Theodore Betley

Professor Theodore Betley, Harvard University.  "Chemistry of the open-shell: applications to catalysis and small molecule activation." Special Seminar.Abstract: Within metal-catalyzed reactions, developing electronic structure to function relationships is critical for obtaining desirable reactivity. Electronic structure considerations dictate the stability and/or reactivity of both mononuclear and polynuclear complexes. We have developed weak-field ligand platforms to enable (1) iron-based reagents to catalyze C-H bond functionalization, and (2) unveil small-molecule activation at polynuclear reaction sites.