Michael Fryzuk
Professor
Department of chemistry
The University of British Columbia
Canada
Biography
Faculty in University of British Columbia Faculty in University of British Columbia
Research Interest
Because the reactivity of a metal complex can be fine-tuned by the ligands that surround the metal, it becomes important to examine new kinds of ligands and ligand combinations. Our tridentate ancillary ligand (PNP) incorporates both the "hard" amide donor and the "soft" phosphine ligand to generate a unique environment capable of binding to most elements in the periodic table. We have expanded the scope of this combination of nitrogen and phosphorus-containing ligands by preparing a macrocyclic version (P2N2) and a variety of other tridentate systems. Because of the backbone flexibility and the variations possible in substituents, these donor combinations allow us to modulate the metal complex's reactivity and examine these systems in the catalytic mode.
