The research that is carried out in our lab lies on the boundary between organic and inorganic chemistry. We are primarily interested in the development of new lanthanide and early metal based transition metal complexes that promote novel and desirable reactivity of organic molecules. The past 4 years of research in the Schafer group has been focused on the exploration of amidate complexes of the group 4 metals, and the reactivity they promote. The auxiliary amidate ligand set was attractive to us as the organic amide proligands are easily synthesized in a single high-yielding step from inexpensive, commercially available starting materials. The modular nature of these ligands allows for easy steric and electronic tuning of the resultant metal complexes.

Our amidate complexes are synthesized readily in a single step from commercially available metal starting materials and our easily synthesized proligands via a protonolysis reaction. Salt metathesis reactions are also of utility for entry into dichloride derivatives of the group 4 amidate complexes, and a variety of these complexes have been synthesized and characterized. Investigation of the dichloride species for olefin polymerization is also underway in our laboratories.

These ligands have already proven highly useful as ancillary ligands for hydroamination catalysts based on group 4 metals.

that can be stabilized by these new ligands for early transition metals. We are currently studying the catalytic and stoichiometric reactivity of our library of new amidate complexes. Some of these applications include alkyne, allene, and alkene hydroamination, tandem hydroamination/C-C coupling reactions, olefin polymerization, dinitrogen activation, C-H activation, C-F activation, and other activation reactions with "inert" molecules. We are also currently exploring the viability of homoleptic lanthanide amidate complexes for luminescent materials properties and Lewis acid catalysis. Finally, we are also interested in exploring new types of mixed N,O chelating ligands for early transition metals and lanthanides.