CAREER: Investigation of Environmentally-Sensitive Photoreactions

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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.