Actinide organometallic chemistry

The stoichiometric and catalytic chemistry of metal-organic compounds having actinide-to-carbon bonds is in a stage of rapid growth. Chemical, structural, and bonding characteristics have been identified which differ in interesting and informative ways from those of d-block transition element compounds.     

Theoretical chemistry comes alive: full partner with experiment

During the last decade, advances in computational techniques and in the extraction of chemically useful concepts from electronic wave functions have put theorists into the mainstream of chemistry. Some recent examples of the prediction of spectroscopic quantities and the elucidation of catalytic processes for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions from theoretical calculations are used to illustrate how theory and experiment are now full partners in chemical research. It is expected that during the next decade the thrust of theoretical chemistry will be to combine the knowledge of fundamental chemical steps and fundamental interactions with advances in chemical dynamics and irreversible statistical mechanics and in computer technology to produce simulations of chemical systems with competing reactions taking place simultaneously at various reaction sites. The promise of such simulation is illustrated by a study of the enzyme thermolysin.     

Superconductivity in layered structure organometallic crystals

Superconductivity persists in several, layered, transition metal dichalcogenide superconductors when the layers are spread apart to accommodate organic molecules between them. These materials are of interest not only because of their two-dimensional character but also because they may provide a means for examining hypotheses regarding organic molecules and superconductivity.     

Preparation of organometallic compounds from highly reactive metal powders

The formation of novel organometallic compounds by the reaction of organic substrates with finely divided metal powders represents a powerful tool for the synthetic chemist. The direct reaction with a zerovalent metal is the only viable method of synthesis for many of these compounds. Accordingly, chemists have been actively developing new methods for increasing the reactivity of metal powders toward organic substrates. Three principal approaches have been developed in recent years: the metal vaporization method, sonochemistry, and the preparation of finely divided metal powders by the reduction of metal salts. A number of new methods of synthesis have resulted from these studies.     

Organorhenium chemistry

As organometallic chemists have delved into the chemistry of rhenium, an amazing variety of unusual stable organorhenium compounds have been synthesized and novel reaction pathways have been uncovered. The broad range of stable organorhenium compounds can be traced to the availability of oxidation states from -III to VII and to the high strength of bonds to rhenium. New types of reaction mechanism are seen in response to the reluctance of rhenium to form coordinatively unsaturated complexes.