Synthesis and characterization of (alpha-amidobenzenedithiolato)indium complexes as green redox active catalysts

Abstract

Green Chemistry is an area of interest currently receiving significant attention from both industrial and academic communities. This area aims to develop chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of substances hazardous to human health and the environment. Designing environmentally benign catalysts capable of performing redox reactions has been at the centre of Green Chemistry initiatives. Traditional catalysis is dominated by precious metals, such as palladium and platinum, due to their ability to achieve variable oxidation states and perform redox chemistry. however, significant environmental concerns exist with their use and disposal. Indium could offer an appealing alternative to traditional precious metals due to its environmentally benign nature and tolerance towards various functional groups. By incorporating a redox active ligand, the possibility to create a benign, base-metal-centered redox active catalyst exists. To this end, the objectives of this research project are to synthesize and characterize a series of molecular indium complexes incorporating a redox active amidobenzenethiolate (abt) ligand and test their redox capabilities through use of cyclic voltammetry. The target compound MeIn(abt) (1) has been successfully synthesized via a hydrocarbon elimination reaction of Me3In and H2(abt) and spectroscopically characterized. Synthesis of organoindium reactants Ph3In and Mes3In has required modification of literature procedures, with the latter being successfully isolated in a yield of 47%. Significant progress has been made on the synthesis of MesIn(abt) (3). Further work is required in order to isolate crystals of target compounds for X-ray crystallography and subsequently test their redox properties.