Molecular Horizons Seminar – Dr Annie Colebatch

While metal-ligand cooperativity is a well-established approach in transition metal catalysis, metal-metal cooperativity remains an emerging strategy. Work in this field has shown that catalysts that operate via cooperative mechanisms can lead to differing reactivity and selectivity profiles compared to conventional monometallic catalysts. Ligand design has emerged as an important criterion to consider when designing systems capable of metal-metal cooperativity, and even metal-metal-ligand cooperativity. 
 
This presentation will outline our work towards bimetallic complexes capable of metal-metal or metal-metal-ligand cooperativity featuring 2,7-disubstituted-1,8-naphthyridine ligands. These rigid frameworks contain adjacent binding pockets capable of housing two metals in close proximity, but we have found that judicious selection of both the ligand architecture and the metal fragments is essential. Work detailing the synthesis and reactivity of bimetallic 1,8- naphthyridine complexes will be presented, encompassing systems with innocent ligands, non-innocent ligands, and redox-active ligands.