School of Chemistry Colloquia: Professor Kim Baines Fun with Low Valent Si and Ge Complexes: From Mechanism to Catalysis

Professor Kim Baines from Western University, London, Ontario presents: ‘Fun with Low Valent Si and Ge Complexes: From Mechanism to Catalysis'.

One of the most important advances in inorganic chemistry over the last 30 years was the discovery of stable low valent species of the heavier main group elements. The detailed characterization of these unsaturated species has profoundly influenced our understanding of structure and bonding and the diverse reactivity of these compounds has provided facile entry into a number of previously unknown functional molecules.

Our investigations into the chemistry of ditetrelenes and low valent Group 14 cations are guided by our interest in the fundamental chemistry of ditetrelenes particularly pertaining to small molecule activations and potential applications of low valent compounds, particularly in catalysis. In this lecture, a detailed view of the activation of ammonia by a disilene and the hydrosilylation of carbonyl compounds by low valent germanium cations will be presented.