Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Sherman, Suzanne

Area of Concentration

Chemistry

Abstract

The crude ligand bis(3,5-di-tert-butylpyrazol-1-yl) acetate (previously synthesized in the Sherman lab) was purified by column chromatography and characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT-135 NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. Improved purity was supported by TLC and a narrower melting range. In attempts to synthesize a 1:1 complex of bdtbpza and Mg2+, the purified ligand was used to synthesize a magnesium complex by reaction with the magnesium salt, magnesium trifluormethanesulfonate. Complexation of the ligand by magnesium was indicated by chemical shift changes in the 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra and changes in the carbonyl region in the IR spectrum. Elemental analysis suggests that water is coordinated to magnesium in the product. Difficulty precipitating the complex from solution, however, precluded further elucidation of the magnesium complex’s structure. Solvent effects on chemical shifts of the ligand and other potential synthetic routes are discussed, as well as the application of this work to modelling the enzyme RuBisCO.

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