Location:
Faculty Hall
In 2016-2017 Institute Colloquium series, Prof. A.G. Samuelson, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry Department will be delivering Fifth Colloquium on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 4 pm in the Faculty Hall.
Title : Seeking Copper, Striking Gold!
Abstract
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The story of this “cuprophile”, who sought reactivity patterns through electron counting, began with his search for a complex that could reversibly absorb carbon dioxide. One reaction led to another and finally the chemistry of ”soft copper(I)”surrounded by “hard donor ligands” was studied by his research group. Much to their amazement, they found some commonly held assumptions about the nature of copper (I) untenable. More surprises followed as they systematically studied multinuclear copper(I) complexes. These findings in d10 chemistry begged for a comparative investigation with d0and d6metal complexes. This led to the discovery of novel metathesis reactions of carbon dioxide and analogous heterocumulenes with Ti and Zr alkoxides.
Modelling the observed structures and the reactivity of complexes using electronic structure calculations has been a hobby for the group. Apart from the joy of discovering the “electronic factors”that dictate a structure or a reaction, these calculations have given the impetus forstudying new reactions. Over the course of time, some members of the research group decided to solve more practical problems and so turned their attention to thedevelopment of metal complexes totreat cancer. With the assistanceof Prof. Kumar Somasundaram in the MCB department, the group has developed a targeted anticancer active gold nano-conjugate.In this context, the group is working on ways to mitigate the occurrence of skin cancer in leukaemia patients treated with6-thioguanine (6-TG).
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Tea : 5-00 p.m.
ALL ARE WELCOME
Director will preside the same.
