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Research Interests:

My research interests are in the areas of inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry.   In general, I seek to synthesize new compounds with interesting physical and chemical properties.   Some specific examples are detailed below.

Some of my published work involves the synthesis of organometallic porphyrin models of heme enzyme active sites to examine the chemical reactivity, coordination chemistry and structural features of these complexes and their relationship to natural, biological systems.  Iron porphyrin compounds such as heme (see structure below) are particularly amenable for study by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy which can discriminate between metal oxidation states, spin states, and ligation modes. 

A second research project involves the coordination chemistry of some classical cobalt (III) compounds.  A series of tetramines have been found to bind to cobalt in a variety of modes including structural and stereoisomers.   I am interested in understanding the properties that lead to the various stable isomers of these complexes.  Parallel studies using computer modeling are being used to study these compounds.

I am also interested in the coordination chemistry and catalytic properties of complexes containing metal-metal bonds.  I first became enamored with these compounds because of the anticancer activity exhibited by dirhodium tetracetate (see structure below). During my postdoctoral investigation into the mechanism of nucleobase binding and general reactivity of this compound, I discovered the formation of an unprecedented, linear tetrarhodium cluster containing three Rh-Rh bonds.  The synthesis of supramolecular linear metallic chains, e.g. "molecular wires", is an exciting prospect with the ultimate goal of developing materials with technologically useful physical and chemical properties.

Publications: