Transition Metal and Main Group Organometallic Chemistry: Synthesis and Catalysis

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Chemical catalysis is a process by which useful reactions are improved in rate, selectivity and efficiency by addition of a species that is not consumed in the reaction-the catalyst. Transition metal-based catalysts act by providing low energy pathways for making and breaking chemical bonds. For reactions that require energy to go to completion, catalysts may also harvest energy from sunlight to drive reactions forward. Discovery of catalysts that convert CO2 or H2O (two highly abundant small molecules) into useful products or fuels are at the crux of research aimed at finding solutions to major environmental (CO2 utilization) and energy (splitting of water into H2 and O2) problems that face humanity today. Our group is actively involved in the search for new catalysts and light harvesting materials and probing the detailed molecular mechanisms by which they operate. This fundamental knowledge is critical for the development of catalysts for these reactions on an industrially significant scale. This proposal focuses on three main areas of inquiry: