Small Molecule Activation and Formation of Unusual Bonding Motifs with Low Coordinate, Low-Valent Rhenium B-Diketiminate Complexes

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The Chemical Synthesis Program in the Division of Chemistry is supporting the research of Professor John Arnold at the University of California, Berkeley. The project aims to develop new methods for the synthesis of chemical compounds. Synthetic chemistry plays a vital role in our society, providing a major contribution to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The specific aim of this project is discovery of new compounds that contain rhenium, a rare and relatively unexplored metal. The new rhenium compounds form a variety of derivatives that exhibit unusual structures, reactivity, and magnetism. The discovery of new chemical compounds and the study of their properties enhances the training provided to graduate and undergraduate students. The students involved in this project organize frequent science outreach lessons for local elementary school students, thus, gaining experience disseminating their knowledge to audiences of all ages, while simultaneously providing beneficial experiences to those audiences. Specifically, Dr. Arnold's students work in conjunction with both the Bay Area Scientists in Schools program and the Oakland Unified School District's Keeping Students Engaged in Science Collaborative to develop and implement frequent chemistry demonstrations for local elementary and middle school students that aim to engage younger students and educate them on basic chemical principles. These lessons promote broader scientific knowledge amongst younger students of all backgrounds while also encouraging their curiosity and an inclination to pursue science as a career. Chemists take advantage of the ability of transition metals to engage in unusual bonding interactions to activate otherwise unreactive small molecules and promote useful reactivity pathways. Metal ions and their associated supporting ligands facilitate these important processes by controlling the steric and electronic environment around potential bonding sites. In this project, with support from the Chemical Synthesis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor John Arnold and his research group at the University of California, Berkeley are focusing on a low coordinate, low-valent rhenium beta-diketiminate complexes, directed towards the activation and degradation of strong bonds in diatomics and organic molecules. These efforts, which integrate synthetic, spectroscopic, and computational components, help inform on a wide range of industrially relevant chemical processes, from the production of value-added chemicals and materials, to the design of molecular-based electronic devices.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.