This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Program is to Dr. Alan H. Cowley of the University of Texas at Austin for fundamental work on the synthesis of novel compounds containing main group elements. The elements to be studied include E = P, As, Sb, and Bi from group 15 and M = Al, Ga, and In from group 13. The goal of the research is to prepare low coordination number fragments of RE (i.e., phosphinidenes, arsinidenes, stibinidenes, and bismuthinidenes) and RM (four electron carbenoid species) and incorporate those fragments into novel rings, clusters, and polymers or use them as ligands. The substituent R may be methyl, ethyl, or a wide variety of bulky hydrocarbons. The fragments will be generated by thermal, photochemical or electrochemical elimination of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or disilane and its heavier congeners. The project includes the synthesis of group 13 heterocycles, the synthesis of group 13 and group 15 compounds as potential sources of ME fragments, the construction of molecules of the type (RMERR)n, where n = 1-3, with unusual geometries, and the stabilization of ME fragments by coordination to transition metals. %%% Preparation of compounds containing aluminum, gallium, or indium together with phosphorus, arsenic or antimony may result in materials with interesting optical or electrical properties. One goal of this research is to attach different types of groups which absorb light (chromophores) to compounds containing the pairs of elements mentioned above. Introduction of such groups could enable use of these or related compounds in the manufacture of semiconductors by photo-assisted growth. Because diffusion might be reduced and sharper junctions produced, this would be a desirable alternative to present thermal methods.
