ABSTRACT:
Our research program revolves around the synthesis and use of fused heterocyclic stable carbocations, such as acridinium, helicenium and triangulenium ions. These molecules are formed by successive double aromatic substitution reactions between tris(2,6-dimethoxyaryl)carbenium ion and primary amines. These stable carbocations can withstand a variety of experimental conditions to enable straightforward tunability and functionalization. This allow us to control their physical and chemical properties, such as their Lewis acidity, as well as their photo and redox activity. As a result, we have developed applications that spam from Lewis acids assisted transformation to photocatalysis and energy storage. Furthermore, our facile synthetic methodology provides an ideal opportunity to convert these electron-deficient p-systems into a ligand platform.
BIO:
Thomas was born in Marseille, south of France, where he did his initial education. After high school, he moved to Lyon where he graduated from CPE Lyon, engineering school in France, with a bachelor and master degree in chemistry and chemical engineering. He then pursued his PhD studies at the University of California, Berkeley, under the guidance of Profs John Arnold and Bob Bergman, followed by a post-doctoral position at the ETH Zürich with Prof Grützmacher. In September 2017, he moved to Tucson AZ with his wife and two children, Lucian (7) and Daisy (11), to start his independent career as an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Arizona.
Location and Address
Zoom