CENTC congratulates recent graduates

The Center for Enabling New Technologies through Catalysis extends congratulations to two recent graduates:

Chris Waidmann was a graduate student with Prof. James Mayer at the University of Washington. Chris’ dissertation title is "Investigating Proton Coupled Electron Transfers in Oxovanadium and Dimeric Copper-Oxo Systems: The Importance of Intrinsic Barriers and Reaction Driving Force".

Sabuj Kundu, a graduate student at Rutgers University with Prof. Alan Goldman, wrote his thesis on “Reactions of (PCP)Ir Complexes With Small Molecules”.

Congratulations CENTC graduates!

Three CENTC investigators elected as AAAS Fellows

CENTC investigators R. Thomas Baker (Univ. of Ottawa), William Jones (Univ. of Rochester) and Huimin Zhao (Univ. of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign) have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS recognizes Fellows for their contributions to science and technology.

Read the press release and full list of elected Fellows.

New AAAS Fellows Baker, Jones and Zhao

New insight into the conversion of methane to ethane by palladium-based catalysts

As part of CENTC's continuing attempts to develop catalytic processes to utilize methane gas as a potential source of fuel and other chemicals, CENTC investigators James Mayer (University of Washington) and Melanie Sanford (University of Michigan) have reported a better understanding of the way certain palladium-based catalysts release methane to form ethane. The studies, conducted collaboratively by the Mayer and Sanford research groups, were reported as a Communication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) on October 13, 2009.

Sanford and Mayer investigated the ferrocenium-induced elimination of palladium-bound CH₃ to give ethane in order to determine which of three possible pathways was a likely route for the reaction to take. A series of experiments were carried out that suggested the reaction did not involve methyl radicals and did involve a Pd(IV) intermediate. Further reactions were carried out at low temperature (-80° C) and the Pd(IV) intermediate was observed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Additional experiments with other oxidants suggested that Ag⁺ follows a similar mechanism but benzoquinone behaves differently.

The studies conducted by Mayer and Sanford are part of an ongoing project by CENTC researchers to develop catalysts for the direct oxidative dimerization or oligomerization of methane. The overall goal of this project is to address the need to form higher alkanes from methane via processes that do not involve energy-intensive cracking or steam reforming to syngas.

"Oxidatively Induced Reductive Elimination from (^tBu₂bpy)Pd(Me)₂: Palladium(IV) Intermediates in a One-Electron Oxidation Reaction" Michael P. Lanci, Matthew S. Remy, Werner Kaminsky, James M. Mayer and Melanie S. Sanford, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131 (43), pp 15618-15620

[DOI: 10.1021/ja905816q]

Read the JACS Communication

Melanie Sanford Named Esquire Magazine's Chemist of the Year

CENTC investigator Melanie Sanford has been named Chemist of the Year in the December 2009 issue of Esquire Magazine. The article (pg. 163) touts Prof. Sanford as "a one-woman special-ops unit called in by chemical and drug companies to break down and put together molecules at her whim." Esquire goes on to describe her National Science Foundation-funded efforts "to convert methane - an abundant natural gas that's usefulness is limited because it's difficult to transport - into a petroleum-like fuel. If she succeeds, she will effectively double the world's fuel supply for pennies."

Alan Goldman and New Rutgers "Signature" Energy Course Benefit from CENTC Outreach Experience

CENTC investigator Alan Goldman (Rutgers University) recently co-created a new "signature" course designed to introduce science to non-science majors at Rutgers. The course is focused on Energy and Climate and is co-taught by four Rutgers professors from the Departments of Marine, Earth, and Planetary Sciences, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Physics. The course was reported on by the New Jersey newspaper The Star-Ledger: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/rutgers_university_introduces.html

Alan Goldman's participation in the development of the course is largely an outgrowth of his participation in CENTC's outreach program to high schools (http://depts.washington.edu/centc/education_hsvisits.htm) as well as attempts as a CENTC PI to be more engaged in outreach.

Related links:

• Rutgers University Announcement - http://sas.rutgers.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=845&Itemid=228
• Prof. Goldman’s website - http://rutchem.rutgers.edu/?q=node/623

CENTC Undergraduate Summer Research Program Accepting Applications

Applications are now available for the CENTC Undergraduate Summer Research Program. Undergraduate fellowships are available to conduct research at a choice of CENTC’s 13 locations during the summer of 2010. The program is 10 weeks long, running from June 14, 2010 through August 20, 2010. Fellows will receive a stipend and compensation for travel and housing. For more information and to download an application, visit:

http://depts.washington.edu/centc/education_ur.htm

Melanie Sanford Receives BASF Catalysis Award 2009

CENTC investigator Melanie Sanford was recently awarded the BASF Catalysis Award 2009 for her research seeking new catalytic reactions for cleaner systems and greener processes in chemistry. Read the BASF press release here:

http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-09-442