Organometallic Chemistry

The course concerns the transformations of organic compounds using metals from the main groups, transition series, lanthanides and actinides. We will learn the electronic structures of the complexes and the major bonding modes between metals and common ligands. Once the electronic structure is understood, we will examine reactivity of the complexes by scrutiny of selected stoichiometric reactions. In continuation of the course we will survey the main families of organometallic complexes from both the structural and reactivity standpoints. We will study the most important catalytic cycles with emphasis placed on homogeneous catalysis, because it is in this area that the mechanisms are mostly firmly established in this area.

The catalysis part of the course will also include a section on bio-organometallic chemistry, i.e. devoted to the main examples of enzymatic catalysis involving transition metal-carbon species.

A section will be devoted to the applications of metals in organic synthesis and will rely on the concepts developed in other parts of the course. We will summarizethe various catalytic means of forming carbon-carbon bonds and in particular the use of palladium (Tsuji-Trost, Heck, Sonoganishara, Suzuki, Stille, Hiyama, Corriu-Kumada and animation reactions) and condensations of alkynes (Vollhardt’strimerization and Pauson-Khand reaction).