Organometallic Complexes and Molecular Oxygen: Developing Mechanistic Understanding

Molecular oxygen represents the ideal oxidant to use in chemical oxidations. It is abundantly available, inexpensive (particularly if used without separation from air) and environmentally benign. However, in homogeneous metal-catalyzed organic oxidations, more expensive and/or hazardous oxidants are often employed. A limiting factor in the development of homogeneous catalytic systems for aerobic oxidations has been a lack of mechanistic understanding of exactly how transition metal complexes react with molecular oxygen. Traditionally, organometallic chemists rigorously protect their compounds from oxygen and so our knowledge of the reactivity of organometallic compounds and oxygen is severely underdeveloped. In this presentation, kinetic and mechanistic studies of the reactions of molecular oxygen with several late metal complexes will be presented along with our nascent understanding of the various mechanistic pathways available for oxygen insertion reactions. The opportunities and potential for the incorporation of such reactions into hydrocarbon functionalization strategies will also be discussed.

Speaker: Karen Goldberg, University of Pennsylvania