SGER: Design of Organometallic Molecular Machines

无机，生物无机和有机化学计划的探索性研究（SGER）奖支持孟菲斯大学的西奥多J. Burkey教授的研究，以制备光驱动的分子，这些分子进行可逆的亚皮秒异构化，单位量子产率。 这些分子是光开关、数字存储器或光驱动计算机的潜在器件。 这些分子被设计为通过基于开环的异构化交换螯合配体，然后形成另一个螯合环来发挥作用。 配体、金属中心和螯合环将被设计成使得光化学驱动的异构化是超快和有效的，以排除所有其他过程。 将研究基于cymatrene型复合物的有机化合物，以分析重要的结构特征。 将研究围绕单个碳-碳键的两种类型的旋转运动：1）在单个侧链上的不同孪位官能团的共旋运动，和2）在形式上是两个侧链衍生物的环上的不同邻位官能团的解旋运动。 选定的化合物将通过超快红外光谱进行检测，以确定异构化的机制，溶剂和解离配体的参与，以及相关过程的时间尺度。将研究可能用于光驱动电子器件的分子。 这些研究将提供光化学键断裂和随后的键形成的超快过程的基本理解。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Professor Theodore J. Burkey at the University of Memphis to prepare light-driven molecules that undergo reversible sub-picosecond isomerizations with unit quantum yields. These molecules are potential devices in optical switches, digital memory or light-driven computers. The molecules are designed to function by exchange of chelated ligands through an isomerization based on ring opening followed by the formation of another chelate ring. Ligands, metal centers and chelate rings will be designed so that the photochemically driven isomerization is ultrafast and efficient to the exclusion of all other processes. Organometallic compounds based on cymatrene-type complexes will be studied to analyze important structural features. Two types of rotational motion around a single carbon-carbon bond will be studied: 1) A conrotary motion of different geminal functional groups on a single side chain, and 2) A disrotary motion of different vicinal functional groups on a ring that formally is a two side-chain derivative. Selected compounds will be examined by ultrafast IR to determine the mechanism of isomerization, participation of solvent and dissociated ligands, and the time scale of related processes.Molecules for potential use in light-driven electronic devices will be studied. These studies will provide a fundamental understanding of ultrafast processes of photochemical bond breaking and subsequent bond formation.