Strategies for Tailoring the Redox Properties of d6/d8-Electron Platinum and Palladium Complexes

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor William Connick at the University of Cincinnati to prepare transition metal two-electron reagents and elucidate the factors that govern their outer-sphere electron-transfer reactions. These studies are expected to provide the knowledge needed to develop strategies for tailoring the thermodynamics and kinetics of cooperative two-electron transfer reactions. Multielectron transfer reactions are central to many of the most important challenges in chemical synthesis and catalysis, including energy conversion and storage. Two classes of reversible two-electron transfer reagents will be investigated. A battery of physical experiments will be used to determine electronic structures, ligand fluxionality, redox thermodynamics, and rates of electron transfer. The research activities will bring together a research team composed of high school students, undergraduate students, graduate students, a postdoctoral researcher, and Professor Connick. A chemistry web site will be developed in collaboration with a Cincinnati Public Schools high school teacher.