While working and teaching at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (1962–1972), he rose from Assistant Professor to a full Professorship. Returning to the United Kingdom in 1972, Maitlis was a professor of chemistry at the University of Sheffield for 30 years until his appointment as an emeritus professor in 2002.[3]
In 1971, he published two volumes on the organic chemistry of palladium[6][7] which were "widely recognised as the most authoritative account of the organo-complexes of this metal".[8]
The hexafluorophosphate ion is generally considered inert and hence a suitable counterion in organometallic synthesis. However, Maitlis' work has demonstrated a solvolysis reaction of the hexafluorophosphate ion. The tris(solvent) rhodium complex [(η5-C5Me5)Rh(Me2CO)3](PF6)2 undergoes solvolysis when heated in acetone, forming a difluorophosphate-bridged complex [(η5-C5Me5)Rh(μ-OPF2O)3Rh(η5-C5Me5)]PF6.[10][11]
Isocyanides can serve as ligands in co-ordination chemistry as a result of the lone electron pair on carbon, and are especially useful with metals in the 0, +1, and +2 oxidation states. In particular, Maitlis has demonstrated that tert-butyl isocyanide can stabilise metals in unusual oxidation states, such as palladium(I) in the complex [(t-BuNC)2Pd(μ-Cl)]2.[18]
Metallomesogensedit
Metallomesogens are "metal complexes of organic ligands which exhibit liquid crystalline (mesomorphic) character [and thus they] combine the variety and range of metal-based coordination chemistry with the extraordinary physical properties exhibited by liquid crystals."[4] They have been a research interest of Maitlis' group since the mid-1980s, and in fact Maitlis jointly directed the early investigations of these systems in the UK and actually coined the term metallomesogen.[19]
Personal lifeedit
Maitlis was Jewish. He was the father of the journalist and newsreader Emily Maitlis.[20]
The following list shows the top 10 most cited journal articles by Maitlis according to Web of Science data. The number of citations indicated is current as at 27 May 2022:
Kang, J. W.; Moseley, K.; Maitlis, P. M. (1969). "Pentamethylcyclopentadienylrhodium and -iridium Halides. I. Synthesis and Properties". J. Am. Chem. Soc.91 (22): 5970–5977. doi:10.1021/ja01050a008. --- 657 citations
Giroud-Godquin, A.-M.; Maitlis, P. M. (1991). "Metallomesogens – Metal-Complexes in Organized Fluid Phases". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.30 (4): 375–402. doi:10.1002/anie.199103751. --- 570 citations
Hudson, S. A.; Maitlis, P. M. (1993). "Calamitic Metallomesogens: Metal-Containing Liquid-Crystals with Rodlike Shapes". Chem. Rev.93 (3): 861–885. doi:10.1021/cr00019a002. --- 482 citations
Maitlis, P. M.; Haynes, A.; Sunley, G. J.; Howard, M. J. (1996). "Methanol Carbonylation Revisited: Thirty Years On". J. Chem.Soc., Dalton Trans. (11): 2187–2196. doi:10.1039/dt9960002187. --- 276 citations
Maitlis, P. M. (1978). "(Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)rhodium and -iridium Complexes – Approaches to New Types of Homogeneous Catalysts". Acc. Chem. Res.11 (8): 301–307. doi:10.1021/ar50128a003. --- 265 citations
White, C.; Thompson, S. J.; Maitlis, P. M. (1977). "Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl-Rhodium and -Iridium Complexes XII. Tris(solvent) Complexes and Complexes of η6-Benzene, -Naphthalene, -Phenanthrene, -Indene, -Indole, -Fluorene and η5-Indenyl and -Indolyl". J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. (17): 1654–1661. doi:10.1039/DT9770001654. --- 247 citations
Greaves, E. O.; Lock, C. J. L.; Maitlis, P. M. (1968). "Metal-Acetylene Complexes II. Acetylene Complexes of Nickel, Palladium and Platinum". Can. J. Chem.46 (24): 3879–3891. doi:10.1139/v68-641. --- 240 citations
Maitlis, P. M. (1976). "The Palladium(II)-Induced Oligomerization of Acetylenes: An Organometallic Detective Story". Acc. Chem. Res.9 (3): 93–99. doi:10.1021/ar50099a003. --- 230 citations
Maitlis, P. M. (1981). "Eta-5-Cyclopentadienyl and eta-6-Arene as Protecting Ligands Towards Platinum-Metal Complexes". Chem. Soc. Rev.10 (1): 1–48. doi:10.1039/cs9811000001. --- 207 citations
Haynes, A.; Maitlis, P. M.; Morris, G. E.; Sunley, G. J.; Adams, H.; Badger, P. W.; Bowers, C. M.; Cook, D. B.; Elliott, P. I. P.; Ghaffar, T.; Green, H.; Griffin, T. R.; Payne, M.; Pearson, J. M.; Taylor, M. J.; Vickers, P. W.; Watt, R. J. (2004). "Promotion of Iridium-Catalyzed Methanol Carbonylation: Mechanistic Studies of the Cativa Process". J. Am. Chem. Soc.126 (9): 2847–2861. doi:10.1021/ja039464y. PMID 14995202. --- 196 citations
Referencesedit
^Crabtree, Robert H. (2023). "Peter M. Maitlis. 15 January 1933—18 May 2022". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 75: 327–343. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2022.0048. S2CID 258189933.
