Warren Roper (chemist)

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Warren Richard Roper FRS FRSNZ FNZIC (born 1938) is a New Zealand chemist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland.

Roper was educated at Nelson College from 1952 to 1956, and was dux in his final year. [1] He then studied chemistry at the University of Canterbury, and undertook his PhD under the supervision of CJ Wilkins. He completed his PhD in 1963, and spent three years undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina in the United States before returning to New Zealand. At that point Roper was appointed as lecturer at the University of Auckland, where he remained until his retirement (apart from visiting lectureships at other institutions).

Roper's research has focused on synthetic and structural organometallic chemistry, [2] and particularly compounds with metal-carbon, -silicon, -tin or -boron bonds. [3] He was made a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) in 1984, [4] and a fellow of the Royal Society in 1989. [2] The RSNZ awarded Roper the Hector Memorial Medal in 1991. [5] He gave a valedictory address at the 2006 New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Conference in honour of his retirement. [6]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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Iridium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal with a density of 22.56 g/cm3 (0.815 lb/cu in) as defined by experimental X-ray crystallography. 191Ir and 193Ir are the only two naturally occurring isotopes of iridium, as well as the only stable isotopes; the latter is the more abundant. It is one of the most corrosion-resistant metals, even at temperatures as high as 2,000 °C (3,630 °F).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osmium</span> Chemical element, symbol Os and atomic number 76

Osmium is a chemical element; it has symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mostly in platinum ores. Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element. When experimentally measured using X-ray crystallography, it has a density of 22.59 g/cm3. Manufacturers use its alloys with platinum, iridium, and other platinum-group metals to make fountain pen nib tipping, electrical contacts, and in other applications that require extreme durability and hardness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruthenium</span> Chemical element, symbol Ru and atomic number 44

Ruthenium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to most other chemicals. Karl Ernst Claus, a Russian-born scientist of Baltic-German ancestry, discovered the element in 1844 at Kazan State University and named ruthenium in honor of Russia. Ruthenium is usually found as a minor component of platinum ores; the annual production has risen from about 19 tonnes in 2009 to some 35.5 tonnes in 2017. Most ruthenium produced is used in wear-resistant electrical contacts and thick-film resistors. A minor application for ruthenium is in platinum alloys and as a chemistry catalyst. A new application of ruthenium is as the capping layer for extreme ultraviolet photomasks. Ruthenium is generally found in ores with the other platinum group metals in the Ural Mountains and in North and South America. Small but commercially important quantities are also found in pentlandite extracted from Sudbury, Ontario, and in pyroxenite deposits in South Africa.

In organic chemistry, a carbyne is a general term for any compound whose structure consists of an electrically neutral carbon atom connected by a single covalent bond and has three non-bonded electrons. The carbon atom has either one or three unpaired electrons, depending on its excitation state; making it a radical. The chemical formula can be written R−C· or R−C, or just CH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olefin metathesis</span> Organic reaction involving the breakup and reassembly of alkene double bonds

In organic chemistry, olefin metathesis is an organic reaction that entails the redistribution of fragments of alkenes (olefins) by the scission and regeneration of carbon-carbon double bonds. Because of the relative simplicity of olefin metathesis, it often creates fewer undesired by-products and hazardous wastes than alternative organic reactions. For their elucidation of the reaction mechanism and their discovery of a variety of highly active catalysts, Yves Chauvin, Robert H. Grubbs, and Richard R. Schrock were collectively awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

A transition metal carbene complex is an organometallic compound featuring a divalent organic ligand. The divalent organic ligand coordinated to the metal center is called a carbene. Carbene complexes for almost all transition metals have been reported. Many methods for synthesizing them and reactions utilizing them have been reported. The term carbene ligand is a formalism since many are not derived from carbenes and almost none exhibit the reactivity characteristic of carbenes. Described often as M=CR2, they represent a class of organic ligands intermediate between alkyls (−CR3) and carbynes (≡CR). They feature in some catalytic reactions, especially alkene metathesis, and are of value in the preparation of some fine chemicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicarbonyltris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(0)</span> Chemical compound

Dicarbonyltris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(0) or Roper's complex is a ruthenium metal carbonyl. In it, two carbon monoxide ligands and three triphenylphosphine ligands are coordinated to a central ruthenium(0) center.

Osmium compounds are compounds containing the element osmium (Os). Osmium forms compounds with oxidation states ranging from −2 to +8. The most common oxidation states are +2, +3, +4, and +8. The +8 oxidation state is notable for being the highest attained by any chemical element aside from iridium's +9 and is encountered only in xenon, ruthenium, hassium, iridium, and plutonium. The oxidation states −1 and −2 represented by the two reactive compounds Na
2
[Os
4
(CO)
13
]
and Na
2
[Os(CO)
4
]
are used in the synthesis of osmium cluster compounds.

