Welcome to the Eisenberg Group Homepage

Metal Complex and Organometallic Chemistry:

Synthesis, Structure, Reaction Chemistry and Photochemistry


 

The 2003 Eisenberg Group



Current members of the Eisenberg group include (from left) Mesfin Janka, Young-A Lee, Tom Hackett, the Boss (or so he thinks), Thad Wadas, Soma Chakraborty, and Quanming Wang.

The Eisenberg group is engaged in a number of projects involving organometallic and metal complex chemistry of the platinum group elements. The organometallic chemistry focuses on reactions related to catalysis and the design of new catalytically active complexes. In this context, reactions with molecular hydrogen such as hydrogenation, oxidative addition and hydroformylation are fundamentally interesting and practically important. Research on these reactions in the Eisenberg group has employed parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) as a means of investigation. Through enhanced resonances, product species are readily identified, leading to characterization of new hydride species including catalytic intermediates. Cationic complexes are also under study as possible electrophilic promoting agents and catalysts for bond activation ans catalysis.

Studies on platinum and gold complexes relate to their excited state properties and associated luminescence behavior. One line of investigation involves square planar Pt(II) diimine complexes as chromophores in the construction of molecular photochemical devices for photo-induced charge separation corresponding to one of the fundamental steps in artificial (and natural) photosynthesis. The chromophores are linked to specifically positioned electron donors and acceptors through different coupling strategies. Other work done in collaboration with Kodak scientists relates to the use of luminescent metal complexes as dopant emitters in OLED's for flat panel displays.



Rich Eisenberg



B. 1943. A.B. '63, Columbia University; Ph.D. '67, Columbia University; Tracy H. Harris Professor of Chemistry; Associate Dean, College of Arts and Science, 1989-'91; Department Chair, 1991-'94; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, 1972-'74; John S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, 1977-'78; Organizer, First NSF Workshop on Organometallic Chemistry, 1977; Member, Advisory Board, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1982-'84; Chairman, Organometallic Subdivision of the Inorganic Division of the American Chemical Society, 1982; Chairman, Gordon Research Conference on Organometallic Chemistry, 1988; Councilor, Inorganic Division, American Chemical Society, 1988-'91; Member, PRF Advisory Board, 1988-'91; Chair, Inorganic Division, American Chemical Society, 1993; Varon Visiting Professor, Weizmann Institute, 1997; Lady Davis Fellow, Hebrew University, 1997; Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Inorganic Chemistry, 1997-'98; Editorial Advisory Board, Organometallics, 1998-'00; Editor-in-Chief, Inorganic Chemistry, 2001-; ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry, 2003. Tel. (585)-275-5573



Email to : eisenberg@chem.chem.roche ster.edu


Mesfin Janka, postdoctoral fellow


I received my B. S. and M. S. degrees in Chemistry from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and my Ph. D. from University of Missouri-St. Louis under the direction of Prof. Gordon K. Anderson in December 2002.

My research involves the design, synthesis and characterization of cationic electrophilic platinum group elements. In probing the reactivity of the electrophilic complexes, cationically promoted polymerizations, organic transformations, and bond activation are examined. The intimate mechanismis of these transformations are also addressed. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at jank@mail.rochester.edu.







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Young-A Lee, postdoctoral fellow


I received my Ph. D. degree from Seoul National University in South Korea on Feb. 2000, and then worked at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) as a senior researcher.

My research activities focus mainly on the development of gold(I) luminescent materials for possible use in OLED devices. Several series of gold(I) compounds containing dithiophosphate, dithiocarbamate and thiouracil ligands have been synthesized and studied, including new heterobimetallic gold(I) systems. In these systems, gold(I) moieties aggregate through 'aurophilic' interactions, which are critical in controlling their crystal structures and luminescence properties. Recently, bright blue gold(I) emitters that exhibit special tribochromism in solid state luminescence and pH-dependent luminescence in solution, have been developed. Subsequent effects will lead to elucidation the nature of the emitting states. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at younga@chem.rochester.edu.


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Soma Chakraborty, postdoctoral fellow


I received my Ph.D degree in the year 2002, from I.I.T, Bombay (INDIA) under the suprevision of Prof. G. K. Lahiri.

I am presently working in a project targeted to the design, synthesis and study of multicomponent super- and supramolecular systems for the photochemical hydrogen generation. The central component of these systems is a chromophore comprised of a square planar coordinated Pt(II) ion with both acetylide and polypyridyl ligands. The dyads and corresponding triads will be constructed for facile flow of energy and desired charge separation. In the presence of possible catalysts, assays for hydrogen generation upon irradiation will be conducted and efficiency will be compared with standard benchmark systems. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at chak@mail.rochester.edu.



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Quanming Wang, postdoctoral fellow


Ph. D., The Chinese University of Hong Hong, 2001; Postdoctoral Fellow, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002

My research involves the synthesis and characterization of heavy metal complexes which are useful dopants for OLED. Recently I have been working on luminescent gold-silver clusters. Another part of my work will involve making devices to study the electroluminescent behavior of these systems. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at quan@chem.rochester.edu.





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Thad Wadas, graduate student


B. S. King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA.; M.S. University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

My research involves luminescent platinum (II) diimine bis(acetylide) and platinum (II) terpyridine acetylide complexes and their incorporation into dyads, triads, and multicomponent systems for light to chemical energy conversion. These complexe possess the necessary excited state properties for their utilization in molecular photochemical devices. Currently, we are constructing and studying a number of intramolecular chromophore-donor (CD) and acceptor-chromophore-donor (ACD) complexes with the goal of being able to create long-lived photoinduced charge separated states. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at thad@mail.rochester.edu.



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Tom Hackett, undergraduate student


I'm working toward my B.S. in Chemistry. I'm interested in inorganic and organometallic reactions.

My research involves making and studying the luminescent behaviors of gold (I) complexes. I'm using and coordinating different ligands that will attached to the gold atoms to give these luminescent properties. If you are interested in contacting me about my research, please feel free to contact me by e-mail. Simply click here or email me at th002k@mail.rochester.edu.






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Publications from the Eisenberg group over the past decade


Click here to look at a list of papers from the Eisenberg from 1993 on.

Eisenberg Group Alumni


Click here to look at a list of past Eisenberg group members.


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Please email Rich Eisenberg if you have any problems with this page.