Understanding biological nitrogen fixation: an investigation of multi-electron reduction catalysis at novel iron-sulfur clusters. A new class of iron-sulfur clusters held together by a central light atom will be prepared and their reactions thoroughly studied. These clusters are important because they will have the same structure as the iron-molybdenum cluster of the enzyme nitrogenase. This enzyme fixes atmospheric nitrogen as ammonia. It is the primary route of nitrogen entry into all living s ....Understanding biological nitrogen fixation: an investigation of multi-electron reduction catalysis at novel iron-sulfur clusters. A new class of iron-sulfur clusters held together by a central light atom will be prepared and their reactions thoroughly studied. These clusters are important because they will have the same structure as the iron-molybdenum cluster of the enzyme nitrogenase. This enzyme fixes atmospheric nitrogen as ammonia. It is the primary route of nitrogen entry into all living systems. Industrially ammonia is produced in an energy-demanding process on a vast scale. The studies will provide insights into how nitrogenase works and how to design new multi-electron reduction catalysts. The research may lead to new energy-efficient routes to ammonia and to other new alternative fuel sources. Such processes would transform Australian industry and how we live.Read moreRead less
Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will desi ....Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will design catalysts with multiple complementary metal centres tailored to bind and activate nitrogen gas to facilitate its reaction with hydrogen or other reagents.Read moreRead less
A new metalloprotein-inspired methodology for energy-efficient chemical reduction. Chemical reduction, a core process in chemistry and industry, is carried out on an enormous scale using present-day technology that is extremely energy wasteful and irreversibly consumes resources. This project aims to provide a new sustainable methodology for chemical reduction using sophisticated bio-inspired metal (electro) catalysts.
Adding hydride punch to transition metal complexes for CO2 electroreduction. This project plans to apply an innovative methodology to the selective conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) waste into useful C1 chemicals. The new inorganic chemistry approach is based on the invention of transition metal–organic hydride coordination complexes, which are designed to punch hydride ion (= a proton and two electrons) into metal-activated CO2-derived intermediates. The approach should naturally overcome the ....Adding hydride punch to transition metal complexes for CO2 electroreduction. This project plans to apply an innovative methodology to the selective conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) waste into useful C1 chemicals. The new inorganic chemistry approach is based on the invention of transition metal–organic hydride coordination complexes, which are designed to punch hydride ion (= a proton and two electrons) into metal-activated CO2-derived intermediates. The approach should naturally overcome the two-electron barrier found for today's best transition metal electrocatalysts of CO2 reduction and, hence, enable the selective production of formaldehyde, a four-electron reduction product and bulk industrial feedstock chemical, or methanol, a six-electron reduction product and future transport fuel.Read moreRead less
Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that ar ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Compounds. The program will develop new metal-based catalysts for two main purposes (i) transforming basic hydrocarbons eg. natural gas and low-molecular-weight petroleum products into more advanced compounds (such as alcohols, alkenes and carboxylic acids); and (ii) converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds eg. ammonia or ammonia derivatives. In both projects, the aim is to take readily available and abundant starting materials that are currently difficult to utilise and to design and develop specific reagents to convert them to "value-added" products. The program will also explore the mode of action of metal-based reagents leading to better reagent and catalyst design.Read moreRead less
Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. This research program investigates new approaches for converting hydrocarbons to more useful materials by using metals such as iron and ruthenium. This research program will provide a new route to ?value-added? products from hydrocarbons and develop new uses for these abundant raw materials.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100170
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
A tuneable femtosecond light source for materials and biological sciences. Researchers at The Australian National University, Monash University and The University of Technology, Sydney are involved in a range of projects where new molecules are synthesised or discovered in nature. Molecules like these have applications in new photonics or energy technologies. This integrated facility will afford intense light of varying pulse durations to investigate the behaviour and performance of such molecul ....A tuneable femtosecond light source for materials and biological sciences. Researchers at The Australian National University, Monash University and The University of Technology, Sydney are involved in a range of projects where new molecules are synthesised or discovered in nature. Molecules like these have applications in new photonics or energy technologies. This integrated facility will afford intense light of varying pulse durations to investigate the behaviour and performance of such molecules.Read moreRead less
Boron and silicon based pincer ligands for environmentally responsible catalysis. The production of everyday chemicals (pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, polymers) comes at a price, economic and environmental. Metal catalysts significantly reduce the environmental impact of both the associated energy requirements and waste products. New classes of catalysts will be developed based on the unconventional elements boron and silicon.