Date: Friday, 26^th September 2025

Time: 11h30 – 12h30

Venue: The Orbital, Room 3-1, Chemistry Building

Enquiries: Prof. M. Landman ([email protected])

Chirality at metals

Abstract

Stereochemistry is integral to life as we know it, to DNA and proteins, and to how pharmaceuticals fulfil their function. Carbon is the key element. It is not surprising that stereochemistry is taught in introductory classes. Understanding the chirality of carbon underlies the synthesis of natural product, chiral pharmaceuticals, and asymmetric synthesis. Obtaining chiral molecules often relies on catalysis using transition metals. Unfortunately, very little is known about the chirality of these metals.

Chirality of metals is the focus of this talk. How can one ensure chiral integrity of a penta- or hexacoordinate metal? When does a chiral metal racemize? Answering these important questions can help in the development of chiral-at-metal catalysts. In such catalysts the chirality solely centers on the metal and not in its ligands, which is the current practice. Since my start as DVP at the University of Johannesburg I worked on this fundamental topic with NRF support. Already four computational papers appeared in the literature, all with front cover graphics (Inorg. Chem. 2022 and 2024; Eur. JIC 2023; Chem. Eur. J. 2023). The impact of sustaining chiral integrity of chiral-at-metal catalyst will also be addressed on asymmetric synthesis

Biography

Professor Koop Lammertsma is a DVP at the University of Johannesburg and emeritus Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He received his PhD from the University of Amsterdam, had several postdoctoral positions including one with Nobel laureate Prof. Olah, started his career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was a program officer with the US National Research Foundation, and served as board member for the Dutch NWO chemistry program. As physical-organic chemist he is known for his work in organophosphorus chemistry for which he received the International Arbuzovs Prize. Upon his Dutch retirement and the start of his affiliation with the University of Johannesburg his research focuses on the chirality of metals.