This award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports Professor L. Keith Woo at Iowa State University for the development of environmentally-friendly, sustainable approaches to catalytic processes and technologies. Biological systems provide the inspiration and insight into the "green" catalyst design employed by the Woo research group. The first project is based on the central role of iron porphyrins (heme) as the active sites in a variety of vital enzymes such as cytochrome P-450 and peroxidases. A diverse group of postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students will investigate new catalytic applications of these versatile compounds. The second project will accelerate the development, optimization, and production of effective catalysts using molecular iterations. This strategy provides a large random library of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligomers which can act as water-soluble catalysts for organic reactions. By involving a massive collection of different DNA molecules in an inherently selective and high-throughput process, maximal structural and compositional diversity can be rapidly screened. Such screening can dramatically reduce the time for catalyst identification and development. Combinatorial approaches such as these have made great impacts on drug design, but its use in transition metal catalyst design is in its infancy. These research projects foster teamwork and cooperation among Professor Woo's students at Iowa State University and exemplifies interdisciplinary collaboration with chemists, biochemists, biologists, and engineers.
