With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program supports the work of Professor Howard E. Zimmerman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. This research will use a combined experimental and theoretical approach to investigate the mechanisms of organic photochemical reactions. Studies will be focused on the important areas of solid state host-guest photochemistry, photochemically generated diradicals, and the photochemistry of heterocycles. An important unifying theme of these studies is the use of computational studies to complement experimental studies in an effort to analyze photochemical reactions in terms of conical intersections and avoided-crossings. These studies will provide important tests of the power of computational methods to unravel the complex chemistry of excited state species.
The research will lead to a greater understanding of the way in which photochemical reactions occur. The extension of these studies to the solid state will provide fundamental knowledge that will have long-range impact in green chemistry and solar energy research. Many of Professor Zimmerman's collaborators have gone on to productive academic careers and it is anticipated that this trend will continue.
