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March 2020

Archives for March 2020

Long Research Group Publishes Study on Mechanochemical Synthesis of Mg/K Allyl Complex

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Members of the Long Research Group, a Department of Chemistry lab headed by Associate Professor Brian Long, published an article titled “An η3‐Bound Allyl Ligand on Magnesium in a Mechanochemically Generated Mg/K Allyl Complex” in the German Chemical Society’s journal Angewandte Chemie.

Members of the research group focus on the use of organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, organometallic design, and polymer science to design and create advanced polymeric materials and to develop and study next-generation polymerization catalysts.

The group’s article concentrates on the mechanochemical synthesis of a magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) allyl complex.

“Mechanochemistry has emerged as an intriguing synthetic method that utilizes mechanical force or energy to drive reactions in a simplified and solvent free manner,” said Alicia Doerr, a graduate teaching assistant with the Long Research Group.

The study was done in conjunction with the Hanusa Research Group at Vanderbilt University.

“Through use of this synthetic technique, the Hanusa Research Group was able to access a unique Mg/K allyl complex that could not be accessed by conventional solution-based synthetic techniques,” Doerr said. “We evaluated the polymerization activity of these catalysts for a variety of monomers and found that they are particularly active for the polymerization of methyl acrylates. This collaboration combines the classic inorganic expertise of the Hanusa Research Group with the polymer chemistry expertise of the Long Research group to obtain and study this unique catalyst system.”

Written by Kelly Alley

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Dai Lab Publishes Study on High-Entropy Perovskite Fluorides

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Members of the Dai Lab, a Department of Chemistry lab headed by Professor Sheng Dai, recently published an article titled “High-Entropy Perovskite Fluorides: A New Platform for Oxygen Evolution Catalysis” in the Journal of The American Chemical Society.

Members of the Dai Lab focus their research projects on the synthesis and characterization of functional materials for energy-related applications, including electrical energy storage.

This study highlights oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) and the beneficial uses of high-entropy perovskite fluorides (HEPFs) in oxygen evolution catalysts.

“The oxygen evolution reaction is a critical process for many energy storage options, such as water splitting and metal-air batteries,” said Tao Wang, a post-doc working with the lab.

HEPFs consisting of cost-effective elements can act as excellent catalysts for OREs in an alkaline medium.

“HEPFs can provide a new platform for oxygen evolution catalysis,” Wang said. “Moreover, the flexible synthesis of HEPFs in a boiled solution combining the hydrothermal method with mechano-chemistry, provides a new concept for the low-temperature synthesis of high entropy materials.”

Written by Kelly Alley

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Dai Lab Publishes Study in Nature Communications

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Members of the Dai Lab, a Department of Chemistry lab headed by Professor Sheng Dai, recently published an article titled “Mechanochemical synthesis of pillar[5]quinone derived multi-microporous organic polymers for radioactive organic iodide capture and storage” in the Nature research journal Nature Communications.

Members of the Dai Lab studied porous organic polymers (POPs), high surface area materials with sponge-like qualities. These POPs can be easily designed and constructed at molecular levels.

The incorporation of supramolecular macrocycles with the reservation of their cavities into porous organic polymers may endow the material with enhanced uptake of specific guests through host−guest interactions,” said Kecheng Jie, a post-doctoral research associate working with the lab. “This work demonstrates not only a new synthetic pathway to porous polymers but also the superiority of the incorporation of a supramolecular host into porous polymers for guest uptake.”

Written by Kelly Alley

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Jenkins Group Published in Angewandte Chemie

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The Jenkins Group published their work “A Benchtop Method for Appending Protic Functional Groups to N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Protected Gold Nanoparticles” in the highly-profiled journal Angewandte Chemie. Joseph DeJesus is the first author and recent PhD alumus from the Department of Chemistry’s program. 

This piece explores the resilience of N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) gold bonds. They synthesize NHC‐functionalized gold surfaces from gold(I) NHC complexes and aqueous nanoparticles without the need for additional reagents, enabling otherwise difficult functional groups to be appended to the carbene.

The resilience of the NHC−Au bond allows for multi‐step post‐synthetic modification. “Beginning with the nitro‐NHC, we form an amine‐NHC terminated surface, which further undergoes amide coupling with carboxylic acids,” DeJesus said.  “The simplicity of this approach, its compatibility with aqueous nanoparticle solutions, and its ability to yield protic functionality, greatly expands the potential of NHC‐functionalized noble metal surfaces.”