Supramolecular Redox-active and Inactive Systems Derived From Hemilabile Ligands

这个无机、生物无机和有机金属化学项目的奖项支持了西北大学化学系Chad Mirkin教授关于使用氧化还原活性半可降解配体（RHLs）控制过渡金属中心配位的研究。本文将合成一系列化合物，包括Ru的聚亚硫基RHL配合物，并对其性质进行研究。一个互补的方法涉及金属而不是以配体为中心的氧化还原反应将被研究。此外，还将为制备具有可编程结构和性能的大环多金属化合物提供一种新的高产率策略。一旦优化，这个策略应该对几乎任何过渡金属都有用。本研究的目的是制备一种可以在同时释放或吸收小分子的情况下从一种状态电化学改变为另一种状态的金属配合物。这些化合物在分离中的应用，特别是对制药工业重要的手性分子，将被确定，并作为分子开关探索它们的应用。虽然这不是本研究的直接目标，但结果也可能导致催化剂和传感器材料的合理设计。参与该项目的学生将接受无机和分析方法的培训，本科生将通过利用西北大学现有的REU项目来实现。

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Professor Chad Mirkin of the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University on the use of redox-active hemilabile ligands (RHLs) to control the coordination sites at transition metal centers. A series of compounds, including polyterthienyl RHL complexes of Ru, will be synthesized and their properties studied. A complimentary approach involving metal rather than ligand-centered redox reactions will be investigated. In addition, a new high yield strategy for preparing macrocyclic multimetallic compounds with synthetically programmable structures and properties will be implemented. Once optimized, this strategy should be useful for virtually any transition metal.The goal of this research is to prepare metal complexes which can be electrochemically changed from one state to another with the concurrent release or uptake of small molecules. The utility of these compounds for separations, particularly of chiral molecules important to the pharmaceutical industry, will be determined, and their application as molecular switches explored. Although not a direct objective of this research, the results could also lead to a rational design of materials for catalysts and sensors. The students involved in this project will receive training in both inorganic and analytical methodology, and undergraduate participation will be achieved by leveraging an existing REU program at Northwestern.