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Our research focuses on studying main group compounds with unusual structure, bonding and reactivity.

Small Molecule Activation

One area of interest is the activation of small molecules, which typically only occurs with transition metals. In the past few years main group compounds have been shown to activate molecular hydrogen, ammonia and other small molecules. The activation of hydrogen is of particular importance as hydrogen is a potential energy source to help alleviate the global dependence on fossil fuels. Compounds that reversibly add hydrogen can be used to safely store the fuel.

New Main Group Multiple Bonds

Whereas multiple bonds are common for second row elements, they are rare for heavier elements in the periodic table. Bulky ligands have been used to isolate heavy multiple bonds by "kinetically shielding" the reactive multiple bond. Heavy multiple bonds often do not share the same geometry as the parent alkene, with the electronic and steric contributions of the ligands greatly affecting the bonding environment.