This is a literature discussion based on an interesting Bergman/Arnold paper utilizing d² niobium imido complexes for the semihydrogenation of arylalkynes to Z-alkenes.  The mechanism is quite unusual, and I found it to be an interesting paper to discuss after we had talked about the classical hydrogenation mechanisms (typically observed for late transition metals).  The students should come into the discussion understanding fundamental reaction mechanisms (including σ-bond metathesis), and it's helpful if they are somewhat familiar with mono- and dihydride mech

This learning object has the student search the chemical literature for a paper focusing on a catalytic cycle (Wilkinson’s, Grubbs, Heck, Wacker, Suzuki, Click, etc.). They answer a set of guiding questions for reading the literature, then analyze the catalytic cycle presented in the paper to assign oxidation state, d electron count, valence electron count, and preferred geometry for each complex in the cycle. They also identify the process(es) occurring during each step in the cycle.

This is a literature discussion of a short JACS communication that describes an iridium catalyst for the reduction of bicarbonate to formate. It addresses green chemistry, potential industrial processes, bridges between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, pH-dependent solubility, electron counting, oxidation state assignments, and thermodynamic analyses.

Searching and reading the literature is an important tool in teaching organometallic chemistry. This overall project focuses on the improving students' writing skills and to begin to think critically about articles in the literature through a series of different writing assignments. This project is used in a semester long course on organometallics and reaction mechanisms. The first assignment (this LO) is a summary, the second is related to the NSF highlight, and the third is a literature critique.

This literature review covers a paper by the Brookhart group in which they describe a very interesting catalytic route for reducing alkyl halides. The paper describes the catalytic mechanism in great detail and shows an unexpected trend in relative reactivities (Br > Cl > I and primary > secondary). One of the primary benefits for using this paper is that it can enable your students to rationalize a mechanism consistent with many different data sets.

This is intended as a guided reading assignment for the JACS Communication, “Mechanism for the Activation of Carbon Monoxide via Oxorhenium Complexes” by Smeltz, Boyle, and Ison; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 13288-13291. This article will expose students to newly published research and novel reaction mechanisms. It will require students to apply their knowledge of electron counting and organometallic mechanisms.