RUI: Near-UV and Visible Light Photocatalysis of Halocarbon Degradation by Metal Complexes

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This award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports the work of Professor Patrick E. Hoggard at Santa Clara University to develop methods that catalytically photodegrade aqueous solutions of chloro- and bromocarbons to produce carbon dioxide and hydrochloric or hydrobromic acid, respectively. This research will explore three potentially useful catalytic pathways (photodissociation, photooxidation and photoreduction), each followed by a thermal process restoring the original transition metal complex. Professor Hoggard will also examine supported catalysts to facilitate the recovery and recycability of the transition metals. Halocarbons, especially trihalomethanes, arise as disinfection byproducts and are present in many municipal water supplies at concentrations higher than those established by EPA guidelines. This research may provide a means of passively remediating reservoirs that suffer from high levels of halocarbons, using only sunlight. Undergraduate students engaged in this research will learn a variety of synthetic and analytical techniques while actively contributing to important environmental remediation efforts.