New Concepts in Lewis Acidity, Catalysis, and Polymer Science: Functional Main Group Cages

元素周期表的元素相互结合，产生了分子，这些分子是我们物质世界的基石。确定这些块的形状、大小和性能是创造新的有用材料(如塑料、催化剂和燃料)的重要第一步。化学家传统上将有机元素(C、N、H、O)作为有用分子的来源，部分原因是历史上对富含有机元素的原料(如石油和天然气)的依赖。相比之下，元素周期表中剩下的大约77种稳定元素受到的关注较少，尽管其中许多元素在地球上非常丰富(例如硅)。*在这项发现拨款的帮助下，奇尼斯小组将于2018年7月在达尔豪西大学开始运营，并建立一个计划，从元素周期表的p-块的丰富且往往是良性的元素中提取令人兴奋的功能性质。一个目标特性将是对工业排放或天然或人为毒素中发现的小分子进行选择性结合和修饰。为了实现这一目标，该小组将制造含有溶解的无机笼子的液体，使它们多孔化(像海绵一样)，然后增强笼子的结合能力(刘易斯酸度)。根据液体中笼子的大小，这些多孔液体将结合不同的分子。我们还将发现新的催化剂，以便更安全、更高效地生产商品化学品和药品。为此，我们将重点介绍铋笼子的化学，因为这种元素价格低廉，无毒。最后，我们将把无机笼子分子连接成聚合物，有朝一日可以作为智能响应材料并入电子设备中。特别是，我们将针对具有良好的水溶性和导电性的带电聚合物，使其在生物和电子应用中具有潜在的应用价值。总而言之，我们的研究将对无机笼子的形状、大小和电子性质进行控制，以设计出有用的化学系统，用于日常相关的技术。*该研究计划还将培养本科生和研究生成为能够使用最先进的设备独立构思、执行和交流科学项目的化学家。通过这种培训培养的技能是政府、工业或学术界广泛职业生涯的重要组成部分。创造一支有科学素养的劳动力队伍对于保持加拿大保持技术先进国家所需的创新步伐至关重要。

The elements of the periodic table combine with one another to give molecules which are the building blocks of our material world. Defining the shape, size, and properties of these blocks is an essential first step towards creating new useful materials such as plastics, catalysts, and fuels. Chemists have traditionally focused on the organic elements (C, N, H, O) as a source of useful molecules, in part due to the historic reliance upon organic element-rich feedstocks (e.g. petroleum and natural gas). The remaining 77 or so stable elements of the periodic table have received less attention by comparison, despite the fact that many of them are very abundant on earth (e.g. silicon). ******With the aid of this Discovery Grant, the Chitnis group will begin operations at Dalhousie University in July 2018 and establish a program of extracting exciting functional properties from the abundant and often benign elements of the p-block of the periodic table. One targeted property will be selective binding and modification of small molecules that are found in industrial emissions or in natural or anthropogenic toxins. To achieve this, the group will make liquids that contain dissolved inorganic cages, making them porous (like a sponge), and then enhance the binding abilities (Lewis acidity) of the cages. Depending on the size of the cages in the liquid, these porous liquids will bind different molecules. We will also discover new catalysts for safer and more efficient manufacturing of commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals. For this purpose, we will focus on the chemistry of bismuth cages as this element is inexpensive and nontoxic. Lastly we will link together inorganic cage molecules into polymers that could one day be incorporated into electronic devices as smart responsive materials. In particular we will target charged polymers which will exhibit good water solubility and conductivity, making them potentially useful in both biological and electronic applications. In summary our research will exert control over the shape, size and electronic properties of inorganic cages to devise useful chemical systems for incorporation into technologies of daily relevance.******This research program will also train undergraduate and graduate students to be chemists who can independently conceive, execute, and communicate scientific projects, using state-of-the-art equipment. The skills developed through this training are essential components of a broad range of careers in government, industry or academia. The creation of a scientifically-literate workforce is essential for sustaining the pace of innovation needed for Canada to remain a technologically advanced nation.