James P. Collman

James P. Collman is Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1958 under Reynold C. Fuson. In his independent career, Collman has contributed to several aspects of transition metal chemistry.

In the 1960's his group demonstrated that certain metal acetylacetonates undergo Friedel-Crafts-like reactions, indicating that these chelate rings have aromatic character. Through reviews as well as original research, his group popularized the oxidative addition reaction, leading to the discovery of new low valent complexes including Ru(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂ and IrCl(N₂)(PPh₃)₂. Collman's reagent, Na₂Fe(CO)₄, prepared in his laboratories, enables certain C-C coupling reactions in organic synthesis. He popularized the use of tetraphenylporphyrin as a biomimetic ligand for exploring the structure and function of myoglobin, cytochrome P450, and cytochrome oxidase.

Collman coauthored an influential textbook on organometallic chemistry. [James P. Collman, Louis S. Hegedus, Jack R. Norton, and Richard G. Finke "Principles and Applications of Organotransition Metal Chemistry" University Science Books, Sausalito, 1987. ISBN 0-935702-51-2]

In recognition of his achievements, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and received the American Chemical Society's award in Inorganic Chemistry.

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