Speaker: Dr. Daniel J. Mindiola, Brush Family Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania

Title of the talk: Introducing Organometallics á la Carte.

Abstract: We will begin by discussing the chemistry of rare vanadium alkylidynes and their application in the cyclic polymerization of phenylacetylene as well as the use of a highly versatile dianionic allene for the construction of highly charged and unsaturated 4-membered vanadacycles that gives way to the streamline synthesis of 3d metal catalysts. The next organometallic course on the menu will involve the chemistry of unsaturated TiII and VII ions and ultimately the isolation of highly reactive seesaw like ions that now allow us to exploit their chemistry with small molecules (which includes some Greenhouse gases) but also access unique one-coordinate Ti- and -pnictide moieties Pn3- (Pn3- = N, P, As, and Sb) with ease. We have extended the early transition metal pnictide series to Zr by taking advantage of two highly basic sites in a ZrIV complex having cyclometallated and hydride motifs. Metal-ligand multiple bonding along with fundamental reactivity surrounding the one-coordinate pnictogen atom will be also presented and discussed.