Barbara Procacci

Introduction Click to copy section linkSection link copied! Over the last five decades, transition metal carbonyl complexes have been proven to be readily available and flexible catalysts in a multitude of applications, e.g. carbonylations, (1−4) hydroformylations (3−5) or acetic acid synthesis. (3,6) In particular, complexes of 3d-transition metals have moved into the focus of interest of synthetic chemists due to their higher natural abundance as compared to 4d- and 5d-metals.

Two-dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Reveal the Vibrational and Molecular Structure of [FeFe] Hydrogenases [FeFe] hydrogenases are Nature’s most efficient catalysts for the cleavage and evolution of molecular hydrogen. Despite decades of research, key aspects of the catalytic cycle and the underlying geometrical and electronic properties of the active-site cofactor, called the H-cluster, are not fully understood.

Ligand-to-metal charge transfer facilitates photocatalytic oxygen atom transfer (OAT) with cis-dioxo molybdenum(vi)-Schiff base complexes† Systems incorporating the cis-Mo(O)2 motif catalyse a range of important thermal homogeneous and heterogeneous oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reactions spanning biological oxidations to platform chemical synthesis. Analogous light-driven processes could offer a more sustainable approach.