One of the most important advances in inorganic chemistry over the last 30 years was the discovery of stable cations and multiply bonded species (dimetallenes) of the heavier main group elements. The spectroscopic and structural characterization of these low valent species has profoundly influenced our understanding of structure, bonding and reactivity. Even more exciting are the innovative applications of this chemistry that are now being explored including the exploitation of the highly regiospecific cycloaddition reactions of silenes (R₂Si=CR₂) in organic synthesis, the addition polymerization of silenes, germenes (R₂Ge=CR₂) and phosphaalkenes (RP=CR₂) to give novel inorganic materials, and the utilization of low valent main group cations to catalyze organic transformations. In addition, the organic functionalization of semiconductor surfaces is of great interest for many technological applications, for example in the area of biosensors. However, the determination of the exact structure of surface adducts, which will be used to link more complex molecules, is difficult using current surface analytical techniques. The reactivity of dimetallenes (R₂M=MR₂, M=Si, Ge) has been shown to parallel that of the Si (or Ge) dimers on the Si (or Ge) (100) 2x1 surface, and thus, can aid in the understanding of surface chemistry to facilitate the attachment of complex molecules and the subsequent development of new devices.

Our research program explores this exciting area of chemistry with a focus on Group 14 compounds in the following three general areas:

Synthesis and Reactivity: We challenge our synthetic acumen by exploring the synthesis and reactivity of unprecedented heavier main group compounds with new bonding paradigms, particularly unsaturated heavy Group 14 derivatives.

Mechanism: As is well-recognized in carbon chemistry, to achieve the full potential of unsaturated heavier main group compounds, it is critical to have a firm grasp of their reaction mechanisms. We have developed innovative mechanistic probes for the study of the cycloaddition reactions of these compounds and use other novel mechanistic tools to study  the σ-additions of ditetrelenes.

Applications: We have recently discovered that low valent cationic germanes can be used to catalyze organic transformations. We are investigating the chemistry and applications of this novel class of main group catalysts.