Transition-Metal Catalysis for Hydrogenation, CO2 Conversion, and Polymer Synthesis
This community develops catalysts and ligand systems to drive hydrogenation reactions, convert carbon dioxide into useful chemicals, and synthesize or recycle polymers.
The work centers on the design of transition-metal complexes—particularly ruthenium, iridium, and manganese—to facilitate transfer hydrogenation, asymmetric hydrogenation, and dehydrogenative coupling. A significant portion of the research focuses on the catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide and epoxides into cyclic carbonates, as well as the reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid. The community also investigates ring-opening polymerization and the chemical recycling of biodegradable plastics like poly(lactic acid). Recurring methodological themes include the use of pincer complexes, frustrated Lewis pairs, and ionic liquids to achieve high selectivity and efficiency under mild conditions.
The largest share of the community's output is found in ruthenium research, accounting for 6.4% of all ruthenium studies, with 3,134 papers in this group. Iridium research follows with a 5.9% share, and rhodium with 4.8%.
The community comprises 28,804 papers, published most frequently in Organometallics, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Inorganic Chemistry.
Recent work includes the development of aluminum redox catalysts for alkyne cyclotrimerization, germanium-mediated redox cycling, and the use of zinc oxide nanocatalysts for the green fixation of carbon dioxide with epoxides.