^ abc"Emeritus Prof Peter Maitlis FRS". Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
^Maitlis, P. M. (1971). The Organic Chemistry of Palladium, Volume 1. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-465802-8.
^Maitlis, P. M. (1971). The Organic Chemistry of Palladium, Volume 2: Catalytic Reactions. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-465802-8.
^ ab"Certificates of Election and Candidature: Maitlis, Peter Michael". royalsociety.org. Royal Society. 1978. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
^"List of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1660 – 2007". royalsociety.org. Royal Society. p. 233. Retrieved 4 February 2011. Date of Election: 15/03/1984
^Thompson, S. J.; Bailey, P. M.; White, C.; Maitlis, P. M. (1976). "Solvolysis of the Hexafluorophosphate Ion and the Structure of [Tris(μ-difluorophosphato)bis(penta-methylcyclopentadienylrhodium)] Hexafluorophosphate". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.15 (8): 490–491. doi:10.1002/anie.197604901.
^White, C.; Thompson, S. J.; Maitlis, P. M. (1977). "Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl-rhodium and -iridium Complexes XIV. The Solvolysis of Coordinated Acetone Solvent Species to Tris(μ-difluorophosphato)bis[η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienylrhodium(III)] Hexafluorophosphate, to the η5-(2,4-dimethyl-1-oxapenta-1,3-dienyl)(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iridium Cation, or to the η5-(2-hydroxy-4-methylpentadienyl)(η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iridium Cation". J. Organomet. Chem.134 (3): 319–325. doi:10.1016/S0022-328X(00)93278-9.
^Paquette, L. A.; Krow, G. R. (1968). "Electrophilic Additions to Hexamethyldewarbenzene". Tetrahedron Lett.9 (17): 2139–2142. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)89761-0.
^Criegee, R.; Gruner, H. (1968). "Acid-catalyzed Rearrangements of Hexamethyl-prismane and Hexamethyl-Dewar-benzene". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.7 (6): 467–468. doi:10.1002/anie.196804672.
^Kang, J. W.; Moseley, K.; Maitlis, P. M. (1968). "Mechanisms of Reactions of Dewar Hexamethylbenzene with Rhodium and Iridium Chlorides". Chem. Commun. (21): 1304–1305. doi:10.1039/C19680001304.
^Kang, J. W.; Maitlis, P. M. (1968). "Conversion of Dewar Hexamethylbenzene to Pentamethylcyclopentadienylrhodium(III) Chloride". J. Am. Chem. Soc.90 (12): 3259–3261. doi:10.1021/ja01014a063.
^Kang, J. W.; Moseley, K.; Maitlis, P. M. (1969). "Pentamethylcyclopentadienylrhodium and -iridium Halides. I. Synthesis and Properties". J. Am. Chem. Soc.91 (22): 5970–5977. doi:10.1021/ja01050a008.
^White, C.; Yates, A.; Maitlis, P. M.; Heinekey, D. M. (2007). "(η 5 -Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)Rhodium and -Iridium Compounds". Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 29. pp. 228–234. doi:10.1002/9780470132609.ch53. ISBN 9780470132609. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
^Rettig, M. F.; Maitlis, P. M.; Cotton, F. A.; Webb, T. R. (2007). "Tetrakis( tert -Butyl Isocyanide)Di-μ-Chlorodipalladium(I)". Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 28. pp. 110–113. doi:10.1002/9780470132593.ch29. ISBN 9780470132593. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
^Liu, X.-H.; Abser, M. N.; Bruce, D. W. (1998). "Synthesis and Characterisation of Rod-Like Metallomesogens of Mn(I) based on Schiff Base Ligands". J. Organomet. Chem.551 (1–2): 271–280. doi:10.1016/S0022-328X(97)00437-3. Serious UK effort in this area started in 1984 in Sheffield and DWB remembers several early conversations with Peter Maitlis on the subject. ... perhaps the most interesting and satisfying results, at least from a pure liquid crystal perspective, were obtained with their complexes to silver—another of Peter's initial suggestions. The subject of this paper relates to organometallic metallomesogens—a term coined by Peter—and is dedicated to him with much warmth and affection." (p. 271)
^Ebner, Sarah (19 April 2017). "Emily Maitlis: Getting it right". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
^"Maitlis, Peter". The Times. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.