Overview

Research in the Thiel group is focussed on the synthesis and characterization of catalysts. In the field of homogeneous catalysis with transition metal compounds we are interested in the elucidation of reaction mechanisms and structure/Activity relationships, which we work out using a broad variety of spectroscopic tools, quantenchemical calculations and kinetic measurements. For such investigations we often combine nitrogen heterocycles such as pyrazoles and pyrimidines with different other donor units to find out the electronic and steric influence that substituents at the have on the avtivity and selectivity of the catalysts.

In heterogeneous catalysis we are investigating the covalent resp. electrostatic immobilization of catalytically active sites onto inert and porous inorganic oxides with high specific surface. Often these supports possess well-ordered pore structures.

Actual research projects in more detail:

• roll-over cyclometallation The roll-over cyclometallation turned out to be an excellent tool to activate transition metal complexes for catalytic transformations.  To achieve this, we use aminopyrimidine ligands in combination wit other donor units.
• intrinsically chiral cyclopentadienide complexes Cyclopentadienide complexes possessing an axis of chirality in the five-membered ring are accessible in a few steps. They show a rich coordination chemistry with many members of the transition metal elements. 
• immobilisation of catalytically or electrochemically or photochemically active components on solid supports Here we investigate e.g. the separation ofd catalysts from complex mixtures and ways how to recycle and reuse them. We mainly use silica supports with high specific surface areas and a spezial pore structure.
• resource efficient chemistry with yet unused carbon sources A large number of carbon sources, either from renewable resources or from waste materials is presently not used. We try to functionalize these compounds in a way to bring them (back) to economy.

Newest publications

• C. Groß, Y. Sun, T. Jost, T. Grimm, M. Klein, G. Niedner-Schatteburg, S. Becker, W. R. Thiel,  Chem. Commun.2020, 56, 368-371.
  "Generation of a zinc and rhodium containing metallomacrocycle by re­arrangement of a six-coordinate precursor complex"
  https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CC07723E
• B. Schäfgen, H. Khelwati, D. F. Bechtel, A. DeCuyper, A. Schüssler, A. Neuba, A. J. Pierik, S. Ernst, T. J.J. Müller, W. R. Thiel, New. J. Chem.2019, 43, 16396-16410.
  "Phenothiazine electrophores immobil­ized on periodic mesoporous organosilicas by ion exchange"
  https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NJ04661E
  
• S. V. Kruppa, C. Groß, X. Gui, F. Bäppler, B. Kwasigroch, Y. Sun, R. Diller, W. Klopper, G. Niedner-Schatteburg, C. Riehn, W. R. Thiel, Chem. Eur. J.2019, 25, 11269-11284.
  "Photoinitiated charge transfer in a triangular silver(I) hydride complex and its oxophilicity"
  https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201901981
• M. Vafaeezadeh, P. Breuninger, C. Wilhelm, S. Ernst, S. Antonyuk, W. R. Thiel, ChemCatChem2019, 11, 2304-2312.
  "Janus Interphase Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials: Novel Water-Friendly Heterogeneous Catalysts"
  https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201900147

complete list of publications (pdf)