Honors Theses

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Jonah W. Jurss

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Rising global energy demands coupled with depleting natural resources have led to a strong emphasis on finding new sources of energy that are renewable and which limit the negative impact on the environment. One of the strongest candidates is utilizing solar energy to drive water oxidation to produce hydrogen as a fuel source. In order to do this, a better understanding of the mechanism involved in this process must be revealed. Homogenous molecular catalysts allow mechanistic studies and can be also used in Photoelectrochemical Cells (PECs) and other systems to produce chemical fuels. In this work, the new syntheses of 2,6-bis(1,1-bis(2-pyrazyl)ethyl)pyrazine (PZ5Me2) and 2,6-bis(1,1-di(pyridin-2- yl)ethyl)pyrimidine (PY4PMMe2) are described, in addition several previously reported pentadentate polypyridine derivatives have been prepared, all of which will be ligated to ruthenium to form new catalysts for water oxidation.

Accessibility Status

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Included in

Chemistry Commons

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