P1.3 Early transition metal complex mediated coupling of CO2 to oxalate
Supervisors:
Topic and overall goal:
Low valent complexes of early transition metals are well-suited for the stoichiometric and catalytic activation of small molecules. More specifically, group 4 and 5 metal fragments are an excellent platform to study single-electron transformations, e.g., harnessing the Ti(III)/(IV) or V(II)/(III) redox couples. In previous joint projects both PIs have studied organometallic systems for the activation of small molecules.
In this project, the coordination, activation, and reductive coupling of CO2 will be studied using low-valent early transition metal complexes. Organometallic studies will be complemented by electrochemical, spectroscopic, and theoretical investigations to identify general reaction principles of CO2 coupling to oxalate and thus harness the potential of these systems for catalytic transformations.