Development of new catalysts
In recent years, the Plietker-group has carried out intensive development work in the field of the preparation of structurally defined transition metal complexes. As such novel Ru complexes using tetradentate (NNNN)- or (PNNP)-ligands which we specifically use in C-H activations, oxidations and reductions were prepared. In recent years, manganese and iron complexes have been increasingly included in the research portfolio as novel catalyst structures. The coordination behavior of the lighter transition metals is being determined and compared to ruthenium using NMR, X-ray spectroscopy (also using XAS, XES and, in the future, XPS methods), cyclovoltammetry (CV) or UV spectroscopy-cyclovoltammetry coupling and increasingly.
Another focus of current and future work in this area is the preparation of defined electron-rich Fe-NO complexes, which have a very interesting range of applications in catalysis due to the redox-active NO ligand. Understanding the coordination chemistry and structure-activity relationship of the new Fe-NO-complexes in organometallic reactions are of fundamental interest in order to develop new catalytic transformations.