Organo-f-Element Chemistry: Integrated Synthetic, Mechanistic, and Catalytic and Thermochemical Studies

This program joins four closely interlinked focus areas which integrate research and education, and deal with fundamental and technologically-oriented aspects of new and unusual catalytic reactions, primarily utilizing earth-abundant lanthanide, actinide, and closely related early transition metals. The primary objective is to use experimental bond energy and quantum chemical analysis to understand unusual bonding modes, to understand known stoichiometric and catalytic transformations, and most importantly, to predict new ones. The goal is to elucidate principals for inventing new, efficient, useful, atom-efficient, and environmentally acceptable “green” catalytic processes. In carrying out research, students engage in the synthesis and purification of new catalysts, characterizing their molecular structures and dynamics, implementing these catalysts in exploratory reactivity studies, molecular modeling and electronic structure computation, and rigorous elucidation of reaction kinetics and mechanism. Students also become familiar with polymerization reaction methodologies and with in-depth polymer microstructure, rheology, molecular weight, and thermal characterization.