Born: Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu
Ph.D. (Prof. V. Chandrasekhar), IIT Kanpur, 2002
JSPS Post Doctoral Fellow (Prof. Mitsuo Kira), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, 2003-2005
Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Research Fellow (Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Herbert W. Roesky), Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany (2005-2008)
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, 2008-present
Awarded the Honorable Mention (Cash Award of USD 100 and a copy of the IUPAC “Gold Book”) for the 2003 IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), USA. Selected as an Associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India.
Research Interests
Our group is broadly interested in the chemistry of group 13 and 14 elements. Currently, we are mainly focusing on the synthesis, reactivity, and catalytic applications of germylenes. For the stabilization of germylenes, we use aminotroponiminate, aminotroponate, and dipyrrinate ligand systems. Apart from these, we also have huge interest in bioorganometallic chemistry. For example, (a) the structure of a complex of a germanone isolated by us recently is shown below. Interestingly, we did not use the difficult to make germanone as starting material for the synthesis this compound, but, an easy to make germanium-μ-oxo dimer.
(b) Utilizing the cyanogermylene shown below, we demonstrated the first catalytic application of a well-defined germylene. The catalytic reaction studied was the cyanosilylation of aldehydes.
Selected Publications
- M. K. Sharma, S. Sinhababu, D. Yadav, G. Mukherjee, S. Nagendran and G. Rajaraman, Pseudohalogenogermylenes versus halogenogermylenes: Difference in their complexation behavior towards group 6 metal carbonyls. Chem. Asian J., 2018, 13, 1357.
- S. Sinhababu, D. Yadav, S. Karwasara, M. K. Sharma, G. Mukherjee, G. Rajaraman and S. Nagendran, The Preparation of Complexes of Germanone from a Germanium μ-Oxo Dimer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2016, 55, 7742.
- S. Karwasara, D. Yadav, C. K. Jha, G. Rajaraman and S. Nagendran, Single-step conversion of silathiogermylene to germaacid anhydrides: unusual reactivity. Chem. Comm., 2015, 51, 4310.
- C. K. Jha, S. Karwasara and S. Nagendran, Can Low-Valent Germanium Chemistry Be Practiced Under Ambient Conditions? A Tale of a Water-Stable Yet Reactive Germylene Monochloride. Chem. –Eur. J., 2014, 20, 10240.
- R. K. Siwatch and S. Nagendran, Germylene Cyanide Complex: A Reagent for the Activation of Aldehydes with Catalytic Significance. Chem. –Eur. J., 2014, 20, 13551.