RUI: Photoreactive Crystalline Racemic and Quasiracemic Materials

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This research program targets the study of unprecedented diastereo- and enantiospecific photodimerization reactions in bimolecular crystals. Families of homochiral, racemic, and quasiracemic cinnamoylsulfonamides will be developed, and their crystal packing tendencies and photochemical crystal reactions explored. These studies provide student participants with broad experience in organic synthesis, crystal engineering, materials design, X-ray crystallography, and issues in chirality, crystal cohesion, chemical reactivity and nanotechnology.With the support of this award from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program, Professor Wheeler, of the Department of Chemistry at Eastern Illinois University, will fine-tune solid-state reactivity via molecular engineering of constituent building blocks. This research program promises to delineate the relationship between molecular structure and the reactivity of the bulk solid with results leading to transformative developments in the areas of solid-state reactions and materials research. Findings from this program will be especially useful in future work for rationally designed multi-component solid-state reactions, where managing the spatial orientation of reactive components is often by chance rather than a well-defined preconceived approach to molecular assembly. This project also targets a number of other developments regarding recruitment and training in the chemical sciences through enhancing the research relevance of laboratory courses, devising novel approaches for incorporating advanced structure determination techniques in the undergraduate curriculum, and fostering career paths of students in the chemical and related fields. This project will have an important impact on society because of the current technological need for next generation methods for fabricating functional materials (e.g., optical materials and therapeutic agents).