Introduction to Transition Metal Catalysis

The video tutorial explores the role of transition metal catalysis in modern synthetic chemistry. It contrasts traditional organic reactions with the complex mechanisms of transition metal catalysis, emphasizing the importance of overcoming kinetic barriers. The tutorial introduces catalytic cycles, historical breakthroughs, and the potential of transition metal complexes in facilitating reactions that are otherwise kinetically unfeasible. It concludes with a brief introduction to homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.

What is the significance of the free energy of activation in catalyzed reactions?

How did chemists overcome the challenges of amination reactions in the 1990s?

What are the two conventional approaches to transition metal catalysis mentioned?