Professor John Wolfe of the University of Michigan is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program to develop insertion reactions of palladium heteroatoms with olefins. The electronic and geometric features that facilitate alkene insertion into Pd-N or Pd-O bonds will be delineated in this study. This research project examines alkene insertion reactions in palladium alkoxide and palladium amido complexes in order to provide a foundation for related catalytic transformations.
The broader impacts of this project include the development of new reaction sequences and the training of a diverse group of students. Achieving syn insertion of olefins into late metal heteroatom bonds is a key step in numerous important organic transformations. This interdisciplinary project involves undergraduate and graduate students in projects that are likely to impact organic synthesis, with applications to both pharmaceutical and agriculture products.