Zoom lesson by professor Daniela I. Bezuidenhout from the University of Oulu, Faculty of Technology.

In this talk, Daniela Bezuidenhout will showcase the design principles and synthesis of new mesoionic carbenes (MICs). These carbenes coordinate to transition metals as ligands that play more than a stabilising role; rather their inherent electronic structure and tunable steric framework allow for noninnocent behaviour in chemical bond activation (bond breaking and making). The MICs can therefore be employed to harness the reactivity of transition metals in versatile applications including catalysis of new reactions, photoluminescence, drug-discovery and small molecule activation of environmental consequence, for example carbon dioxide reduction

Associate professor Daniela I. Bezuidenhout is a principal investigator in the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratories, Research Unit of Environmental and Chemical Engineering. Her research team focuses on the development of new carbene ligands and complexes for the activation of enthalpically strong bonds in small molecules, and for the mediation of new template chemical reactions and catalytic transformations. Especial focus is addressed to the role of non-innocent and cooperative ligand behaviour.