The Division of Chemistry supports Skye Fortier of the University of Indiana as an American Competitiveness in Chemistry Fellow. Dr. Fortier will work on synthesizing new redox catalysts using earth-abundant transition metals and 'non-innocent' ligands. The PI will collaborate with scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and Roosevelt University (Chicago). The ultimate goal of this research is to develop efficient, inexpensive catalysts for chemical synthesis. For his plan for broadening participation, Dr. Fortier will mentor young scientists at Indiana University and participate in a science summer camp for high school students and teachers.
Research like that of Dr. Fortier is aimed at developing better ways of conducting chemical reactions. The catalysts that Dr. Fortier will develop will use earth-abundant materials, and as a result will be less expensive. The results of research like this can help scientists and the chemical industry do chemistry with less environmental impact. The efforts at broadening participation being pursued by Dr. Fortier are aimed at giving a young scientists and the public exposure to the chemical sciences.
Synthetic chemistry can be described simply in terms of "who has electrons" and "who wants electrons." In other words, chemical bonds are formed or broken based on the exchange or transfer of electrons between atoms. Chemists exploit this bond-breaking, bond-forming phenomenon to synthesize molecules which can include pharmaceuticals, fuels, plastics, ceramics, artificial fibers and a host of other products. Often times, chemical reactions do not occur spontaneously and thus a require a chemical compound known as a catalyst to promote or facilitate the reaction process. Unfortunately, many of the catalysts that are commonly used today require costly and rare noble metals such as palladium, platinum, iridium, gold, and others. While exceedingly expensive, noble metals possess the rather special ability to reversibly break and form bonds through a two electron process. These metals act as intermediaries, bringing those molecules "who have electrons" together with those that "want electrons." Earth abundant metals, those that are readily available and inexpensive, such as iron and cobalt, typically do not perform the two-electron chemistry needed in a successful catalyst. Instead, these metals are often observed to perform one-electron chemistry. If a system could be developed to support multi-electron chemisty at these metals, then this could have the impact of reducing the use of costly noble metals in synthesis- saving countless dollars, allowing medicines and other commodities to be produced more cheaply. My involved the use of organic scaffolds (known as non-innocent ligands or NILs) that could both store and release electrons independently from a metal. It was hypothesized that once installed onto a metal such as cobalt or iron, these molecular batteries would work synergistically with the metal to perform the multi-electron chemistry needed for catalysis or the activation of small molecules (e.g. N2, O2, CO2). I primarily investigated the chemistry of cobalt and iron with two non-innocent ligand systems. One system, known as 'nindigo', was a molecular scaffold based upon the well-known dye molecule indigo. The other non-innocent ligand was a bis(pyrrolide)pyridyl inspired by the molecular framework found in the iron-based metalloenzyme cytrochrome P450. During my research, I was able to successfully install two cobalt atoms onto a single nindigo molecule. Interestingly, I found that the cobalt-nindigo system could reversibly provide, or 'release,' one electron while being able to accept, or 'store,' two electrons. While my studies concluded that this system was not practical for use in catalysis, it did possess remarkable magnetic properties. The cobalt-nindigo system was found to be a Single Molecule Magnet (SMMs), a magnet that exists on the molecular level independent of its surroundings, one that could be controlled through the simple addition or release of electrons. SMMs have been intensely investigated over the past two decades for potential use in advanced magnetic materials. Through my work, and in close-collaboration with other research groups, we were able to add a new dimension to the chemistry and development of SMM's, demonstrating that earth abundant metals can be used to make versatile, fully switchable "on/off" SMM compounds. I feel that by exploiting different metals, electron-controllable magnetic switches can be tailored to a wide range of technical applications for use in quantum computing devices. With my other system, the bis(pyrrolide)pyridyl, preliminary results indicate that this scaffold can be readily installed onto iron to give a very electron-rich metal center. Initial invesitgations into this system have demonstrated that the bis(pyrrolide)pyridyl is capable of providing electrons to the metal, an indication that this system can be utilized for catalysis or the activation of small molecules. Furthermore, these results can be used to provide further insight into the much studied, but poorly understood, cyctochrome P450 metalloenzyme. Studies into this system are ongoing with final results to be later communicated. Finally, the funding provided by this award granted access to early career scientists (a high school student and three undergraduates) to a bona-fide research program. These students were entrusted with advanced synthetic projects that introduced them to the rigors and rewards of chemical research. This not only provided them hands-on experience in a laboratory, it also challenged them, aiding to develop critical thinking skills. Moreover, this award has supported several community outreach events and activities designed to promote science education in the community. This award provided support for me, the Prinicipal Investigator (PI), to become actively involved in the Indiana University Chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and their outreach program during National Chemistry Week. Through this award, I was also able to support the Indiana University Science Outreach Society, meet with teachers to discuss the importance of college preparation, and provided me the ability to host tours for young students (grades 8-11) and their parents. These efforts altogether were undertaken to promote science awareness and the importance of continuing education at the university level.
