Career Advancement Award-Energetics and Mechanisms of Reductive Elimination Reactions

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Dr. Karen Goldberg, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program of the Chemistry Division under a Career Advancement Award to study the energetics and mechanisms of reductive elimination reactions from Pt(IV) metal centers. Reductive elimination is a fundamental reaction step in organometallic chemistry occurring as the product release step in homogeneous catalytic processes. The goal of this project is to gain a general and practical understanding of the controlling factors of reductive elimination and to develop predictive capabilities of reactivity applicable to a wide variety of substituents. This work will advance Dr. Goldberg's career by providing a basis for preparing a competitive NSF research proposal subsequent to the completion of this Career Advancement Award. Catalytic reactions involving metal ions such as platinum and palladium are common in organic synthesis and provide for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds, for example. These reactions require that organic fragments first add to the metal complex, then react in some fashion, followed by release of a functionalized molecule. The release step, known as reductive elimination, is of fundamental importance, yet the factors affecting it are not well understood. Systematic studies of this step will be performed to gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of this process, and to enhance the ability to predict the outcomes of these reactions.