Chip Nataro

Marshall R. Metzgar Professor and Head of Chemistry
236 Hugel Science Center
(610) 330-5216
nataroc@lafayette.edu
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Degrees

  • B.S. - Messiah College
  • Ph.D. - Iowa State University
  • Postdoctoral - University of Vermont

Courses: Chem 107 – General Chemistry I; Chem 211 – Foundational Inorganic Chemistry; Chem 366 – Course-based Research Experience in Chemistry; Chem 411 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

Research: My research area is organoMetallic chemistry. In particular, my group focuses on bis(phosphine)metallocene ligands which are of interest in a variety of catalytic systems. These ligands will bond to a metal center through the two phosphorus atoms. The backbone (link between the phosphorus atoms) is a metallocene. Metallocenes are transition metal atoms (typically iron in my group) that are bound to organic groups. The modern field of organometallic chemistry stems from the discovery of the first metallocene, ferrocene, in the 1950’s. In our compounds the metallocene backbone provides interesting properties to these ligands. The ligands act as a sort of spring loaded ball bearing, which means the ligands have the ability to both rotate and stretch. This can have a tremendous impact on the catalytic activity of compounds containing these ligands. Students in my group make new compounds and study the properties of these compounds using a variety of instrumental techniques.

Selected Recent Publications:

  • “Activation of B-C bonds in [BArF24]– (BArF24 = tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate) by gold(I) compounds with 1,1ʹ-bis(phosphino)metallocene ligands.” T. J. Roberts, A. G. Katz, A. E. Boggess, J. K. Soika, E. W. Reinheimer and C. Nataro, Organometallics, 2025, 44, 927. Paper
  • “Cleavage of [Pd2(PP)2(μ-Cl)2][BArF24]2 (PP = bis(phosphino) ferrocene, BArF24 = tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) borate) with monodentate phosphines.” I. S. Leiby, V. Parparcén, N. Ding, K. J. Kunz, S. A. Wolfarth, J. E. Stevens and C. Nataro, Molecules, 2024, 29, 2047. Paper
  • “Synthesis of disubstituted furans catalysed by [(AuCl)2(μ-bis(phosphino)metallocene)] and Na[BArF24].” R. K. Gwinn, A. E. Boggess, E. P. Winter and C. Nataro, J. Organomet. Chem., 2022, 51, 17000. Paper
  • “Hydroamination and carboxylative cyclization reactions catalyzed by gold(I) compounds with 1,1′-bisphosphino)metallocene ligands.” N. E. Miner and C. Nataro, J. Organomet. Chem. 2022, 963, 122283. Paper
  • “Cleavage of the dimeric heterometallic complexes [Pd(dppf)(μ-Cl)2][BArF24]2 (BArF24 = tetrakis(bis-3,5-trifluoromethylphenyl)borate) via addition of monodentate phosphine ligands.” S. A. Wolfarth, N. G. Colicchio, C. S. Nataro, E. W. Reinheimer and C. Nataro, Polyhedron, 2022, 222, 115915. Paper

undergraduate student coauthors underlined, high school student coauthors italicized