Targeting base metal compounds with reactive metal-to-carbon multiple bonds

Metal-to-carbon multiple bonds have found application in precious metal catalysts, but in abundant base metal compounds, they are much rarer and more poorly understood. We seek creative strategies to access and study base metal compounds with reactive metal-to-carbon multiple bonds. We will study these species through a range of physical techniques, including X-ray crystallography, spectroscopy, magnetism, and DFT, to understand their physical and electronic structures and how that relates to their reactivity with organic substrates. Our eventual aim is the development of efficient base metal catalysts that augment or replace precious metal alternatives.