Dr. Bruce E. Bursten, Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program of the Chemistry Division for experimental and theoretical studies of the photochemistry of dinuclear organometallic compounds (DOC). The project aims at defining the photochemistry of this class of complexes and involves exploratory photochemistry, spectroscopic investigations of the intermediates formed during the photochemical reactions, and theoretical studies of DOC complexes and photochemically generated DOC intermediates. The compounds chosen for study contain two metal atoms bonded to one another through small organic groups. These complexes will allow an exploration of the competition between metal-metal and metal-ligand bond breaking reactions, of the chemistry that can occur at two metal centers, and of a wide variety of metal-ligand bonding modes. When a chemical compound is exposed to light it is often activated and undergoes what are termed photochemical reactions. Exceedingly important examples include photosynthesis and the chemistry of vision. The photochemical properties of organic compounds are well documented and understood. In contrast, detailed knowledge of the factors that control inorganic photochemistry has not yet emerged. The detailed investigations to be carried out in this study are designed to help fill this void and will ultimately allow DOC compounds to be tailored for specific photochemical activity.
