts and
reaction mechanisms present in C-C cross-couplings with simple ferric salts, and (3) develop molecular-level
understanding of the active iron catalysts and reaction mechanisms present in iron-catalyzed olefin
aminofunctionalizations. The research is innovative because it involves a novel physical-inorganic approach to
study iron-catalyzed organic reactions and advances our understanding of the active iron species and
mechanisms involved in catalysis to inspire and facilitate the development of improved methodologies. The
proposed research is significant because it is expected to expand the number of molecules that can be mad...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9972950
- **Project number:** 5R01GM111480-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael L Neidig
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $308,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-09-05 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9972950

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9972950, Iron-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Forming Reactions (5R01GM111480-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9972950. Licensed CC0.

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