Organic and Organometallic Chemistry

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The Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program funds research which explores the fundamental chemistry associated with reactions involving organic molecules and transition metal complexes. Research in this area will provide knowledge of reaction pathways between metals and organics which will be important in areas such as surface science, material science and heterogeneous catalysis. The goal of this project is the development of detailed mechanistic understanding of reactions between organic molecules and transition metal complexes. One focus of this project is the metal-mediated formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds, since such processes are central to the construction of complex carbon frameworks from simple ones. In addition, emphasis will be placed on organometallic reactions that are involved in the formation of carbon-nitrogen and carbon-oxygen bonds, as substantially less is known at present about these transformations. The project also involves collaborative studies designed to enhance understanding of reaction mechanisms and explore new areas in which organometallic chemistry might have an impact. These include experiments designed to study the thermodynamics of organometallic reactions, measure the rapid rates of reaction of coordinatively unsaturated and paramagnetic intermediates, attach oriented metal-based molecules to electrodes, and examine the possibility of utilizing metal complexes bound to antibodies as catalysts having high specificities.