Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Thu, 02/05/2026 - 17:12
My Notes
Description

This literature discussion is in honor of the work of Shigeyoshi Inoue, winner of the 2026 Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry for “groundbreaking contributions to the synthesis and reactivity of low-valent silicon compounds, and advancing the potential of silicon in metal-free catalysis and small-molecule activation” (https://cen.acs.org/articles/104/web/2026/01/Meet-ACS-National-Award-winners-part-4.html). 

This paper reports the synthesis of ferrocene-based compounds that contain two sigma-donating groups. The sigma-donors are either Si or Ge. These ligands are then coordinated to a cobalt, and the catalytic activity of these compounds is examined. It is a relatively short paper, but it does provide some interesting challenges in counting electrons, not only in the cobalt complexes, but also in the ligands themselves.

This literature discussion is based on Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 6167 DOI: 10.1002/ange.201202175

Attachment Size
Questions for students 70.09 KB
Questions for students 338.85 KB
Learning Goals

In this learning object students will

  • Apply the CBC method of electron counting to two transition metal compounds
  • Describe electron counts and bonding interactions of main group elements
  • Determine the reactions taking place in a catalytic reaction
Implementation Notes

This literature discussion has not been used in a class setting. Some of the questions should probably be given to the students prior to class. The paper is relatively short which the students will likely appreciate.

Time Required
50 minutes
Evaluation
Evaluation Methods

None developed

Creative Commons License
Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike CC BY-NC-SA