Ligand Design toward Bifunctional Bond Activation and Catalysis

The selective cleavage and construction of chemical bonds are the foundation of synthetic chemistry. In these processes, transition metal complexes have been broadly utilized to mediate the otherwise difficult transformations, in which the metal center often plays an active role making and breaking bonds, whereas the ligands are spectators. In contrast, the active participation of actor ligands in bond cleavage and formation processes has recently found use in small molecule activation and catalysis. Our group is interested in exploring the synergy of actor ligands and earth-abundant metals (such as iron) in chemical reactions. This lecture showcases our recent research on reactivity of well-defined group 8 complexes bearing N-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene actor ligands toward E–H bond cleavage reactions and their catalytic applications toward organic synthesis.

Representative References: ACS Catal. 2024, 14, 17489–17502; ACS Catal. 2019, 9, 810–818; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 1263; Dalton Trans. 2018, 47, 9889–9896; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 129, 6414–6417; Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 11956–11970.