Topical Presentation:    

Catalyzed Organic Reactions in Ionic Liquids

 
Speaker:     William M. Nelson
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Waste Management & Research Center

Date: Friday, March 22, 2002
Location:   Chicago Marriott O'Hare
(Same as main meeting)
Times:
Topical Group: 5:30-6:30 P.M.
Social Hour: 6:00- 7:00 P.M.
Dinner: 7:00 P.M.
Meeting: 8:00 P.M.

Abstract:

William M. Nelson The chemical industry is under considerable pressure to replace many of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are currently used as solvents in organic synthesis. This is an important driving force in the quest for novel reaction media. Green chemistry principles provide the guidelines (in broad terms) for chemists engaged in organic synthesis. The key to waste minimization in chemistry is the widespread substitution of classical 'stoichiometric' syntheses by atom efficient, catalytic alternatives. Examples will illustrate two ways in which catalyzed organic reactions in ionic liquids exemplify green chemistry. Firstly, they yield significant rate enhancement and high yield/selectivity. This can be demonstrated across a broad range of reactions. Secondly, they can improve the “greenness” of the syntheses: less energy expenditure, improved atom-economy, reduced solvent distribution into environment, and reduced environmental absorption. The range of reaction types run in ionic liquids will include name organic reactions (e.g., Diels-Alder and Friedel-Crafts) and general organic transformations e.g., (benzoylation, epoxide opening, arylations, and coupling).

Biography:

Since June 1995 Dr. Nelson has been the Process Evaluation Chemist at the Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC) in Champaign, Illinois. In this capacity he directs the Alternative Cleaning Technologies Laboratory (ACTL) and the Alternative Chemical Process Laboratory (ACPL). The work in both labs focuses on the evaluation, design and implementation of cleaning and chemical processes, which will lead to pollution prevention. In addition, he is a Visiting Research Scientist in Chemistry at the University of Illinois. Dr. Nelson received a BS in chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an MS in Organic Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. His doctoral dissertation was: “I. The Photophysics of Methoxyvinylpyrene (MVP); II. Dioxygenation of Activated and Unactivated Olefins.” His thesis advisors were Professors Gary H. Posner (Chemistry) and Howard H. Seliger (Biology). He joined WMRC, after post-doctoral work at the University of Illinois in photochemistry and a few years in university teaching and directing research on antimicrobial compounds. Bill is married to a wonderful woman and has four joyful children, three daughters and one son. They live in Champaign, and enjoy swimming in the summer, skiing in the winter, and running all year round





Updated 1/29/02