Organometallic compounds are chemicals that contain at least one metal-carbon bond. Metal-carbon bonds are common in everyday materials such as industrial catalysts and steel, but are rare in biology. In enzymes and cofactors, covalent bonds formed by carbon with iron, nickel, and cobalt, transition metals with unfilled d-electron orbitals, have been found. For example, the vitamin B12 coenzyme contains a cobalt-carbon bond. Organometallic compounds contain metals and ligands. The metals include those of main group, transition metals, lanthanides, and actinides, and the ligands include carbon monoxide and other organic molecules/groups. The synthetic methods of organometallic compounds are generally divided into two types. One method is based on reactions between metal species and preformed ligands or ligand precursors, and the other is based on reactions of ligands in the organometallic compound to produce new ligands. Organometallic compounds show unique bonds and structures that play critical roles in catalysis and organic synthesis, resulting in more efficient use of reagents, higher product yields, and less energy use. The compounds are also used as precursors for the preparation of nanomaterials and microelectronic materials.
Organometallic compounds occupy a central position in organic synthesis, because they drive specific bonding and/or catalyze reactions. Organometallics supply a nucleophilic carbon atom which reacts with an electrophilic carbon to form a new carbon-carbon (C-C) bond. The reactivity of these compounds depends on the nature of the metal and the type of ligand attached to the metal. By changing the electronic and steric properties of these ligands, it is possible to modulate their reactivity and thus achieve selectivity. Some organometallics are highly selective, allowing the preparation of complex targets without the involvement of protecting groups. In addition, the transition metal-catalyzed reactions create new synthesis strategies that contribute to brevity. Among all organometallic compounds, organoboron, organocopper, organopalladium and organomagnesium compounds have the widest scope of reactions and range of applications. These compounds constitute the backbone C-C bonding process, which is indispensable to chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In the field of chemical biology, organometallic compounds also play an important role because of their outstanding physicochemical properties including chemical stability, structural diversity, and unique photochemical and electrochemical properties. Organometallics have many applications in chemical biology. Some organometallic compounds have been successfully applied to living cells as enzyme inhibitors and luminescent agents. In addition, organometallics also show great promise in other biological applications, such as enhancing cellular uptake of peptide conjugates, catalyzing reactions in living cells, or assisting in monitoring the intracellular localization of biomolecules by Raman microscopy or photothermal induced resonance (PTIR).
Amerigo Scientific offers a wide range of high-purity organometallic compounds such as organosodium, organopotassium, organomercury, organosilicon, organolead, organocopper, organoaluminum, organolithium, organozinc, organogermanium, organotin, and Grignard reagents.
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