Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
Synthesis of THF Coordinated Monomeric Group 13 Metal Alkoxide Adducts and Catalytic Activity thereof
Technology Category/Market
Technology: Synthesis of THF coordinated monomeric group 13 metal alkoxide adducts and catalytic activity
Category: Chemistry & Chemical Analysis
Industry: Chemical
Application: High molecular weight polymers
Market: The global market size reach USD 5.31 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period (2023–2031).
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Problem Statement
- Group 13 metal isopropoxide is a metal precursor in organic and organic transformations, but is challenging to isolate due to its tricoordinate metal center oligomerizing.
- The synthesis of this isopropoxide relies on direct addition of isopropyl alcohol to benzene solution of metal chlorides for aluminum or salt metathesis reaction of Group 13 metal chlorides with alkali-metal alkoxides for gallium and indium. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a colorless, stable, and volatile liquid used in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial synthesis.
- The current invention aims to synthesize group 13 metal alkoxides economically, easily isolated, and with minimal impurities.
- The synthesized alkyl alcohol adducts satisfy their fourth coordination and are useful for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of rac-LA, enabling the synthesis of high-molecular-weight PLA.
Technology
- Synthesizing spheres from Sm:ZnO micro-spherical cavities using simple laser ablation.
- Creating undoped and 1% Sm:ZnO microspheres using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser beam.
- Collecting liquid droplets formed as spheres on quartz substrates.
- Making targets from nanoparticle powder synthesized by sol-gel route, cold pressed, and sintered at 1100°C for 12 hours.
- Coupling major Sm3+ f-f emissions from transitions from 4G5/2 to its low-lying multiplets.
- Doping ZnO with Sm ion to form 4f levels in the forbidden gap of ZnO.
- Coupling sharp emissions from inter-band states and characteristic ZnO emissions to WGMs of the cavity.
Key Features/Value Proposition
THF-Coordinated Metal Alkoxides Synthesis
- Synthesizes monomeric group 13 metal alkoxides using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a coordinating solvent.
- THF occupies the fourth coordination site around the metal atom, ensuring stable monomeric alkoxides without oligomerization
Minimizes Chlorine Contamination:
- THF in the reaction medium minimizes chlorine contamination in the final product.
Improved Synthesis Method:
- Reaction of metal halides with isopropanol and THF avoids excess alkali metals, making the process more efficient.
Provides Hard Metal Center Coordination:
- THF fills the fourth coordination site of the metal center, providing additional stability and reducing oligomerization risk.
Catalytic Application in Polymer Synthesis:
- THF-coordinated metal alkoxides show potential in polymerization of materials like PLA, achieving high molecular weight polymers.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. Debashis Chakraborty
Department of Chemistry
Intellectual Property
IITM IDF Ref. 2752
Patent No: IN 549550
Technology Readiness Level
TRL- 3
Experimentally Proof of concept