This award in the Chemical Synthesis (SYN) program supports work by Professor Daniel L. Reger at the University of South Carolina to carry out fundamental studies on the preparation and characterization of first row transition metal complexes that are designed to have novel structures that produce unusual and useful properties. Designed ligands (groups that bind metals) bring two metals into proximity promoting bridging of the two metals by small groups (X). These M-X-M systems show unique magnetic and optical properties that can be controlled by the choice of metal and X group. Linking ligands that also contain designed functionalities that promote strong, but indirect, interactions yield new structural and bonding arrangements that test how these important indirect interactions impact on physical properties. Particularly important are ligands that have backbones with specific orientations that "project" or "amplify" the special characteristics of the ligands on to the structures of metal complexes.
Graduate students working on the project train for academic positions as well as industry and government employment. Outreach collaborations with faculty and undergraduate students at two HBCU institutions nurture scientific development of minority students. Development of this chemistry is important in such diverse areas as asymmetric catalysis, non-linear optics, and sensing applications.
