Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry

Research Area

  • Inorganometallic Chemistry

Research Subjects

  • Synthesis, structures, and reactivity of multiple bonds, small ring systems, and π-complexes composed of transition metals and main group elements (silicon, germanium, boron, etc.)
  • Design for transition-metal complexes exhibiting high reactivity, and the reactions and catalytic activity induced by them

Overview of Research

Inorganic chemistry makes essentially all the elements in the periodic table its object of study. We are particularly interested in a class of compounds called “transition-metal complexes”, which have transition-metal atoms at the center. The chemistry of transition-metal complexes can be traced back to the discovery of Werner-type complexes more than 100 years ago, and it is still developing rapidly as the branch of chemistry dealing with “organometallic complexes”, i.e., the chemistry of compounds having transition metal element-carbon bonds and one of the hottest areas of chemistry from the late 20th century.

We are presently engaged in the research in a more advanced field, the chemistry of “inorganometallic complexes”. This is the chemistry of compounds having new-type of bonds, including multiple bonds between transition-metal elements and main group elements except for carbon, and is expected to become one of the new frontiers of material science. Our objects are the complexes having unprecedented multiple bonds between transition-metal elements and silicon, germanium, boron, etc., and also small ring systems and π-complexes composed of transition metals and main group elements except for carbon. We hope to find a number of novel bonding modes, physical properties, and chemical reactions in these compounds.

Selected Publications

  • (η3-α-Silabenzyl)tungsten Complexes: An Isolable Intermediate for Interconversion between a Silylene Complex and a Silyl Complex through 1,2-Aryl Migration
    E. Suzuki, T. Komuro, Y. Kanno, and H. Tobita, Organometallics, 32, 748-751 (2013).
  • Preparation of Endohedral Fullerene Containing Lithium(Li@C60) and Isolation as Pure Hexafluorophosphate Salt([Li+@C60][PF6-])
    H. Okada, T. Komuro, T. Sakai, Y. Matsuo, Y. Ono, K. Omote, K. Yokoo, K. Kawachi, Y. Kasama, S. Ono, R. Hatakeyama, T. Kaneko, and H. Tobita, RSC Advance, 2, 10624-10631 (2012).
  • Hydrido(hydrosilylene)tungsten Complexes: Dynamic Behavior and Reactivity Toward Acetone
    T. Watanabe, H. Hashimoto, and H. Tobita, Chem. Asian J., 7, 1408-1416 (2012).
  • Formation of a Germylyne Complex: Dehydrogenation of a Hydrido(hydrogermylene)tungsten Complex with Mesityl Isocyanate
    H. Hashimoto, T. Fukuda, H. Tobita, M. Ray, and S. Sakaki, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 51, 2930-2933 (2012).
  • A Layered Ionic Crystal of Polar Li@C60 Superatoms
    S. Aoyagi, E. Nishibori, H. Sawa, K. Sugimoto, M. Takata, Y. Miyata, R. Kitaura, H. Shinohara, H. Okada, T. Sakai, Y. Ono, K. Kawachi, K. Yokoo, S. Ono, K. Omote, Y. Kasama, S. Ishikawa, T. Komuro, and H. Tobita, Nature Chem., 2, 678-683 (2010).

Contact Information

　“Please delete “/” after “@” in a mail address.”
  • Hiromi TOBITA
    (TEL +81-22-795-6539, Email: tobita@/m.tohoku.ac.jp)
  • Hisako HASHIMOTO
    (TEL +81-22-795-6540, Email: hhashimoto@/m.tohoku.ac.jp)
  • Takashi KOMURO
    (TEL +81-22-795-6540, Email: komuro@/m.tohoku.ac.jp)
  • Takahito WATANABE
    (TEL +81-22-795-6540, Email: watanabe@/m.tohoku.ac.jp)

FAX +81-22-795-6543
Homepage: http://inorg.chem.tohoku.ac.jp/ (Japanese)