Why
do you think your paper is highly cited?
Gold catalysis is a very rapidly developing area and our
indene synthesis methodology is quite straightforward and
very versatile.
Does
it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of
knowledge?
It’s a methodology which is easy to use with a gold
precatalyst that can now be obtained from Strem Chemicals,
Inc.
Would
you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?
It permits easy assembly of complex structure in one step
in air.
How
did you become involved in this research, and were there any
problems along the way?
I have been involved in NHC (N-heterocyclic carbene)
transition metal catalysis for almost 10 years now. Gold
seemed like an area worth investigating. Problems...yes,
there are always problems, but we solved them fairly
straightforwardly.
Where
do you see your research leading in the future?
These Gold-NHC complexes are very stable and will open
areas where gold-phosphine complexes fail.
Are
there any social or political implications for your research?
None, our indene synthesis methodology just helps make
molecules easily, in a catalytic way with limited waste.
Professor Steven P. Nolan
Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)
Tarragona, Spain
Read another comment (Emerging Research Front) from