"Ionic Hydrogenation" as an Alternative to Wilkinson Type Catalyses

H. Berke's research activities cover various fields of organometallic chemistry. Major efforts are devoted to the area of transition metal hydrides, which is related to homogenous catalysis as well as to biology. A tuning of the metal-hydrogen bond strength and bond polarity is expected to lead to activated and reactive compounds. Also under study is organometallic chemistry useful for enantioselective C,C coupling reactions mediated by transition-metal complexes, as well as metallacumulenes, where carbon based units are sought to bridge transition-metal centers.