Dr. Daniel L. Reger, Chemistry Department, University of South Carolina at Colulmbia, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division for an investigation of poly(pyrazolyl)borate and poly(pyrazolyl)methane complexes of s- and heavier p-block metals. The flexibility and large size of these ligands leads to unusually stable monomeric complexes and complexes of these species will be investigated in the solid and solution state. One basic question to be addressed involves the stereochemical activity or inactivity of lone pairs in the p-block derivatives. The complexes will also be used as starting materials for the synthesis of intermetallic compounds that contain main group element to transition metal bonds. Oligomeric species derived by coupling derivatized poly(pyrazolyl)methane units will be prepared and used to form extended arrays of metal complexes. This is a wide ranging study that seeks to develop new ways of preparing compounds containing 'post-transition' metals such lead, tin, indium, thallium, and cadmium. These species will then be used to form compounds in which the post-transition metal is directly joined to a transition metal. These metals have many applications and the species designed in this research may be developed into precursors for various electronic materials, new catalysts will be designed, and fundamental spectroscopic information will be obtained for heavy metals.
