Jul 2025
Advisor: Professor Kuo-Wei Huang (Chemistry)
Chair: Professor Peiying Hong (Enviromental Science and Engineering)
Committee member: Professor Yoji Kobayashi (Chemistry)
External Member: Wei-Yu Lin (Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan)
Abstract: Transition metal complexes serve as powerful catalysts for a wide range of chemical transformations, with critical applications in pharmaceuticals, materials science, and sustainable energy. In particular, pincer-type metal complexes have emerged as highly efficient and tunable catalysts in homogeneous systems, enabling key processes such as hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, cross-coupling reactions, bond activation, and small molecules activation.
This thesis focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of pyridine-based pincer complexes, including a detailed investigation of the coordination behavior of the PN3 phosphine-pyridine-oxazoline ligands. A systematic study of their coordination chemistry with rhodium(I), palladium(II), nickel(II), and manganese(II) is presented.
bearing bulky substituents on both arms of the benzene ring.
In addition, a bipyridine-based PN3-copper(I) pincer complex is reported, demonstrating exceptional catalytic performance in the hydroamination of terminal alkynes to form imines.
The methodology was successfully applied to a variety of alkyne and amine substrates bearing different functional groups to achieve up to 99% yield of the corresponding imines. Mechanistic investigations, supported by experimental evidence and literature reports, provide valuable insights into the catalytic cycle.
