This CAREER award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Melanie Sanford at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor to study the fundamental chemical reactivity of high oxidation state late transition metal complexes including complexes of Pd(IV), Ni(III) and Ni(IV). The proposed studies will provide insights into new modes of reactivity for carbon-heteroatom bond-forming transformations at metal centers, which could ultimately facilitate the industrial synthesis of fine and/or commodity chemicals.
This research will focus on mechanistic aspects of how these metals promote reactions that form of new chemical bonds. The award also supports the development and dissemination of a new model for advanced undergraduate laboratory experiments in catalysis. The proposed laboratory experiments will incorporate modern aspects of the field (for example, the olefin metathesis reaction, the subject of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), and are designed to transition the students from a traditional laboratory course to a highly authentic research-like laboratory experience. This new course format is expected to increase undergraduate participation in research and ultimately in scientific career paths. Additionally, the proposed research projects will provide broad training for diverse undergraduate and graduate students in mechanistic and synthetic inorganic chemistry.
