Application of Organometallic Compounds in Leather Processing

History of Organometallic Compounds

Early developments in organometallic chemistry include Louis Claude Cadet synthesis of methyl arsenic compounds related to cacodyl, William Christopher Zeise's platinum-ethylene complex, Edward Frankland discovery of dimethyl zinc, Ludwig Mond discovery of Ni(CO)4, and Victor Grignard organomagnesium compounds. The abundant and diverse products from coal and petroleum led to Ziegler-Natta, Fischer-Tropsch, hydroformylation catalysis which employ CO, H2, and alkenes as feedstocks and ligands.

Recognition of organometallic chemistry as a distinct subfield culminated in the Nobel Prizes to Ernst Fischer and Geoffrey Wilkinson for work on metallocenes. In 2005, Yves Chauvin, Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock shared the Nobel Prize for metal-catalyzed olefin metathesis.

Organometallic Compounds

Organometallic compounds are also known as organo-inorganics, metallo-organics and metalorganics. Organometallic compounds are distinguished by the prefix "organo-" e.g. organopalladium compounds. Examples of such organometallic compounds include all Gilman and Grignard reagents which contain lithium and copper, and magnesium respectively. Tetracarbonyl nickel, and ferrocene are examples of organometallic compounds containing transition metals.

In addition to the traditional metals and semimetals, elements

such as boron, silicon, arsenic, and selenium are considered to form organometallic compounds. Examples include organomagnesium compounds such as iodo(methyl)magnesium MeMgI, diethylmagnesium (Et2Mg); organolithium compounds such as butyllithium (BuLi), organozinc compounds such as chloro(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)zinc (ClZnCH2C(=O)OEt); organocopper compounds such as lithium dimethylcuprate (Li+[CuMe2]); and organoborane compounds such as triethylborane (Et3B).

Many organometallic compounds exist in biological systems. For example, hemoglobin and myoglobin contain an iron center bonded to a porphyrin ring; magnesium is the center of a chlorin ring in chlorophyll. The specialized field of such inorganic compounds is known as bioinorganic chemistry.

Bangladesh has been a source of raw materials, ranging from hides and skins at the beginning of mostly crust and some finished leather. Since 1990-91, Bangladesh has started exporting footwear and other leather goods. Export earning from leather goods, were negligible from 1972-73 through 1989-90 averaging only Tk. 0.114 million per annum. But it has increased considerably since 1990-91 and has reached around TK. 700 million in 1993-94. It is significant that the demand of shoe upper leather is increasing in the international Market.

Keeping in mind both the points the international demand and availability of raw hides and skins. I have intended to develop a recipe for the production of shoe upper leather. Moreover, Production capacity in finished leather and leather goods is developed in Bangladesh, new jobs will be acquired, and markets will be accessed.

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