Not just metals and minerals anymore (research opportunities in contemporary inorganic chemistry)
Inorganic chemistry is no longer just the chemistry of metallurgy and mineralogy,
or even the "everything else except carbon" discipline. The term "inorganic
chemistry" is better explained as a loose tribal identity for chemists with research interests
across the periodic table. Modern inorganic chemistry is an exciting undertaking, embracing a range of
rapidly evolving interdisciplinary fields. At Iowa, the inorganic chemistry faculty have research interests
that encompass biological, environmental, materials & catalysis, and organometallic
chemistries:
biological
(Messerle, Rohde) How do proteins recognize DNA or small anions? Can we design new metalloprotein chemotherapy drugs, or understand the role of Zn in multiple sclerosis? How do certain Fe-heme proteins (lactoperoxidases) prevent bacteria from growing in milk? Can we improve diagnostic imaging by exploiting multinuclear metal-cluster compounds?
environmental
(Eyman) We need to efficiently dehalogenate organics to protect the ozone; can we design inorganic materials for this purpose? How can we remove low-level toxic inorganic contaminants like uranium from waste streams and groundwater?
materials & catalysis
(Eyman, Gillan, Messerle, Rohde ) How do you make complex semiconductors and ceramics from small molecular building blocks? Can one synthesize metastable metal cluster materials using alternate reduction strategies? How can we lower the temperature of important processes like steam reforming hydrocarbons by utilizing 2D-inorganic coatings?
organometallic
(Eyman, Gillan, Messerle, Rohde ) How can transition metals be used to activate small molecules for further reactions? Can organometallic porphyrins be convenient sources of free radicals in synthesis? How are metals used to liberate reactive organic species such as carbenes? How does early transition metal chemistry change when the metal has a few d-electrons?
For answers to these questions and for more information about inorganic research at Iowa, follow the links above.
