Mechanisms of nitrogen and phosphorus activation and functionalization

Tufts University, Medford MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports the work of Professor Elena V. Rybak-Akimova at Tufts University to establish the mechanisms of transition metal assisted cleavage, activation, and functionalization of nitrogen and phosphorus. The major emphasis of the research is on kinetic studies (low-temperature, stopped-flow investigations of rapid reactions) of low coordinate, highly reactive molybdenum(III) complexes that are capable of splitting dinitrogen. The proposed research will contribute to the design of new processes that incorporate nitrogen, from dinitrogen, directly into organic or inorganic molecules without requiring the intermediacy of ammonia. The understanding garnered from these studies will be used to drive the discovery of analogous processes for phosphorus. Organic phosphorus compounds are important as ligands in catalysis and also in insecticides and enzyme inhibitors. Undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers will collaborate with scientists at both MIT and the University of Miami. Dr. Rybak-Akimova, an expert kineticist, works with many U.S. and international scientists using NSF-funded stopped-flow instrumentation.