Graduation Year

2022

Date of Submission

12-2021

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Reader 1

Nancy Williams

Reader 2

Ariel Vaughn

Abstract

Recent years have seen enormous developments in Green Chemistry, a field defined by the aim to refine and alter common chemical procedures in ways that eliminate or reduce their hazardous effects both on the environment and on human health. This work looks at proposed ways to make benzylic brominations greener, as they are widely-utilized reactions. Our particular focus on benzylic brominations is due to their importance in the synthesis of pincer complexes, which are the focus of research in our lab. There are several substances of concern in bromination reactions, including the use of CCl4, Br2, and NBS. The most promising avenues for greener brominations in the literature replace the harmful solvent, CCl4, with other more environmentally friendly solvents such as methyl or ethyl acetate, or diethyl carbonate. Other improvements in the literature include intense visible light as a substitute for AIBN and microwave reactors as a way of speeding up reaction times to allow these solvents to give product in the same time frame observed with CCl4 and with a lower energy input.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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