Hosted by: Sanjaya Senanayake

Systematic study of the interactions between organometallic catalysts and metal oxide support materials is essential for the realization of rational design in heterogeneous catalysis. In this talk, I will describe the stoichiometric and catalytic chemistry of a series of organometallic complex chemisorbed on a variety of metal oxides as a multifaceted probe for stereoelectronic communication between the support and organometallic center. Electrophilic bond activation was explored in the context of stoichiometric hydrogenolysis as well as catalytic hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and H/D exchange. Strongly acidic modified metal oxides such as sulfated zirconia engender high levels of activity toward electrophilic bond activation of both sp2 and sp3 C–H bonds, including the rapid activation of methane at room temperature; however, the global trend for the supports studied here does not suggest a direct correlation between activity and surface Brønsted acidity, and more complex metal surface interactions are at play.