Fausto Calderazzoe entered the University of Florence, in November 1947. He worked in the laboratory of Luigi Sacconi. After the compulsory military service, Calderazzo joined the research group of Giulio Natta, a future Nobel laureate in Milan. He was a postdoctoral fellow with F. A. Cotton. His first independent position was at the Cyanamid European Research Institute in Geneva (1963-1968). There he was part of a team of future eminent scholars, including Carlo Floriani. For most of his career he was professor at the University of Pisa.
Research
Figure 4. Crystallographic structure of [H(THF)2][Nb2(μ-Cl)3(CO)8]
Metal carbonyl chemistry
While in Milan, he discovered V(CO)6. He made seminal contributions to the mechanism of migratory insertion reactions, with emphasis on the stereochemical course of the carbonylation of CH3Mn(CO)5. His team later (in Pisa) developed syntheses of Na[Nb(CO)6] and Na[Ta(CO6)].
He contributed to the so-called "non classical" carbonyl compounds through studies on gold complexes.
Metal halides
Structure of Au4Cl8
Calderazzo extended his interest in carbonyl chemistry of the late transition metals halides. His group reported Au4Cl8, a simple mixed-valence gold chloride.
Early metal complexes
Many of his contributions focused on early transition metals. He carried out research on carbon dioxide complexes.
Starting with the preparation of V(η6-1,3,5-C6H3Me3)2, his group prepared many bis-mesitylene derivatives.
Awards and titles
Calderazzo was a member of the editorial or advisor board of international scientific journals. He was a member of the Société Royale de Chemie (1987), Società Chimica Italiana and Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (1989). He received the A. Miolati award in Inorganic Chemistry in 1988 and the L. Sacconi Medal in 1998.
References
↑P. M. Maitlis, D. B. Dell'Amico. "Fausto Calderazzo: Pioneer in Mechanistic Organometallic Chemistry". 'Organometallics, 2014, 33, 6989–7006. https://doi.org/10.1021/om5011963
↑Ercoli, R.; Calderazzo, F.; Alberola, A. (1960). "Synthesis of Vanadium Hexacarbonyl". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 82 (11): 2966–2967. doi:10.1021/ja01496a073.
↑Calderazzo, Fausto (1977). "Synthetic and Mechanistic Aspects of Inorganic Insertion Reactions. Insertion of Carbon Monoxide". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 16 (5): 299–311. doi:10.1002/anie.197702991.
↑Dell'Amico, Daniela Belli; Calderazzo, Fausto; Marchetti, Fabio; Ramello, Stefano (1996). "Molecular Structure of [Pd6Cl12] in Single Crystals Chemically Grown at Room Temperature". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 35 (12): 1331–1333. doi:10.1002/anie.199613311.
↑Dell'Amico, Daniela Belli; Calderazzo, Fausto; Marchetti, Fabio; Merlino, Stefano; Perego, Giovanni (1977). "X-Ray Crystal and Molecular Structure of Au4Cl8, the Product of the Reduction of Au2Cl6 by Au(CO)Cl". Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications: 31. doi:10.1039/C39770000031.
↑Calderazzo, Fausto; Englert, Ulli; Guarini, Alessandro; Marchetti, Fabio; Pampaloni, Guido; Segre, Annalaura (1994). "[Zr3Cp2(O2CN i Pr2)6(μ-O)(μ-CCO)], the First Crystallographically Established Ketenylidene Complex; A Model for CO Reductive Cleavage on Metal Surfaces". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 33 (11): 1188–1189. doi:10.1002/anie.199411881.
↑Calderazzo, Fausto; Pampaloni, Guido (1995). "Aromatic hydrocarbons, carbocyclic ligands spanning several oxidation states in both Main Group and transition elements. Recent advances with Early Transition d Elements". Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. 500 (1–2): 47–60. doi:10.1016/0022-328X(95)00505-K.
↑G. Pampaloni. "Aromatic hydrocarbons as ligands. Recent advances in the synthesis, the reactivity, and the applications of bis(η6-arene) complexes". Coord. Chem. Rev., 2010, 254, 402-419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2009.05.014.