Organic and Organometallic Chemistry

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Robert G. Bergman, Chemistry Department, University of California at Berkeley is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division for studies of organometallic reaction mechanisms in homogeneous solution. Efforts will be focused on three projects. The first is a systematic development of the synthesis of late-metal-heteroatom complexes and studies of the mechanisms of the reactions of these compounds with organic substances. Fundamental chemistry of metal-oxygen and -nitrogen single bonds, hydrogen/heteroatom transfer reactions, and the basicity of the electronegative atom in metal-heteroatom complexes are among the topics to be investigated. The second section is a detailed study of the rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation of epoxides. The hydroformylation of other three member ring systems will be included with hopes of developing new, convenient routes to a variety of useful organic products. Thirdly, the reactions of organometallic compounds with free atoms and metastable diatomics will be investigated. The emphasis will be on species that have opened new pathways in organic chemistry, but have not been much applied to organometallic systems. Chemical reactions involving organic molecules and transition metal complexes are fundamental to the understanding of important catalytic and biological processes. This research will expand the fundamental chemical understanding of metal-organic interactions, be applied to more complicated systems, and aid the development of new practical applications in synthetic and catalytic chemistry.