We are interested in the fundamental organometallic chemistry of low-coordinate complexes. Because the metals in groups 7-10 of the periodic table are used for surface reactions like the Fischer-Tropsch process and the steam reforming of methane, we currently focus on these metals. We have synthesized the first three-coordinate methyl complexes of iron and cobalt, and the iron work has been extended to a large range of hydrocarbon ligands. The paramagnetic organometallic iron complexes have 12 valence electrons, in contrast to the 18-electron, diamagnetic compounds that dominate organometallic chemistry. We hope to show the capabilities of unusually low-electron-count organometallics for potential use in synthesis and catalysis.

As one example of the use of this chemistry, we have synthesized the first iron(II) fluoride complexes and shown that they are intermediates in the catalytic hydrodefluorination of fluorinated arenes and alkenes. In the hydrodefluorination reaction, a strong C-F bond in the starting material is broken and replaced with a C-H bond. Catalytic C-F bond breaking is rare, and potentially useful for digesting fluorinated materials that are environmentally persistent.

We also study hydride complexes, which are at the soul of organometallic chemistry because they are involved in innumerable catalytic processes. As the culmination of an effort to make hydride complexes that are highly reactive yet can be isolated, we have made the first examples of three-coordinate transition metal complexes with hydride ligands. These compounds can break strong bonds such as the N=N bond of diazenes, and in some cases can bind N₂, providing a link to our project on N₂ activation. Current research focuses on the mechanism of catalytic reactions of organic molecules, such as hydrogenation.