CHEM 403: Green Chemistry Alternatives: Using Iron as a Catalyst

Many chemists have begun attempting to find alternatives for many reactions that use toxic metal catalysts. One proposed solution is using iron in place of more toxic and expensive transition metals to make catalysts. In order to study the efficacy of iron catalysts, a catalyst was synthesized and used in a Suzuki cross-coupling, a reaction that generates a carbon-carbon bond. This will prove that iron catalyst can be just as effective as traditional palladium catalysts while also being more cost-effective and environmentally friendlier.