chemistry

Martin A. Bennett

Martin A. Bennett is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Martin A. Bennett rather than just read about it. In short: Martin Arthur Bennett (born 11 August 1935) is an Australian inorganic chemist. He gained recognition for studies on the co-ordination chemistry of tertiary phosphines, olefins, and acetylenes, and the relationship of their behaviour to homogeneous catalysis.

Key takeaways

Martin A. Bennett belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reproduce the core statement of Martin A. Bennett from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Martin Arthur Bennett (born 11 August 1935) is an Australian inorganic chemist. He gained recognition for studies on the co-ordination chemistry of tertiary phosphines, olefins, and acetylenes, and the relationship of their behaviour to homogeneous catalysis.

Professional career Born in Harrow, London on 11 August 1935, Bennett studied at The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and received his PhD under the supervision of Geoffrey Wilkinson at Imperial College. He was subsequently a researcher at University College, London with Ronald Nyholm and then with Arthur Adamson. While in London, he prepared the rhodium complex [RhCl(PPh3)3], now known as Wilkinson's catalyst. In the 1960s he took a position in the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University in Canberra. Bennett was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1980 and of the Royal Society in 1995.

Contributions At ANU, Bennett developed several lines of research broadly on themes in organometallic chemistry. This included extending work on the iridium analogue of Wilkinson's catalyst which he began at University College with Milner. Wilkinson's catalyst can be prepared by reducing rhodium(III) chloride in boiling ethanol in the presence of an excess of triphenylphosphine, but the equivalent preparative conditions lead not to [IrCl(PPh3)3] but instead to a mixture of iridium(III) products, primarily the hydrogen chloride adduct of the analogue:

IrCl3(H2O)3 + 4 PPh3 → [HIrCl2(PPh3)3] + OPPh3 + HCl + 2 H2O Bennett prepared the analogue from the 1,5-cyclooctadiene (1,5-cod) iridium(I) dimer, [(η4-1,5-cod)Ir(μ-Cl)]2, using an excess of triphenylphosphine in ligroin under reflux. The product is isomorphous with Wilkinson's catalyst but does not lose a triphenylphosphine ligand through dissociation in organic solvents anywhere near as readily. A phosphine is lost under oxidative conditions with chlorine, affording initially [IrCl3(PPh3)2] and with excess chlorine, the iridium(IV) complex [IrCl4(PPh3)2] is obtained. [IrCl(PPh3)3] rearranges on heating via an insertion reaction, an ortho-metalation of one of the phenyl moieties, to produce the six-co-ordinate organometallic iridium(III) hydride [HIrCl(PPh3)2(Ph2PC6H4)] – an example of iridium(I)-iridium(III) tautomerism involving the formation of a bidentate phosphine ligand with a carbon donor atom:

[(η4-1,5-cod)Ir(μ-Cl)]2 + 4 PPh3 → 2 [IrCl(PPh3)3] + 2 1,5-cod

Bennett was the first to prepare complexes of cyclooctyne, cycloheptyne, and cyclohexyne. He developed rare examples of metal-alkene complexes that exist in two oxidation states. His group first prepared the now-popular reagent (cymene)ruthenium dichloride dimer, which is converted into a monomer by reaction with 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene for use in borrowing hydrogen catalysis

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martin A. Bennett

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Martin A. Bennett claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Martin A. Bennett before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Martin A. Bennett ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Martin A. Bennett

In research: Martin A. Bennett appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Martin A. Bennett in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Martin A. Bennett is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1935 births, 20th-century Australian chemists, Australian fellows of the Royal Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martin A. Bennett outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Martin A. Bennett in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Martin A. Bennett means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Martin A. Bennett in simple terms?

Why does Martin A. Bennett matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Martin A. Bennett?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Martin A. Bennett.