New Horizons in Catalytic Reactions involving Late Transition Metals

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A catalyst is a substance that promotes reactions, but is not consumed by the reaction. Typically, a catalytic reaction involves several individual steps that collectively are called a catalytic cycle. In many cases, reactions that are catalyzed would not occur in the absence of the catalyst. In addition, catalysts can often be used in very small amounts; this lowers the overall cost of a process. As such, catalysts have considerable advantages to other types of reactions. Transition metal catalysts are increasingly used in the industrial synthesis of pharmaceuticals (e.g., the cholesterol-lowering blockbuster drug Lipitor), materials (e.g., polyethylene, a ubiquitous plastic) and fine chemicals (used in the generation of pharmaceuticals and materials). Despite the obvious importance of transition metal catalysts, the factors that control catalyst activity and the individual steps of a catalytic reaction are often poorly understood. The main goal of my research program is to probe the chemical reactivity of transition metal complexes. This knowledge is essential for the design of chemical processes that are highly efficient and generate minimal chemical waste - two key goals in catalysis research that have widespread significance for the development of safe and sustainable chemical processes. We anticipate that these studies will improve important catalytic reactions. We also anticipate that this work will reveal new knowledge that we (and others) can use to develop fundamentally new, versatile catalytic reactions. To achieve these long-term goals, we will synthesize and isolate numerous metal-containing compounds. We use a wide range of analytical techniques to determine the structures of these new compounds. We then explore their reactivity and study the mechanism in which they are formed. These reactions are used to design improved routes to important bioactive compounds. This unique research program spans the boundaries of organic and inorganic chemistry, and provides excellent training for HQP at all levels.