Project Staff:	Kimberly Miller	Synthesis and Mechanistic Studies of Palladium(II) Complexes for the Activation of Olefins for Alkoxylation and Cyclopropanation Reactions and as Catalysts for the Separation of Alcohol Enantiomers
	Terutaka Kitagawa	Mechanistic Kinetic Studies of PdCl2(CH3CN)2 / Benzyl Alcohol, Methyl Vinyl Ketone System

The focus of my project is to synthesize Palladium(II) complexes to be used as catalysts and study their reactivity for several different reactions. In addition, it is important to not only synthesize viable catalysts but also to elucidate their mechanism of action. So far, several Palladium(II) salen and oxazoline complexes have been synthesized and investigated.¹ The synthesis of new Palladium(II) catalysts are currently being developed for both the further investigation into the alkoxylation of alcohols and for the kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols. Furthermore, the mechanism for the model system for the alkoxylation of alcohols using Pd(NCCH₃)₂Cl₂ and an activated olefins has been defined.

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1K.J. Miller, J.H. Baag, M.M Abu-Omar, Inorg. Chem.,1999, 38, 4510-4514.