CH 543: Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis

Credits 3.0

Organometallic chemistry and catalytic reactions have fundamentally changed the way drugs and polymeric materials are made today. Furthermore, they have enabled the synthesis and application of new electronic materials (e.g. in OLEDs and molecular wires) and materials mimicking natural processes (e.g. self-healing and anti-bacterial coatings). This course will establish principles to understand the reactivity of organometallic compounds of transition and main groups metals. Furthermore, metal-free catalysis will be introduced. Pulling on influences from both inorganic and organic chemistry, the class will provide insight into catalysis approaches that have revolutionized synthetic chemistry, enabling highly efficient, sustainable production of compounds that are used in such different areas as drug discovery, protein analysis, and performance plastics. Case studies will be drawn from the current literature and applications that are widely used in industrial and academic settings and will include work that has led to recent Nobel prizes in the area. Recommended preparation includes the organic chemistry sequence (CH2310, CH2320, and CH2330) and CH3410. The course is recommended for both graduate and advanced undergraduate students.