Chemistry 421 » Fall » 2nd Half
2 Credits
Basic Organometallic Chemistry
Instructor(s): William D. Jones

Prerequisites: None.
Crosslisting: None.

Course Summary:
The course will cover basic aspects of organometallic bonding and survey a variety of ligands found in organometallic compounds. Basic classes of reactions will be covered, with aspects of mechanism of reaction included. Some special topics will be covered as time permits.

Course Topics:
  1. Basics
    1. Coordination number and geometries
    2. Electron counting; Metal oxidation state formalism
    3. Ligand types; Nomenclature
    4. Exceptions
  2. Metal Carbonyls
    1. Synthesis
    2. Bonding
    3. Binding modes
    4. IR stretching frequencies
    5. Phosphine ligands
    6. Substitution reactions
    7. Metal carbonyl anions
    8. Metal carbonyl hydrides
    9. Metal carbonyl halides
    10. Metal carbonyl clusters
    11. CS, CSe, CTe complexes
    12. Isocyanide complexes
    13. Nitrosyl complexes
    14. Dinitrogen complexes
    15. CO insertion
  3. Metal Alkyl Complexes
    1. Bond strengths
    2. Common reactions for TM alkyls - b-elimination
    3. Synthesis
    4. Oxidative Addition
    5. Metal-alkyl stabilization
    6. Reactions of metal alkyls
    7. Insertion of alkenes and alkynes
    8. Cross-coupling
    9. C-H activation
    10. Bioorganometallic chemistry
  4. Alkylidene and Alkylidyne Complexes
    1. Alkylidene synthesis – Fischer carbenes
    2. Alkylidene synthesis – Schrock carbenes
    3. Alkylidyne synthesis
    4. Reactions of alkylidenes and alkylidynes
    5. Olefin metathesis
  5. Alkene Complexes
    1. Synthesis
    2. Bonding
    3. Diene complexes
    4. Reactivity of alkene complexes
  6. Alkyne Complexes
    1. Synthesis
    2. Bonding
    3. Reactivity of alkyne complexes
  7. Cyclopentadienyl Complexes
    1. Synthesis
    2. Bonding
    3. Representative Cp compounds
    4. Bent metallocenes
    5. Metallocene hydrides
    6. Fluxionality in Cp compounds
    7. Half-sandwich compounds
  8. Allyl and Diene Complexes
    1. Synthesis of allyl complexes
    2. Structures/bonding of allyl complexes
    3. Reactions of allyl complexes
    4. Enyl complexes
  9. Arene Complexes
    1. Synthesis
    2. Arene half-sandwich compounds
    3. Reactivity of arene complexes
    4. 7- and 8-membered ring ligands
    5. Heteroarene ligands
    6. Multidecker complexes

Required Text:
Primary Text: The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals, Robert H. Crabtree, 4th ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York (2005). ISBN: 0-471-66256-9

No need to buy! Available to UR students here.

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