Intelligent catalysis

1) Processing organic molecules.

A number of industrially important homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions are catalysed by vanadium, molybdenum and tungsten compounds. Such reactions include the isomerization of allyl alcohols, olefin metathesis sulfoxidation and epoxidation of alkenes to yield new, high-value compounds.

We are currently investigating new molecular catalysts for sulfoxidation and epoxidation reactions together with the groups of Prof. Mösch-Zanetti in University of Graz, Austria and Prof. Ebbe Nordlander in University of Lund, Finland.

An example on the oxidomolybdenum(VI) complexes as oxygen atom transfer catalysts. The whole study can be found here.

2) Biomimetic reactions

Transition metal complexes are widely studied as molecular models for the active centers of metalloenzymes. For example, we have investigated several vanadium compounds in catechol oxidation and catechol oxygenation reactions.

Vanadium aminophenolate complexes are converted via H2O2 assisted leaching to catalytically active mixed catecholate vanadium complexes, with a characteristic EPR spectrum. Read the whole story here.