Seminar - Corinna Hess and Kallol Ray

Seminar program:

2pm-3pm Corinna Hess - University of Regensburg

Electro- and Photocatalysis by Metal-Mabiq Complexes

The development of molecular electro- and photocatalysts is integral to the advancement of renewable energy technologies and sustainable chemistry methods. Our own work in this area involves studies with a series of late, first-row transition metal complexes coordinated by the bioinspired Mabiq ligand. The Co- and Fe-Mabiq complexes are effective electro- and/or photocatalysts for H2 evolution and CO2 reduction. The redox-active Mabiq ligand acts as an electron and proton storage site in these processes. The series of Mabiq complexes also exhibit unique photochemical properties that allow their application in photoredox catalysis. Our Ni- and Co-Mabiq complexes can promote a range of light-driven C-C and C-N bond forming reactions. Inclusion of a neighboring metal in the second Mabiq binding site significantly alters the redox properties, photochemical behavior and reactivity of the complexes. For example, Cu/Fe-Mabiq acts as a photocatalyst for CO2 to CO conversion in the absence of an added photosensitizer. The binuclear systems offer new opportunities for small molecule and organic functionalization reactions.

3pm-4pm Kallol Ray - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Small molecule activation at transition metal centers: structure-function correlations  

This talk will focus on some of the recent highlights from our group on homogenously catalyzed bioinspired activation of small molecules. It will cover many aspects of small molecule activation including: organometallic chemistry, spectroscopy, synthesis, and detailed mechanistic studies involving trapping of reactive intermediates. The demonstrated examples will help to emphasize the continuous effort of our group in uncovering the structure-reactivity relationships of biomimetic model complexes, which may allow vital insights into the prerequisites necessary for the design of efficient catalysts for the selective functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds, O2/H2O/H2O2 activations, or CO2 or H+ reductions by using cheap and readily available first-row transition metals under ambient conditions.

4pm-5m Convival break