Chemistry Colloquium, Dr. Daniel Suess ’07, MIT

“Organometallic Chemistry of Iron-Sulfur Clusters”

Iron-sulfur enzymes are among Nature’s most ancient metallocofactors. They catalyze myriad processes including electron-transfer, radical rearrangements, and small-molecule redox reactions, and in doing so play prominent roles in energy, environmental, and health sciences. My research group studies both biological and abiological iron-sulfur clusters in order to gain molecular-level insights into how these complex metallocofactors function. In this seminar, I will describe our efforts toward understanding the emerging organometallic chemistry of iron-sulfur clusters. The central aim of these studies is to elucidate how the presence of strong-field, organometallic ligands impact the electronic structures of iron-sulfur clusters (which are typically bound by weak-field ligands), and how the resulting unusual electron structures underly their unique reactivity. Particular emphasis will be placed on [Fe4S4]-alkyl clusters: their preparation, electronic structures, and radical reactivity relevant to radical SAM enzymes.