| People
- Faculty
- Professor:
William C. Kaska |
| Field(s): |
Inorganic Chemistry |
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| Email: |
kaska@chem.ucsb.edu |
| Phone: |
(805)
893-
2515 |
Fax:
(805)
893-
4120 |
| Office: |
3225 Chem |
 |
Selected
Publications |
|
Go
to Research Group website |
| Bio: |
Dr. Kaska received his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1963. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Pennsylvania State University, he came to Santa Barbara in 1964. He retired from the university in 2006. |
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Current
Research
Carbon dioxide utilization in synthetic chemistry is an attractive way of using this material as a carbon source. The relative abundance in the atmosphere and ecological concern as a greenhouse gas make carbon dioxide a singular source for industrial and fine chemicals. However, carbon dioxide as the end product of combustion is relatively unreactive even though it is cheap and abundant. One way to modify the chemistry of carbon dioxide is to induce complexation to transition metals. This complexation with catalytically active metals is the basis for developing new syunthetic procedures with carbon dioxide. We are studying the chemistry of complexation of carbon dioxide with iridium compounds like 1 with respect to their thermal and photochemistry.
Saturated hydrocarbons represent the least reactive organic substrates for conversion of carbon compounds to useful materials like alcohols, acids and amines. In order to make saturated hydrocarbons more reactive the hydrogen atom must be replaced with a more reactive metal atom. This means insertion into the C-H bond. The enhanced polarity of the resultant carbon metal bond makes it possible that functionalization with other atoms like oxygen, nitrogen can readily occur. Complexes like 1 are being used to study reactions with saturated hydrocarbons.
In another project the binucleating ligands 2 are being synthesized which will juxtapose two metal atoms in order to make molecules with different oxidation states, thermochromic and photochromic molecules, for energy and optical memory storage.
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| Selected
Research Publications |
| Transition Metal Complexes with the Proton Sponge 4,9-Dichloroquino[7,8-h]quinoline: Highly Twisted Aromatic Systems and an Extreme Out-of -Plane Position of the Coordinated Transition Metal Atom. H.Wuestefeld, W.C. Kaska, F. Schueth, G. D. Stucky, X. Bu, B. Krebs. Angewandte Chemi 40, No 17, 3182 (2001) | | Thermally Stable Homogeneous Catalysts for Alkane Dehydrogenation. M.W. Haenel, S. Oevers, K. Angermund, W. C. Kaska, H.J. Fan, M. B. Hall. Angewandte Chemie 40, No. 19, 3596. (2001) | | Synthesis and Reactivity of [IrH2(tBu2P) CH2CHCH2CH2P(tBu2)], A Dynamic Iridium Polyhydride Complex, M. McLoughlin, H.A. Mayer, R. Flesher, and W.C. Kaska, Organometallics 13, 3816 (1994). | | Trimeric Iridium(I) and Iridium(III) Complexes with the Tripodal Phosphane cis,cis-1,3,5-Tris[(diphenylphosphanyl)methyl]cyclohexane (tdppmcy) as bridging Ligand, H.A. Mayer and W.C. Kaska, Chem. Ber. 128, 95 (1995). | | Stereochemical Control of Transition Metal Complexes by Polyphosphine Ligands, H.A. Mayer and W.C. Kaska, Chem. Rev. 94, 1239 (1994). |
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