Seminar Abstract:

Transition metal catalysis has revolutionized chemical synthesis. Reactions such as metal-catalyzed cross coupling, asymmetric hydrogenation and C–H functionaliza-tion have changed the way chemists approach bond constructions and ultimately expand molecular space. Historically, these reactions are catalyzed by closed-shell precious metal complexes that undergo predictable and reliable two-electron redox changes. The increased emphasis on sustainability has shifted focus to more earth-abundant first row transition metals such as manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in catalysis. These elements offer weaker ligand fields, accessible one-electron re-dox chemistry and often open shell ground states. My lecture will focus on our work to establish a detailed understanding of the fundamental organometallic chemistry of open shell complexes and the associated one-electron redox chemistry. This ap-proach has been applied to distinct C–C bond-forming chemistry relevant to the synthesis of drug molecules, carbon neutral fuels, chemically recyclable polymers and site-selective C–H functionalization reactions. The mechanisms and role of electronic structure in this reactivity will be an emphasis.

Speaker Bio:

Paul J. Chirik is the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Chemistry and a synthetic chemist with interests in catalysis and sustainability. He and his group have pioneered and popularized molecular catalysis with earth-abundant transition metals with various applications in the synthesis of fuels, pharmaceuticals, fragrances and chemically recyclable plastics. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he obtained his B. S. in chemistry at Virginia Tech and then earned his Ph. D. at Caltech under the supervision of John Bercaw. Following a brief postdoctoral appointment at MIT, he began his independent career at Cornell in 2001. In 2006, he was promoted to Associate Professor and in 2009 was named the Peter J. W. Debye Professor of Chemistry. In 2011, Chirik and his research group moved to Princeton University. Awards include the Linus Pauling Medal, the Gabor Somorjai Award for Creative Work in Catalysis, a Packard Fellowship, the Eni Environmental Solutions Prize and a Cope Scholar Award. Chirik is currently Editor-in-Chief of Organometallics and serves as the Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Princeton.