This proposal requests funds to permit Dr. Karl Seff, Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii, to pursue with Dr. Yang Kim, Department of Chemistry, Pusan National University, for a period of 24 months, a program of cooperative research to continue the synthetic and crystallographic study of the intrazeolitic chemistry of silver in zeolite A. New conditions for the preparation of silver clusters within the zeolite, which may result in the formation of new clusters of high symmetry, will be tried. The crystallographic study of the structure of these clusters will be determined by x-ray diffraction methods. This is a basic research project dealing with the synthesis and structure of silver atoms and silver ions in zeolite A and the preparation of molecular complexes of this silver within the large cavity of zeolite. While small clusters of metal atoms are known to have pronounced catalytic activity for a variety of organic reactions, this project is not concerned with the potential catalytic properties of silver in zeolite A. Drs. Seff and Kim are highly respected scientists who have collaborated successfully in the past, under NSF Grants No. INT-8316234 and INT-8113065. The present project will allow them to continue this collaboration. This project is relevant to the objectives of the U.S.-Korea Cooperative Science Program which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. and Korean scientists and engineers through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit.
