CAREER: Investigation of Environmentally-Sensitive Photoreactions

在这个由化学部化学结构、动力学和机制B计划和刺激竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）资助的CAREER项目中，爱荷华州州立大学化学系的Brett VanVeller教授正在开发可以用光操纵的新型分子。 这项研究的目标是使用光敏染料分子来开启和关闭化学反应。 正在开发的系统可用于制造功能材料（光刻），合成药物和理解生物系统。教育目标是让公立学校的学生更好地理解分子的性质和功能如何影响他们的世界。这一目标是通过开发工具包来实现的，这些工具包在当地科学中心的教师研讨会上分发。 促进教师培训使VanVellar团队能够通过接触更广泛的学生受众来扩大其教育工作的影响。本研究课题是研究环境敏感激发态对控制光脱保护反应效率的影响。假设是分子激发态的环境敏感性失活可用于选择性地打开和关闭光脱保护反应。 该项目的具体目标包括确定控制溶剂依赖性光裂解的因素以及确定控制氧依赖性光裂解的结构-性质关系和激发态动力学。 研究小组还寻找环境控制光脱保护的替代方法。此外，研究活动适用于两种不同类型的光可裂解的保护基团，每一种都具有不同的光裂解机制。这项工作的成果可能会扩大环境控制的光反应及其在先进制造业中的应用的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

In this CAREER project, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms B Program of the Chemistry Division and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Professor Brett VanVeller of the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University is developing new classes of molecules that can be manipulated with light. The goal of this research is to use light-sensitive dye molecules to turn chemical reactions on and off. The systems under development are useful for making functional materials (lithography), synthesizing pharmaceuticals, and understanding biological systems. The education objectives engage public school students in order to cultivate a greater appreciation for how the properties and functions of molecules influence their world. This goal is achieved by developing kits that are distributed at teach the teacher seminars at the local science center. Facilitating teacher training allows the VanVellar team to broaden the impact of their educational efforts by reaching a broader student audience. This research project is to study the effect that environmentally-sensitive excited states have on controlling the efficiency of photo-deprotection reactions. The hypothesis is that environmentally sensitive deactivation of the molecular excited state can be used to selectively turn the photo-deprotection reaction on and off. The specific objectives of this project include identifying the factors that control solvent-dependent photocleavage as well as identifying the structure-property relationships and excited state dynamics that control oxygen-dependent photocleavage. The research team also looks for alternative approaches for environmentally-controlled photo-deprotection. Moreover, the research activities are applied to two different classes of photocleavable protection groups, each with a distinct mechanism of photocleavage. The outcomes of this work may expand both the knowledge of environmentally-controlled photo reactions and their applications in advanced manufacturing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.