This renewal award, made to the University of Utah in support of the research of Professor John Gladysz, deals with the structure, bonding, dynamic behavior and reactivity of transition metal/main group element complexes. Specifically, complexes of a chiral rhenium nitrosyl fragment with alkyl halides, amides, sulfides and sulfoxides will be prepared, characterized and their chemistry investigated. The chiral metal center will facilitate mechanistic studies and the development of applications in asymmetric organic synthesis. Alkyl halide complexes will be tested as asymmetric alkylation reagents, amide base complexes will be screened for asymmetric deprotonation and sulfide complexes will be screened for asymmetric oxidation to sulfoxides. %%% A comprehensive study of transition metal/main group element complexes will provide insights into their structure and reactivity patterns and possibly lead to a variety of applications such as precursors to solid-state materials and as catalysts or reagents for asymmetric organic synthesis.
