Nickel ate-complexes as ion pairs in catalysis – Nickelate

“Nickelate” project intends to explore the full potential of novel Nickel derived ate-complexes in the field of modern catalysis. The design of these catalysts and the optimization of their abilities in diastereo- and enantioselective transformations are envisioned through various C-H functionalization and addition reactions. Thereby, a convenient in situ formation of the active species, as versatile ion pairs, is proposed from readily available metal and organic entities. A cooperative action mode of the ion-pairing species is envisaged as well as a dual-metal catalysis strategy to expand the scope of these methodological developments. A marked endeavor is proposed to shed light on the nature of the catalytic intermediates thanks to outstanding mass spectrometry technics. Finally, the reaction mechanisms will be tackled based on DFT molecular modelling approaches. In case of success, the “Nickelate” project would overcome methodology limitations that currently hampers the synthesis of complex chiral molecular targets.