Dr. Jun Takaya
(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Development of New Synthetic Reactions Catalyzed by a Transition Metal Complex Featuring Fluxional Behavior of a Silyl-Ligand

Development of multi-functional ligand for transition metal catalyst is an important challenge to achieve efficient synthetic transformations of unreactive molecules. Dr. Takaya has developed new synthetic reactions of carbon dioxide and unsaturated hydrocarbons utilizing newly designed palladium catalysts bearing a group 14 element-centered pincer ligand. Mechanistic investigations clarified intermediacy of an unprecedented η2-(Si–H)Pd(0) complex through fluxional behavior of the silyl ligand, which enables unprecedented bond activation/formation mechanisms.