Transition Metal Catalysis and Mechanistic Studies

Our activities include the discovery and investigation of catalysts based on transition metals for key bond-forming and bond-breaking reactions. Previous work involved platinum group metals such as ruthenium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes for coupling alcohols and amines into amides, rhodium complexes for aldehyde decarbonylation, and iridium complexes for syngas release from primary alcohols.

However, currently, our focus remains on catalysis with Earth-abundant metals. New catalysts, including manganese(III) and iron(III) complexes with tetradentate ligands as well as zinc oxide, are being developed for alcohol dehydrogenation with simultaneous hydrogen gas release. The resulting carbonyl compounds can then be converted into a variety of functional groups and heterocyclic structures in the same transformation, demonstrating both efficiency and synthetic versatility. Across all projects, we combine mechanistic studies with catalyst design to enable innovative, sustainable transformations in organic synthesis.