Modern Ylide Chemistry ― Applications in Ligand Design, Organic and Catalytic Transformations

This volume covers recent advances in the chemistry of ylidic compounds with focus on their application in the design of ligands with unique donor properties, the development of novel organic transformations as well as the use of ylides in homogenous catalysis. Thereby, this volume particularly aims at the community of organic and organometallic chemists engaged in synthetic chemistry and catalysis as well as in the use of special ligands for the stabilization of unusual main group element species and the “transition-metal free” activation of element-element/hydrogen bonds. These fields of research are highly active and vivid research areas to which ylide chemistry has only recently started to contribute, but has already led to fascinating developments in most different directions. This volume highlights these recent developments, thus giving not only an overview over the past achievements, but also possibilities for future applications. To this end, the chapters selected in this volume combine different aspects of ylide chemistry, starting with theoretical aspects in ligand design followed by synthetic organic methods, catalytic transformations and complex chemistry. 

Viktoria Gessner (born Oct. 1982 in Wurzburg) obtained her diploma degree in 2007 from the University of Wurzburg and her PhD in 2009 from the TU Dortmund working with C. Strohmann. After a postdoctoral stay at UC Berkeley with T. D. Tilley she started her independent academic career at the University of Wurzburg affiliated to the group of H. Braunschweig and finished her Habilitation in 2015. In 2016, she moved to the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, where she is now chair for inorganic chemistry. Her research interests involve organometallic and main group metal chemistry with focus on s-block metal compounds and unique carbon-based ligand systems, such as methandiides and metalated ylides. Her work has been recognized by several grants and awards, such as by an Emmy Noether Grant of the German Research Council, a Starting Grant of the European Research Council or the ADUC award and IUPAC prize for young scientists.