Inorganic Seminar
"Building Nothing from Something: Designing Open Space from the Molecular to Material Scales"
Abstract: The unifying theme in the Barnett group is the design of open space, an idea that we tackle at the molecular, macromolecular, and extended material levels. This talk will detail efforts at each of these three scales, demonstrating how a fine-level understanding of voids and their dynamic natures can allow for discoveries of both applied and fundamental interest. The first part of the talk will cover synthetic molecular inorganic chemistry, focusing on the coordination chemistry of a new macrocycle-bearing ligand developed in our lab. By isolating a metal coordination site within permanent open space, we have succeeded in isolating high-valent first-row metal complexes that display highly unusual reactivity profiles. Additionally detailed will efforts using porous materials – both molecular and framework-based – that have resulted in breakthroughs relevant to separation science. This section will focus primarily on applications involving the capture and abatement of fluorinated “forever chemicals” that are of increasing environmental and health concern.