This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research and education by Dr. Cynthia K. Schauer of the Chemistry Department, University of North Carolina, on the synthesis of molecular clusters containing transition metals. The synthetic strategy is to prepare molecular `modules` that can be linked to form more complex structures. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how changes in the `modules` affect the electronic interactions between the components once they are assembled. Three types of clusters will be synthesized: redox-active metal-bridged variable-length chains based on iron-phosphide modules; metal inidene chains in which the chains are singly or doubly bridged and differ in conjugation as a result of varying the presence of P, As, or Sb; dendrimeric structures containing transition metals with designed redox centers. This research expands the boundaries of rational synthesis of extended inorganic molecular materials. Theoretical and experimental approaches will be used to probe the electronic properties of these materials and acquire fundamental information concerning their potential in electronic applications.
