CAREER: Merging Adjacent Areas of Lanthanide Chemistry to Study Catalysis

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With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Chemistry Division, Professor Matthew J. Allen of the Chemistry Department at Wayne State University will focus on the testing of hypotheses regarding the influence of anion dissociation and water coordination on catalysis and the synthesis of a new series of precatalysts modeled after lanthanide-based contrast agents for MRI. Additionally, the methods available to study dynamic structure-activity relationships of lanthanide-based precatalysts in aqueous systems will be greatly expanded through adaptation of luminescence-decay measurements and Oxygen-17 NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the data obtained using these techniques will be used to aid in the testing of hypotheses regarding the mechanistic influence of water coordination on asymmetric bond formation in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction using a series of new chiral precatalysts.As a broader impact of the proposed research, Professor Allen will study the Mukaiyama aldol reaction because it is one of the most significant carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, which are of paramount importance to synthetic chemistry. In addition to probing important problems in lanthanide-based catalysis, this proposal describes plans to improve education by mentoring early scientists and incorporating communication skills into scientific curricula. Specifically, year-round research experiences directly related to the scientific portion of this proposal will be provided for high school students from diverse educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, which are expected to have great impact on the propensity of students to pursue careers in science. Additionally, because communication skills are critical to a successful scientific career but are often underemphasized in science education, plans are outlined describing the integration of communication instruction into mentoring experiences and formal science courses at the university and high school levels. These programs will greatly enhance the otherwise standard science education of those who participate by more thoroughly preparing students for careers in science.