Abstract
Activation of small molecules by donor-acceptor systems is conceptually important as many catalytic processes rely on the synergistic action of electron-rich and -poor sites to cooperatively activate and cleave bonds. This pertains to both the biological and industrial chemistry contexts. In this presentation, I will describe hybrid main-group/transition metal dyads initially developed for N2 activation, taking inspiration from the frustrated Lewis pair chemistry[1] and based on low-valent group 6 complexes and highly electron-deficient group 13 Lewis acids.[2-4 ] Their application to other small molecules will be discussed. Finally, I will introduce some of our recent work on "Frustrated Redox Triads" incorporating Lewis "superacids" and discuss the concept of Lewis Acid-Coupled Electron Transfer (LACET)[5,6]
