In Fall 2022, R. David Britt was awarded the ACS Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic Chemistry for pioneering pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the photosystem II oxygen-evolving complex, plus the advanced EPR spectroscopic characterization of numerous and varied key metalloenzymes and catalysts. 

Joanna Aizenberg of Harvard University was awarded the 2023 ACS Award in Colloid Chemistry for her outstanding contributions to fundamental and applied colloid chemistry in developing large-scale, highly ordered porous colloidal materials with unique photonic, catalytic, and sensing properties. This literature discussion will highlight her recent work to understand how colloidal crystals of polystyrene spheres grow when the solvent evaporates.

This paper describes the use of a  catalytic nickel system for the hydrodefluorination of aryl amides. While organofluorine compounds are extremely useful because of their unique properties, there are growing concerns about the impact of these compounds on the environment. Carbon-fluorine bonds are extremely strong, and so getting them to react is a significant challenge for chemists.

This literature discussion is based on a 2022 Science paper describing a series of dilanthanide complexes with exceptional magnetic properties due to the presence of metal-metal bonding. These molecules are the first reported species to feature direct bonding between two lanthanides! The paper contains ample material for discussion of molecular symmetry and bonding, oxidation states and electron configurations, and magnetism. The handout includes a description, glossary, discussion questions, and pre-class worksheet.

This paper describes work from the Milstein group in which ruthenium catalysts with pincer ligands are used to depolymerize nylons by breaking the C-N bond and hydrogenating the resulting products to amines and alcohols. Waste plastic is a serious environmental concern that needs a solution. Organometallic chemists put significant effort into finding ways to convert monomers into polymers, and now we must figure out ways to do the reverse.