million dollar level indicates the increasing strength and academic W m,
reputation of our Department of Chemistry. , ‘ [I ”’4' “3
Yes, 1998-1999 will be looked upon as a period when the De— . “'5' «a! Wm\$
partment of Chemistry had numerous successes, of which a few are (i; 93; ,W
mentioned above. We have recruited excellent, well funded, produc- W" (g. ms, “3’ k? 3’ é)!
tive new faculty. We have obtained several new pieces of modern <7}, 7" x I, / ‘ “3‘
equipment through competitive grant applications. Two new major ‘3’ $39 ,v/W WK ‘3” “ (’9‘
NSF-supported research programs were obtained and many of our 0'6) cm» 54" om . $37!" '3“ "‘2'
faculty have obtained external funding for their research. All of the mom ﬂ ”ut'gQ ClSl 6“"
faculty of the department have contributed to this success and, most m, ‘5’? ‘9’ ‘3‘
importantly, have made the department a collegial and pleasant place . ,‘T? as: y
to work. My personal thanks to all of them and our wonderful staff cm (ﬂ; ‘,2, \
who support and tolerate us all. gr“; ﬁt cu)
Cid:
NEW FACULTY Identifying chemical routes forthe removal of mercury and other ,
. . . . heav metals from a ueous sources is another research area of the ,
”3"!“ A“ AMOOd' Davrdijomed ourfac- AtwoSod group. The grimary goal is to identify or develop a chemical
3&4, , Stay In 1:98 its an assOClate prolflessor. remediation agent for the removal of Hg from aqueous sources that
5—“ ; “was. orn m 1965'” Urbana, ln0ls, is environmentally benign and economical. They propose to do this
> z '1: V‘ , Wh”.e h'S father was In graduate school with a series of newly created ligands that can bind mercury, either
3 I _ getting adegfee In inorganic chemistry. as Hg", MeHG”, or H92”: irreversibly. The ligand is expected to ac-
After graduation from the UniverSIty 0f complish this by forming a four-coordinate, tetrahedral, sulfur che-
,. l. " ' Alabamj, Dag/Id {novidtq AtutitlnEJTexas late around the Hg metal. They are actively seeking the input of
bra xf‘!‘ ‘ (itattoefnTeifs “aHZSCrgg :tedewitrhlvﬁirs- companies interested in remediation in order to develop the large-
ﬁﬂ :hle in inorganicgch:mistry in the scale applications of this chemistry.
Spring of 1992 but stayed in Austin until _ . .
his wife, Vicki, finished her doctorate (also in inorganic chemistry). as 32355:: :31 2:2?étaa?r;%:::grt h:
From Texas, hejoined the faculty of North Dakota State University as 23%, Janua 1998 He received his doc—
part of their new Center for Main Group Chemistry (of which he was 53:3; . — toral dgy’ ree in'chemistry from the Uni-
co-director). Since arriving at UK, the Atwood group, comprised 0f2 (3,33 fe‘gﬁx ' versit at Western Ontario Canada
postdoctoral fellows, Sgraduate students, and4undergraduates, has ~~w m Follow/ling the graduation he worked
produced over 10 publications. David has received an Alexander ,-,r - first as a research associate and then
von Humboldt junior faculty award for the summer of 2001. wt. , _ f; : ““1“ as a research officer at the Steacie In-
Research in the Atwood group is focused on fundamental and . , . , i ; ' t1. stitute for Molecular Sciences National
applied studies of the main group elements. Currently, the focus is ’ E" " ' ‘ Research Council of Canada ih Ottawa.
on compounds containing the group 13 elements, particularly alumi- ' His research focuses on the creation
num, and-on the development Of sulfur containing ligands. When- and characterization of novel metal and semiconductor aggregates.
ever posSIble, they have actively partnered With industry In pursumg The aggregate may consist of atoms of a pure metal and alloy, mix-
the applied aspects Of these prOJeCtS' . . tures of a metal with a metalloid or a nonmetal, or it may be a metal
.Davrd and m? colleagues have systematically characterized and center with molecules bound to it. He and his group synthesize the
StUd'ed Six-coordinate group 13 complexes (“k6 [SalenAl(MeOH)2]+ aggregates using laser vaporization supersonic jet techniques (see
Sh?“ below). Beyond the." “indamerlta' interest, the.“ cations act the Figure) and analyze the products using laser photoelectron, pho—
as initiators f°T the polymerization Of oxwanes. They Will e’Ft‘mm the toionization, photodissociation, and time-of—flight mass spectromet-
varlous organic transformations that these cations may faCIlltate such ric methods. The work is fundamental, but practical implications are
‘38 Diels-Alder reactions, the Ene-react:tl)(n, and (atherls where the ac- easily found in thin-film deposition for microelectronic devices, chemi-
tlvation 0f anelectron ”Ch 39b3*"“‘?”‘ (' e a car ony 9’°“P)."f"e 'm' cal sensors, catalytic transformation of chemicals, and selective metal
portant. Additionally, they Will continue to explore the pOSSlblllty that ion transportation through cell membranes.
the Six-coordinate cations may be used in elu0ldatlng, the means by
which calcium carbonate is formed within biological systems.
. Focused
. Vaporization
I. a) 03 . Laser
- ,_ C) ’_ Helium . : G'OWth i
‘ 1 5111...; 1": N2 1 ‘j +Reagenl ; Channel l;
9‘3; ‘Ewi.’ " ’5 Al‘l .“ (5g! " ‘ -. :3 ﬂ
~_ ‘g '5 01 - 02 t-‘ =| 1' l r
‘3 ‘7 5.. . V‘, ‘ it ‘ "“3 I
" 04 1:. e! l 1' ’J l
Aluminum oxide, AIZOS, has far-ranging utility as a corrosion in- 12:31:: '5 Supersonic
hibitor for surfaces and as a packaging material for semiconductor . ,7,,,,,m__.___ w- Jet
materials. David's group has designed a molecular precursor (shown Mew
below) that can be used to prepare alumina at temperatures well- Rod
below the conventional preparation temperatures, in some cases at . _ - -
25°C. It can be used on porous substances where the molecules Pmdumon Of Metal Contammg Aggregates
deep in the pores can form AIZO3 in isolation (with heating).
2