Ruthenium compounds are compounds containing the element ruthenium (Ru). Ruthenium compounds can have oxidation states ranging from 0 to +8, and −2. The properties of ruthenium and osmium compounds are often similar. The +2, +3, and +4 states are the most common. The most prevalent precursor is ruthenium trichloride, a red solid that is poorly defined chemically but versatile synthetically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organoruthenium chemistry</span>

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Anthony F. Hill is a Professor of Chemistry at the Research School of Chemistry of the Australian National University. He specializes in synthetic, organometallic and coordination chemistry. He is the author of a textbook on the subject of the organometallic chemistry of the transition metals and since 1995 has been an editor of the scientific journal/book series Advances in Organometallic Chemistry. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Transition metal carbyne complexes are organometallic compounds with a triple bond between carbon and the transition metal. This triple bond consists of a σ-bond and two π-bonds. The HOMO of the carbyne ligand interacts with the LUMO of the metal to create the σ-bond. The two π-bonds are formed when the two HOMO orbitals of the metal back-donate to the LUMO of the carbyne. They are also called metal alkylidynes—the carbon is a carbyne ligand. Such compounds are useful in organic synthesis of alkynes and nitriles. They have been the focus on much fundamental research.

A metal carbido complex is a coordination complex that contains a carbon atom as a ligand. They are analogous to metal nitrido complexes. Carbido complexes are a molecular subclass of carbides, which are prevalent in organometallic and inorganic chemistry. Carbido complexes represent models for intermediates in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, olefin metathesis, and related catalytic industrial processes. Ruthenium-based carbido complexes are by far the most synthesized and characterized to date. Although, complexes containing chromium, gold, iron, nickel, molybdenum, osmium, rhenium, and tungsten cores are also known. Mixed-metal carbides are also known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transition metal boryl complex</span>

In chemistry, a transition metal boryl complex is a molecular species with a formally anionic boron center coordinated to a transition metal. They have the formula LnM-BR2 or LnM-(BR2LB) (L = ligand, R = H, organic substituent, LB = Lewis base). One example is (C5Me5)Mn(CO)2(BH2PMe3) (Me = methyl). Such compounds, especially those derived from catecholborane and the related pinacolborane, are intermediates in transition metal-catalyzed borylation reactions.

R. Tom Baker is an inorganic chemist known for the development and application of inorganic transition metal-based catalysis.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">9-Borafluorene</span> Class of chemical compounds

9-borafluorenes are a class of boron-containing heterocycles consisting of a tricyclic system with a central BC4 ring with two fused arene groups. 9-borafluorenes can be thought of as a borole with two fused arene rings, or as a trigonal planar boron atom with an empty p orbital bridging two biphenyl rings. However, 9-borafluorenes are generally less reactive than boroles due to less antiaromatic character and Lewis acidity. Containing highly conjugated π systems, 9-borafluorenes possess interesting photophysical properties. In addition, 9-borafluorenes are good Lewis acids. This combination of properties enables potential uses such as in light-emitting materials, solar cells, and sensors for some molecules.

<i>N</i>-Heterocyclic carbene boryl anion Isoelectronic structure

An N-heterocyclic carbene boryl anion is an isoelectronic structure of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), where the carbene carbon is replaced with a boron atom that has a -1 charge. NHC boryl anions have a planar geometry, and the boron atom is considered to be sp2-hybridized. They serve as extremely strong bases, as they are very nucleophilic. They also have a very strong trans influence, due to the σ-donation coming from the boron atom. NHC boryl anions have stronger electron-releasing character when compared to normal NHCs. These characteristics make NHC boryl anions key ligands in many applications, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and more commonly low oxidation state main group element bonding.

References

  1. "Full school list of Nelson College, 1856–2005". Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006 (CD-ROM) (6th ed.). 2006.
  2. 1 2 Irvine, Geoffrey J.; Lesley, M. J. Gerald; Marder, Todd B.; Norman, Nicholas C.; Rice, Craig R.; Robins, Edward G.; Roper, Warren R.; Whittell, George R.; Wright, L. James (21 November 1998). "Transition Metal−Boryl Compounds: Synthesis, Reactivity, and Structure". Chemical Reviews . ACS Publications. 98 (8): 2685–2722. doi:10.1021/cr9500085. PMID   11848976.
  3. "Prof. Warren Roper". chemistry.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 29 December 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "2005 Academy Yearbook". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  5. "Hector Medal". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  6. Miskelly, Gordon; Rewcastle, Gordon (2011). "Chemistry in Auckland 1981-2011". Chemistry in New Zealand. October 2011: 208–214.