COMPLEXATION OF HYBRID MOLECULES FOR FUNCTIONAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

HYBRID MOLECULES, OR HYBRID LIGANDS, CONTAIN TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEMICAL FUNCTIONALITY SUCH AS HARD AND SOFT DONORS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF BINDING TO METAL CENTRES. THE DESIGN OF HYBRID MOLECULES VIA TUNING OF THEIR STERIC AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES IS IMPORTANT TO FULLY HARNESS THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS WHETHER AS ORGANIC MOIETIES OR AS COORDINATION METAL COMPLEXES. THIS WORK WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DEVELOP QUINOLYL-BASED [N,N,N] AND [N,O,N] TRIDENTATE HYBRID MOLECULES USING CUAAC AS A METHODOLOGY AND EXAMINE THEIR FUNCTIONAL APPLICATIONS AS ORGANIC MOIETIES AND METAL COMPLEXES. PD(II) TRIDENTATE [N,N,N] COMPLEXES AS WELL AS ZN(II), CO(II) AND CU(II) [N,O,N] COMPLEXES WERE PREPARED, AND THEIR POTENTIAL CATALYTIC AND PHOTOLUMINESCENCE PROPERTIES WERE EXPLORED. A VENTURE INTO HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSIS WAS ALSO UNDERTAKEN TO PREPARE RU NANOCLUSTERS ON SILICA SURFACES VIA THE GRAFTING OF THE METAL PRECURSOR THROUGH SURFACE LINKERS BEFORE UNDERGOING HYDROGEN REDUCTION. THE RU NANOCLUSTERS EXHI