Polyphosphorus and interpnictogen compounds towards the discovery of new materials

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The development of effective methods to make new compounds represents a fundamental foundation in the discovery of materials exhibiting new properties that have potential everyday use in society. The emerging importance of the pnictogen (Pn) elements [phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and bismuth (Bi)] in the discovery of new materials has prompted the development of new versatile methods to make new compounds of these elements. A number of polymers (plastics) featuring the pnictogen elements in the polymer chain have utility as new flame retardants, elastomers and antimicrobial agents. The Burford NSERC Discovery Grant supports the discovery of new compounds featuring chemical bonds between the pnictogen elements and the development of new methods to study the chemistry of these compounds. The results reported by this research group are changing the way in which chemists understand the chemistry of the pnictogen elements and other elements in general. Compounds containing P-P bonds, called phosphinophosphonium salts, exhibit enhanced stability and the preparative methods have been extrapolated to the other pnictogen elements to realise key milestones in the systematic and rational discovery and development of new series of compounds containing Pn-Pn bonds. The proposal describes approaches to evolve reactions that form Pn-Pn, Pn-Pn' and Pn-E bonds (E = elements Ge, Sn, Al, Ga, In), and to discover compounds representing new molecular frameworks, including polymeric Pn-Pn and Pn-E backbones. Members of the Burford research group are trained in experimental synthetic chemistry involving comprehensive characterization for compound identification and assessment of relative stability of particular new molecular frameworks. Since 2004, 10 undergraduate research students supervised by Burford have entered graduate schools in Canada, and 3 graduate students supervised by Burford now hold a faculty position.