New Reagents and Materials from Highly Reactive Metals

The primary long term objective will be the large scale production of novel organometallic reagents prepared from highly reactive Rieke Metals. Primary metals to be examined include zinc, magnesium, copper, and calcium. The development of highly reactive Rieke Metals allows the direct oxidative addition of these metals to a variety of carbon-halogen bonds to yield many classes of organometallic reagents which previously could not be prepared. In particular, highly functionalized organozinc and organocopper reagents are now possible. Highly reactive magne- sium allows the preparation of difficult to prepare Grignards and a highly significant new organometallic class of reagents: (2-butene-1,4-diyl)magnesium reagents. Highly reactive calcium can be used for the generation of calcium derivatized polymers. These polymers can be functionalized with a wide variety of electrophiles, including chiral substrates, leading to novel chromatographic materials for the separation of enantiomers. The organozinc, organocopper, and 1,3-butadiene magnesium complexes have considerable potential in the synthesis of a wide range of drugs, drug delivery systems, agrochemicals, novel membranes, and polymers, including highly conducting polymers.