Rhodium and Iridium mediated oxygenations with oxygen: isolation of reactive metal intermediates

The project involves the isolation and characterization of highly reactive rhodium and iridium intermediates in new oxygenation reactions. Redoxactive diketimine ligands will open up new reaction pathways to access peroxido complexes, whereas dipyridylamino ligands will provide new reaction routes for oxygenations. O2 moieties can be bound at a transition metal centre as peroxido, superoxido ligand or even as formally neutral O2 ligand. The latter bounding mode will be explored at phosphine complexes. An additional activation of peroxide ligands will be accomplished on using Br?nsted or Lewis acids such as Zn(OTf)2. On the basis of the stoichiometric studies new catalysts for oxygenation reactions will be developed.