The focus of this research will be to stabilize carbenes and radical pairs at room temperature which are afforded no particular intramolecular steric or electronic stabilization. The methodology relies on the use of 1,3,6-trisulphonated pyrenes (TSPs) incorporated into potassium sulfate single crystals. Single crystal optical and EPR studies of TSPs will be applied to the understanding of two problems in chemistry: (1) the mechanism of room temperature phosphorescence, an (2) the deleterious population of triplet states in single crystal dye lasers. With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research of Dr. Bart E. Kahr of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington. Professor Kahr will focus his work on developing a method for the matrix isolation of of oriented, reactive/metastable organic molecules in inert single salt crystals at room temperature.
