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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 29
(2024) pp 141-150
Dehydrocoupling: A General Route to Bonds Between P-Block Elements
Rory Waterman
Department of Chemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, rory.waterman@uvm.edu
Published: 27 December 2024
Abstract. Dehydrocoupling is a unique reaction to p-block elements that allows for the formation of bonds between these main group elements with loss of hydrogen. The transformation is highly atom economical, and hydrogen is a relatively benign byproduct that also provides the thermodynamic driving force for the reaction. For these reactions, couplings between most of the p-block elements are known. In the instance when bonds between the same elements are formed, then this reaction primarily applies to elements in the third period (3p) and heavier. For reactions between different elements, most any combination of p-block elements is possible. These reactions are known to make small molecules and polymers. Catalysts for this reaction include metal compounds (i.e., organometallic catalysts), Lewis acids, and frustrated Lewis pairs, and the mechanisms of dehydrocoupling are highly varied, representing much of the spectrum of catalysis.
Key Words: Of Special Interest; organic chemistry
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: rory.waterman@uvm.edu)
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