Professor John D. Gilbertson of Western Washington University is supported by the Chemical Catalysis (CAT) Program in the Division of Chemistry to develop bioinspired, pyridinediimine (PDI) metal complexes containing redox-active, ?non-innocent? ligands. These systems consist of nucleophilic/basic substrate directors and/or H-bond/proton-directors in the secondary coordination sphere, as well as ligand-based redox active sites in the ligand scaffold. These ligands will be used to synthesize catalysts containing earth abundant metals and will be studied in order to develop extensive knowledge concerning the molecular level catalytic activity and selectivity for the conversion of carbon dioxide into useable feedstocks and fuels (namely CO, methane, etc.). The investigation of these bioinspired conversions of carbon dioxide will provide a better understanding of how the secondary coordination sphere of metalloenzyme mimics can be regulated to provide better structural/functional biomimics. These data, in turn, will be utilized to design structural/functional mimics that are active in the useful, bioinspired transformations of carbon dioxide. In addition to the investigation of carbon dioxide reduction, an outreach program consisting of undergraduate researchers and WWU chemistry majors that aims to introduce chemistry into the local media will be developed.
Carbon dioxide is a significant environmental contaminant and sensible methods of carbon dioxide utilization are needed for its mitigation as a greenhouse gas. The production of CO (or methane) from carbon dioxide is an attractive route to the utilization of carbon dioxide as a feedstock. Carbon dioxide is inexpensive and abundant, and it is important that catalysts utilized for its conversion(s) into renewable products contain metals that are also inexpensive and abundant (such as iron, cobalt, and zinc).
