Multielectron Photochemistry of Small Molecules

麻省理工学院的Daniel Nocera教授得到了化学系的支持，他的研究探索了如何利用光来驱动小分子的多电子转化，重点是与能量相关的底物。这项研究将对多电子试剂的设计、倾向于多电子反应的电子结构以及多电子转移过程的机制产生新的见解。两电子混合价化学的发展为发展小分子活化和能量转换的多电子光过程提供了类似的前景。满足下个世纪的全球能源需求需要更多地了解关键的基础科学问题，以制定新的碳中和能量转换方案。为了了解除了氢、水和氧之外，二氧化碳、氮气和甲烷等具有能量影响的小分子的激活和使用的化学，将研究新的多电子无机氧化还原反应，目的是了解金属络合物在电子激发态的反应活性，而不是传统的单电子转移。将合成与光化学和光谱学相结合，将为本科生、研究生和博士后提供在前沿无机化学课程中独特的培训体验。

Professor Daniel Nocera of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is supported by the Division of Chemistry for his research exploring how light can be used to drive multielectron transformations of small molecules with emphasis on energy related substrates. New insights into the design of multielectron reagents, of electronic structure predisposed to multielectron reactivity, and of the mechanism of multielectron transfer processes will emerge from this research. The development of two-electron mixed-valence chemistry holds similar promise for developing multielectron photoprocesses of small molecule activation and energy conversion.Meeting global energy needs over the next century requires greater understanding of key fundamental science issues for the elaboration of new carbon-neutral energy conversion schemes. To understand the chemistry of the activation and use of small molecules of energy consequence, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane, in addition to hydrogen, water and oxygen, new multielectron inorganic redox reactions will be investigated with the aim of understanding of the reactivity of metal complexes in electronic excited states beyond conventional one-electron transfer. The combination of synthesis with photochemistry and spectroscopy will give undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs a unique training experience in a forefront inorganic chemistry program.