Synthesis and Reactivity of Transition Metal Hydrides

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Michael Heinekey, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program for continued explorations of metal-dihydrogen interactions or metal-alkane interactions. He uses unique NMR techniques including photolysis of precursors in the NMR probe; very low temperature NMR, exchange coupling and tritium NMR to explore the nature of these weak bonds. Heinekey also studies elongated dihydrogen complexes which display novel vibrational and dynamic properties that may provide a "snapshot" of an H-H bond rupture process. The education and training of future scientists and the development of new NMR methods are major impacts of this work. The activation of hydrogen is a critical reaction biologically (hydrogenase enzymes) and industrially. By better understanding how various metal species interact with hydrogen, better homogeneous catalysts and processes may be designed.