Stereoselective and multiple-bond chemistry on surfaces: new surface reactions

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This research effort is based on the study of chemical reactions that take place on catalyst surfaces. These processes only take place rapidly when the reactant molecules encounter each other on custom-made catalyst surfaces. The Chinese characters for 'catalyst' can also be used for 'mariage broker'. Our research is aimed at understanding how the catalyst guides and activates the reactants-one couple at a time- towards a happy union. The guiding forces can range from the brutal to the most subtle; the catalyst may need to split the reactants into fragments before the reaction occurs, or it may simply need to induce reaction on one specific face of a molecule as in a chiral reaction. We use a combination of surface science research tools to interrogate the forces that govern the reactivity of single molecular layers in contact with a catalyst surface. The projects are centered on two families of reactions, olefin and alkyne metathesis and chiral catalysis. The molecular details gleaned from these studies are of primary importance to progress in many areas other than catalysis. This is because solid surfaces are used as literally the foundation of many modern technologies such as sensing and nanodevices. The single-layer chemical forces governing cataytic activity also govern the quality of function of such devices.