The Chemistry of Pincer Compounds - Tapa dura

Pincer complexes are formed by the binding of a chemical structure to a metal atom with at least one carbon-metal bond. Usually the metal atom has three bonds to a chemical backbone, enclosing the atom like a pincer. The resulting structure protects the metal atom and gives it unique properties.

The last decade has witnessed the continuous growth in the development of pincer complexes. These species have passed from being curiosity compounds to chemical chameleons able to perform a wide variety of applications. Their unique metal bound structures provide some of the most active catalysts yet known for organic transformations involving the activation of bonds. The Chemistry of Pincer Compounds details use of pincer compounds including homogeneous catalysis, enantioselective organic transformations, the activation of strong bonds, the biological importance of pincer compounds as potential therapeutic or pharmaceutical agents, dendrimeric and supported materials.

* Describes the chemistry and applications of this important class of organometallic and coordination compounds
* Covers the areas in which pincer complexes have had an impact
* Includes information on more recent and interesting pincer compounds not just those that are well-known

David Morales-Morales carried out his B.Sc. (1992) and M.Sc. (1995) studies at the School of Chemistry of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). In 1995 he was awarded a scholarship by the Mexican Government to carry out Doctoral studies at the University of Essex (UK) under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan R. Dilworth. In 1997, he moved to the “Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at the Oxford University (UK), getting his Doctorate in 1998. In the same year Prof. Morales-Morales was offered a posdoctoral position by Prof. Craig. M. Jensen in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, where he carried out research relevant to the development of a new generation of PCP pincer complex and their use in C-H activation and C-C bond formation.

A beneficiary of the National Program for Repatriation of the National Science and Technology Council (CONACyT-México), Prof. Morales-Morales has worked since May 2001 as a researcher at the Instituto de Química-UNAM. His research interests include the chemistry of pincer compounds; the synthesis of phosphorus and sulphur-based compounds and its use as ligands with transition metals; metal-mediated organic synthesis; and mechanistic studies.

Prof. Morales-Morales has published more than 60 papers and a chapter in the book “Modern Coordination Chemistry , edited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (2002). More recently he has served as editor of the book “The Chemistry of Pincer Compounds (Elsevier) and he has co-authored a textbook on Organometallic Chemistry, published in Spanish by UNAM. He belongs to chemistry societies in Mexico and the United States. Prof. Morales-Morales has been a visiting professor at the Instituto de Materiales de Aragón-CSIC (Zaragoza, Spain), The Anorganisch-Chemisches Institut der WWU Münster in Germany, and the Metal Mediated Synthesis - Debye Institute at the University of Utretch (Netherlands).