Earth-Abundant Macrocyclic Metal Complexes for Photoredox Catalysis

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Photocatalysts are powerful tools for effecting chemistry integral to renewable energy and organic synthesis. Photocatalysis has already enabled an impressive range of small molecule and carbon functionalization reactions, and novel applications are continuously being discovered in this dynamic field. However, Ru- and Ir- compounds, are frequently used as photosensitizers for many of these processes. Significant research efforts have focused on replacing these noble metal complexes with inexpensive, earth-abundant alternatives. We have developed a series of first-row transition metal complexes of the macrocyclic Mabiq ligand. The redox and photochemical properties of the M-Mabiq complexes make them promising photoredox catalysts. The proposed research will focus on studies to examine the detailed photochemical properties of a series of mono- and bi-metallic Mabiq complexes, and the broader catalytic capacity of the complexes. The aim of the research is to 1) probe the nature and properties of the M-Mabiq excited states; 2) explore the reaction scope and opportunities for dual photoredox catalysis; 3) synthesize and study bimetallic Mabiq complexes for bifunctional photocatalysis. The project will employ a combination of synthesis, spectroscopy, computational work and reactivity studies. The research will contribute to t